GAFCON day whatever-it-is: Acceleration
This afternoon, the draft Conference Statement was presented to the whole conference, and then discussed in detail by all the participants meeting in their different provincial groups. There is a strict media embargo on the text of the Statement, and those of us who are blogging have been sworn to secrecy. I will therefore say no more about it, except to promise that when the final text is released (on Sunday), you will want to read it. …
– Tony Payne at The Sola Panel.
Airport delay? – Share good news
Russell Powell hears how one Nigerian Bishop took the opportunity to share some wonderful news on his way to GAFCON.
See the 4 minute 20 second video file courtesy of SydneyAnglicans.net.
GAFCON Slideshow Day 6
Here’s a slideshow of photos taken at GAFCON on Day 6 – Friday.
You can also see our slideshows of Day 4, Day 3 – and Monday’s photos from the Mount of Olives.
‘A sleeping giant awakes’ says Peter Jensen
Sydney Archbishop Peter Jensen – chair of the GAFCON programme committee – speaking to a news briefing in Jerusalem – saying a sleeping giant has awoken in the church because of the actions of revisionist [i.e. liberal] leaders in North America. …
– from the GAFCON website.
930kb Mp3 audio clip here – courtesy GAFCON media team.
(Photo: Joy Gwaltney.)
Gafcon: a longer look
“Our story today follows up the press conference yesterday with Archbishop Benjamin Nzimbi of Kenya. He confirmed that Gafcon will today and on Sunday firm up plans for the new ‘church within a church’ …”
– by Ruth Gledhill in Times Online.
(Photo: Russell Powell.)
Court backs Virginia churches
A Virginia circuit judge has handed a crucial victory to a group of 11 former Episcopal churches that left the Diocese of Virginia 18 months ago over issues of theology and the 2003 consecration of the denomination’s first openly gay bishop. …
– Story from The Washington Times. (Truro Church is the largest of the churches involved.)
Draft communique on the table
GAFCON delegates have been giving their reaction to a draft conference communique released at midday on Friday in Jerusalem.
The draft, which is confidential and won’t be finalised for another 24 hours, was greeted enthusiastically by participants, who gave it a standing ovation. …
– Report from Russell Powell for SydneyAnglicans.net. (Photo: Russell Powell.)
‘Church within a Church’
A communiqué being prepared by pilgrims to the Global Anglican Future Conference will call for new structures to support conservatives and likely formalize a break with the Episcopal Church.
The changes Gafcon sees are new structural relations between Anglican churches including a break with the progressive wing of The Episcopal Church, a common approach to reading the Bible, a new catechism and a new Book of Common Prayer shared by conservatives across the Communion, Nigerian Bishop John Akao said.
The “centre of Anglicanism has shifted from Europe to Africa,” Sydney lay leader and member of the Archbishop of Canterbury’s Panel of Reference, Robert Tong said. Past pan-Anglican gatherings had been jamborees where we “were all scouts together,” Mr Tong said, but the rise in influence of African Anglicanism meant a change was in the works for what it meant to be Anglican. …
On the opening night of the conference, Archbishop Akinola stated Gafcon had “no intention” of starting a new church … However, the archbishop’s colleagues explained that being an Anglican did not mean loyalty to a church system centring round the Archbishop of Canterbury, but to a set of theological principles. …
– Read the full report by George Conger for Religious Intelligence.
(Photo of Robert Tong by Joy Gwaltney.)
What we believe
The message at the heart of Christianity is really quite simple…