An Anglican lifeboat for faithful Christians

An announcement from GAFCON Australia:

We are at an important moment in the history of the Anglican Church in Australia,” says Richard Condie, Chair of Gafcon Australia.

This week, over 350 Anglicans from around Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea and Vanuatu are gathering in Canberra for the inaugural Gafcon Australasia Conference to encourage one another to continue proclaiming Christ faithfully.

As part of the conference proceedings, the Diocese of the Southern Cross will be formally announced. “The Diocese of the Southern Cross is a new structure for Anglicans in Australia who can no longer sit under the authority of their bishop,” says Richard Condie.

Bishop Glenn Davies will be the first Bishop of the Diocese. Already, its first church, Southern Cross Anglican Beenleigh and Logan, has met under the leadership of the Rev Peter Palmer.

At the recent General Synod, a majority of bishops were unable to uphold the Bible’s ancient teaching on marriage and sexual ethics. Many Anglicans in Australia are distressed by their failure and the moves in their own dioceses to lower the standards of sexual ethics for leaders.

At the recent Lambeth conference, The Bishops of the Global South said,

“To us in our provinces, this is not primarily about gay sexual practices and unions, but rather that Anglicans look first and foremost to be guided in their faith and order by Scripture, and not by the passing cultural waves of Western society … as disciples, we are not told in Scripture to mould Jesus into ‘our’ image, but to be continually transformed by the Spirit into ‘His’ image.” 

“The issue for us is the authority of the Bible,” says Richard Condie. “The decisions at the recent General Synod, the 2020 Appellate Tribunal opinion that opens the way to blessings for same-sex marriages, and the watering down of standards of behaviour in changes to Faithfulness in Service are examples of this. The Diocese of the Southern Cross provides an Anglican home for those who feel they need to leave their current Dioceses.”

We long to see all Australians come to know the love of Christ. This love of Christ cannot be known unless our witness is faithful and clear.

This Diocese is connected to the Gafcon movement internationally. Gafcon stands for the renewal and reform of the Anglican church by recovering its biblical foundations. It embraces the majority of the world’s worshipping Anglicans.

– Source: GAFCON Australia.

See also:

New Mission initiative for the Global Anglican future – SydneyAnglicans.net.

Sydney Archbishop Kanishka Raffel was among the first leaders that support the new diocese. “I’m happy to extend the hand of fellowship to the Diocese of the Southern Cross and may God bless Bishop Davies and his work.”

Anglican Unscripted 753 — Archbishop Foley Beach Interview

At Anglican Unscripted Kevin Kallsen speaks with GAFCON Chairman Archbishop Foley Beach.

They speak about Lambeth, the Anglican Communion and hopes for the future, including the relationship between GAFCON and the Global South.

(The Pastor’s Heart comes in for honourable mention!)

Orthodox Bishops reaffirm Biblical teaching at ‘partial’ Lambeth

“The Global South Fellowship of Anglican Churches has reaffirmed a landmark agreement on marriage and sexuality, calling for a ‘resetting’ of the Anglican Communion back to its biblical roots.

The statement came at the end of a meeting in Lambeth called by the English Archbishop Justin Welby. The Archbishop of Canterbury has traditionally called a meeting of Anglican bishops from around the world every 10 years.

However, the last full meeting of bishops was in 1998, when the Lambeth Conference passed what is known as Resolution 1.10. …”

– Russell Powell provides a handy summary of Lambeth 22, at SydneyAnglicans.net

Photo: Archbishops Tito Zavala and Justin Badi at the Global South Fellowship of Anglican Churches, 5th August 2022. Canterbury. Photo by J. Trickey, GSFA.

A response to Lambeth from the Chairman of GAFCON

“Sadly, rather than being a source of healing and unity, the Lambeth Conference compounded the problems. The Lambeth Conference was filled with confusion, and what that means for global Anglicanism has just begun to be felt. The Canterbury Communion is broken, not just metaphorically, but literally …

We are living in a unique moment in which, by the grace of God, global Anglicanism can be genuinely reformed by Biblical repentance and renewal. This will be the focus of the Gafcon IV Conference next April when we gather in Kigali, Rwanda. The world needs the transformation that comes from hearing and responding to an unambiguous, saving faith in Jesus Christ.”

– Archbishop Dr Foley Beach, Chairman of the GAFCON Primates Council, has written a letter to members of the GAFCON family. He both laments the failure of Lambeth and sees the opportunities that lie ahead for global Anglicanism.

Read it all here.

Peter Jensen on Lambeth — Repentance is needed

From The Pastor’s Heart:

“The Anglican Communion is broken and needs to repent.

Provinces of the Anglican Communion are now free to develop their own teaching on sexuality, according to the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby.

There will be no contending for the faith (cf Jude 1:3) or withdrawing fellowship from the sexually immoral.

