The church in the United States has gone further in accepting gays and in particular gay priests than anywhere else in the world. The BBC's religious affairs correspondent Emily Buchanan has been to the diocese of Newark near New York.

Newark is at the vanguard in the Anglican Communion in accepting, even encouraging homosexual priests - there are 30 of them in the diocese.

It is a policy started by Bishop Jack Spong, who is probably the most liberal and controversial of any Anglican leader.

Bishop Spong : 'There are a number of wholly gay and lesbian people in this church'

Bishop Jack Spong revels in challenging traditional Christian views. He refutes those who say that gay priests can not set a moral example to a congregation.

There are pockets of opposition to Bishop Spong's accelerated liberalisation of the church - notably at St Michael's church in Wayne, New Jersey which boasts a more evangelical tradition.

Ellen Donelly :'By sanctioning homosexuality the church is effectively saying it is not a sin'

The congregation views gays as essentially sinful and the vicar the Reverend Ellen Donnelly agrees with them.

In New Jersey Canon Elizabeth Kaeton makes history.

She is the first openly lesbian priest to take a service here -part of a campaign to introduce more congregations to the idea of homosexuality in the priesthood.

Canon Elizabeth Kaeton :'That is not the most important thing about me'

Elizabeth was called an abomination at the time of her ordination but since then she has found the key to conversion is in conversation.

Bishop Spong :'Ultimately the message of the bible God call us to love our neigbours as ourselves'

On the authority of the Bible there is no meeting of minds. Bishop Spong says that it is evil for the church to support discrimination and argues that the words of the Bible should not be used to prop up people's prejudices.

Organisers of the Lambeth Conference worry that such divergent views will be played out down in Canterbury and will dominate the agenda.

But in New Jersey the shock of having a lesbian priest has mostly subsided.