Archbishop of Canterbury Archbishop Justin Welby arranged the Lambeth Conference so that delegates didn’t get to vote on the most contentious issue of the day – sexuality.

Rather he wrote to delegates announcing that Lambeth 1:10 still applied, but there would be no consequences for ignoring it.

Former Archbishop of Sydney and former General Secretary of Gafcon Peter Jensen joins us to review the confusion in global Anglicanism in the wake of Lambeth22.”

– Watch or listen here. A fascinating and encouraging discussion. Do watch right to the end.

Clarity out of Confusion: Lambeth 2022

“Later in the afternoon, we sat for the final Lambeth press conference … It was an opportunity for Archbishop Welby and other leaders to share the accomplishments and unfinished business of this conference, along with answering any unanswered questions and tying up loose ends.

One of the topics that came up was the Communique of Orthodox Bishops of the Global South (5 August 2022), which states unequivocally that these bishops are not walking together with those who will not abide by Lambeth Resolution 1.10 (1998): ‘Our willingness as orthodox bishops to attend this conference does not mean that we have agreed to “walk together” with the revisionist primates and bishops in the Anglican Communion.’ (para. 5.5)

And yet, the closing words of Archbishop Welby’s letter to the bishops on Lambeth Resolution 1.10 (1998) and the message from Lambeth that ‘the bishops are walking together despite deeply held differences’ were repeated every day, at every opportunity, including this final press conference.

I took the opportunity to challenge that narrative by posing the following question to Archbishop Welby. …”

– On Saturday the American Anglican Council’s Canon Phil Ashey wrote these reflections.

See also:

Lambeth 2022: Clarity out of Confusion – an Interview with Abp James Wong.

Orthodox Bishops at The Lambeth Conference Reaffirm Lambeth I.10 as Anglican Teaching on Marriage and Sexuality

“Orthodox bishops attending the Lambeth Conference have reaffirmed Lambeth 1.10 as the ‘official teaching of the Anglican Communion on marriage and sexuality’, and now a process will be initiated by the Global South Fellowship of Anglican Churches (GSFA) to allow Primates and bishops who did not attend this Lambeth Conference to do so. …”

– Press Release from the Global South Fellowship of Anglican Churches.

And a ‘thank you’ video from Archbishop Justin Badi.

Australia Remains Open to Christianity — Archbishop Kanishka Raffel

“What shall we make of the Census finding that 44% of Australians identify as ‘Christian’, with as many as 39% describing themselves as having no religion?

It is the first time in Census history that fewer than 50% of Australians align with a Christian denomination. What does it mean for Sydney Anglicans as we seek to commend the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ to our friends and neighbours? …”

– Archbishop Kanishka writes to encourage you to keep on sharing the saving news of Jesus.

Authentic and Orthodox Discipleship

“In the Lambeth Conference 2022 Plenary Session and Press Briefing on Discipleship, there was not much talk about actual discipleship.

The three speakers were Bp. Eleanor Sanderson, Abp. Michael Curry, and retired Bishop Moon Hing. There was much talk around the term ‘intentional discipleship’, but the only point made was that people will rarely turn into disciples unless you’re intentional about making them. Other than that, there was no further practical information given despite questions about the content, vision, and means for making disciples.

Orthodox Anglicans may be left wondering what, exactly, is meant by ‘discipleship’ when it’s spoken by leaders who promote pluriform truth and accept sexual immorality as a new norm that can be affirmed. …”

– As Lambeth 2022 draws to a close, the American Anglican Council’s Canon Phil Ashey shares his thoughts about what discipleship means when there is fundamental disagreement on the basics.

Should Church-run hospitals be forced to perform abortions?

“I’m beginning to think that when some people read ‘1984’ and ‘A Brave New World’, their impression is, what a great idea. Let’s model our society on ‘Oceania’ or ‘World State’!

There is a certain predictability about our political and social overlords: Christianity is bad, science is a subject in the Arts faculty, and conscience is only free for those who follow the right agenda. …”

– In this piece published last week, Murray Campbell in Melbourne responds to a move to force Church-based hospitals and health institutions to perform abortions.

He implores his readers, “please read the entire piece & not just one or two snippets. The whole argument matters, not just a quote or two.”

Communique by Orthodox Bishops Presented by GSFA Primates Steering Committee present at Lambeth Conference 2022

Communique by Orthodox Bishops – Presented by: GSFA Primates Steering Committee present at Lambeth Conference 2022

“We grieve at the continued tear in the life of the Communion occasioned by those Primates and Provinces who declined to follow the guidance offered by Resolution I.10, and the consequent absence of significant numbers of orthodox Bishops from our assembly both in 2008 and now. The unchecked spread of revisionism has necessitated the new structure of the Global South Fellowship of Anglican Churches (GSFA) since 2019 for enhanced ecclesial responsibility across orthodox Provinces, and the movement impetus of the Global Anglican Future Conference (Gafcon) since 2008 for reform, renewal and proclamation of the Gospel. …”

– Read the full Communique (PDF file) at the Lambeth ’22 Resource Group website.

See also:

Orthodox Bishops Map Out a Robust Future & Hopeful of a Re-Setting of The Anglican Communion – Issued by the Global South Fellowship of Anglican Churches (PDF file).

Global South Primates reset the Anglican Communion

“So, together with those who painfully and in good conscience decided not to come, we want to register our collective ownership and stewardship of a Communion that in God’s grace has become worldwide.” – Communique of Orthodox Bishops (par 5.10)

“The Global South Fellowship of Anglican Churches (GSFA) steering committee presented their Communique of Orthodox Bishops Present at Lambeth Conference 2022.

Considering the Archbishop of Canterbury’s statement that he will not under any circumstances discipline or sanction a church that refuses to abide by Lambeth Resolution 1.10 (1998), it seems he has allowed these orthodox bishops to provide a blueprint for resetting the Anglican Communion.

This reset would be based on a shared confession of faith in genuine communion with interdependence and covenants of mutual accountability. Anglican identity is doctrinal, grounded in the Holy Scriptures, the ancient Fathers, the Book of Common Prayer 1662, and its ordinal which is reiterated in the document.

It is striking to note that it does not make Anglican identity a product of relationship to the See of Canterbury or any other sociological or historical anchor. Moreover, in contrast to the Abp. of Canterbury’s statement during the session on the Human Dignity Call, the orthodox bishops of the GFSA state unequivocally that if Anglican identity and unity are rooted in common doctrine, then we cannot be a communion with a plurality of beliefs. …”

– This Special report by the American Anglican Council’s Canon Phil Ashey gets to the heart of the matter.

In his closing remarks, he writes,

“Since many, if not most, of the Global South bishops here are also members of GAFCON, how can these two bodies collaborate more intensively in healing the wounds to the Anglican Communion? As I wrote in my reflections on what the face of this emerging communion may look like, is it possible that GAFCON and the Global South could collaborate as a mission society and a Mother Church in the same way Paul and Peter collaborated in the Book of Acts?”

See also:

Lambeth 2022 Diary: Hope and a Future – Thursday 4th August.

“Yesterday the Lambeth Conference of Bishops travelled by bus to Lambeth Palace for a day of planting one tree and discussing the proposal to create a worldwide “Anglican Communion forest.” I find it remarkable that the issue of the authority of the Scriptures, over which our Anglican Communion is divided, was given only two hours on Tuesday in contrast to an entire day to plant a tree and address climate change. That fact alone speaks volumes about the dysfunction in the Lambeth-driven Anglican Communion, but there have also been hopeful moments that help pivot us from all that is wrong with the Anglican Communion towards what a post-Lambeth Communion could look like in the days ahead. …”

GSFA Press Conference photo: J Trickey / GSFA.

At Lambeth Palace, bishops and spouses celebrate launch of Anglican Communion forest initiative

“With the launch of the Anglican Communion Forest, Anglican and Episcopal bishops from across the world are seeking to make tangible their shared commitment of the Fifth Mark of Mission, to strive to safeguard the integrity of creation and sustain and renew the life of the Earth.

Climate change ‘is an absolutely enormous emergency for literally billions of the world’s population,’ Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby said during an Aug. 3 press conference held in the Lambeth Palace Library. …”

– Story from The Episcopal News Service. Photo: Lambeth Conference.

By contrast:

“At this conference, we are being asked to look at the needs of our broken the world, and to offer hope. But we cannot mend a broken world when the Anglican Church is so broken and fractured.”

– Archbishop James Wong, Archbishop of the Province of Indian Ocean, from the Lambeth ’22 Resource Group on Facebook.

Lambeth 2022 Diary: Bad News and Good News

“In the Lambeth Conference of Bishops 2022, Tuesday August 2 was to have been a critical moment of reflection and decision on the divisions that have rent the fabric of the Communion asunder.

Tuesday was to have been the day when the Bishops discussed whether to reaffirm Lambeth Resolution 1.10 (1998) and its teaching on the authority of scripture, creation, human sexuality, marriage and leadership in the Church. …”

– The American Anglican Council’s President, Canon Phil Ashey, shares his observations for Tuesday – quite an eye-opening day at Lambeth.

See also:

What Then has happened to Lambeth Resolution 1.10 (1998) at LC2022? – American Anglican Council.

Archbishop James Wong explains how bishops at Lambeth can support the GSFA Resolution

In this video from Global South Fellowship of Anglican Churches and EFAC, Archbishop James Wong, Primate of the Indian Ocean, explains how bishops of Lambeth can express their support for the Resolution affirming Lambeth 1.10.

The Global South move apparently has been necessitated by the reluctance of the Lambeth organisers and the Archbishop of Canterbury to allow this issue to be discussed on the floor of the conference.

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