Two stories on the GAFCON Australasia Conference
At SydneyAnglicans.net, Russell Powell has posted two further reports on the GAFCON Australasia Conference in Brisbane –
“We need to show people the beauty of being disciples of Christ”
Archbishop Stephen Than: “I thank God for creating the GAFCON movement which emerged from the painful struggle of our orthodox brothers and sisters in the Anglican Communion. Without GAFCON, the Anglican communion will fade away gradually. The essence of Anglicanism will disappear, the essence of christianity will disapear from the Anglican Church.”
The Global Anglican Future Colin
“ When Colin Buchanan took the stage at the GAFCON Australasia gathering in Brisbane he was cheered by the crowd and then led through the acronym that many people have trouble remembering.”
EFAC Global calls for prayer for C of E General Synod
“The General Synod of the Church of England will be meeting in York from the 5th to the 9th of July 2024.
There will be presentations and questions on the Living in Love and Faith report on Saturday afternoon (6 July) and a 5-hour session on Monday afternoon (8 July).
The paper to be discussed is 31 pages long, but the Executive Summary is as follows…”
– Anglican Mainstream has republished this call to prayer from Bishop Stephen Hale (Chair), Bishop Henry Scriven (General Secretary) and Bishop Keith Sinclair (Chair of Trustees) on behalf of EFAC Global.
Jesus Calling — and the Presbyterian Church in America
“Perhaps you are unaware of the controversy surrounding Jesus Calling among Reformed and Presbyterian churches. But there are good reasons why the book has generated so much resistance and strong critiques even as it has sold in the tens of millions and generated dozens of spin-offs. The problems with Jesus Calling begin with its origins. …”
– At Reformation21, Todd Pruitt explains why the Presbyterian Church in America discussed and voted on Jesus Calling at their recent General Assembly.
It’s worth being aware of the book and its many derivatives.
The article at Reformation21 references this 2015 post by Tim Challies: 10 Serious Problems with Jesus Calling:
“Sarah Young’s Jesus Calling is a phenomenon that shows no signs of slowing down. … Yet it is a deeply troubling book. I am going to point out 10 serious problems with Jesus Calling in the hope that you will consider and heed these warnings.”
Bishop of Oxford names the Alliance proposal – “disproportionate schism”.
“Dear Colleague,
I write to make a number of points in response to your letter to the Archbishops of 26th June. Your letter makes a series of charges against the bishops of the Church of England and I have no doubt has caused hurt to LGBTQIA+ Christians and their friends and family. Your threat of schism means that we find ourselves on the front pages of the national press on this issue even in the midst of a General Election campaign when the world faces so many challenges and problems. …”
– Unsurprisingly, the Bishop of Oxford, Dr. Steven Croft, doesn’t like the letter from The Alliance and believes they are exaggerating the problem and the number of people who are unhappy. (via Anglican Mainstream. PDF of the letter here via Anglican.ink.)
Among other things he writes,
“You level against the bishops again the charge of Western elitism and ignoring the views of the Global South. However, your own letters pay no attention to the very considerable consensus at the Lambeth Conference in 2022 about accepting different views on sexuality yet still walking together. …”
For background, here are some articles about the claimed “very considerable consensus” at Lambeth 2022:
Archbishop Welby denounces as un-biblical the decision of African Primates to skip the Lambeth Conference – 13 June 2022.
Orthodox bishops to offer their own ‘Lambeth Resolution’ — won’t receive Holy Communion with gay-partnered bishops – 29 July 2022.
Clarity out of Confusion: Lambeth 2022 – 08 August 2022.
Peter Jensen on Lambeth — Repentance is needed – 09 August 2022.
Global South Fellowship of Anglican Churches responds to C of E General Synod vote – 10 February 2023.
Read the Letter from The Alliance to which the Bishop of Oxford is responding.
Update:
Comment from Susie Leafe at Christian Today:
“It seems that, just like the Archbishop of Canterbury before him, Bishop Croft would rather forget that hundreds of bishops boycotted the Lambeth Conference because they could not walk together with those who have departed from the teaching of the Church. It also seems to have slipped his mind that many who did attend were also very clear that they too could not walk together.
The truth is, there was no vote at Lambeth and there was no opportunity for bishops to dissent from the party line espoused by the Archbishop of Canterbury.
The Bishop of Oxford may have forgotten the events of 2022, but surely he cannot have missed the more recent statements from Gafcon and the Global South Fellowship of Anglicans, who between them represent about 75 per cent of the Anglican Communion. Again and again they have said that in seeking to change the teaching and practice of the Church, the Church of England and the Archbishop of Canterbury have forfeited their leadership role of the global Communion. …”
GAFCON Australasia Conference 2024 underway
“Starting with a children’s song and an Anglican confession in a large Baptist auditorium in Brisbane before an audience of people from across Australia, guests from the Pacific and South East Asia and including sixty under 18s, signals the comprehensiveness of GAFCON Australasia’s second conference. …”
– The GAFCON Australasia Conference is underway, and Russell Powell has this report.
Nungalinya College seeking new Principal
Nungalinya College, the Theological and Training College for Indigenous people, in Darwin – set up by the Anglican, Uniting and Roman Catholic Churches more than 50 years ago, is looking for a new Principal.
“The College is looking for a Principal who will lead a Christ-centred educational vision that respects Indigenous Languages and cultures and seeks to empower Indigenous Christians at every level of the College. …
Closing Date – 26th July 2024.”
– Details at the College website.
A Paper Province or a Proper Province?
“With the announcement of a ‘Parallel Province’, Anglican Futures asks, has The Alliance found the answers to the intractable problems of providing orthodox episcopal oversight within the Church of England? …”
– In the latest post at Anglican Futures, the question is asked how a ‘Parallel Province’ might actually work. The post reminds us how important it is for members of The Alliance to tease out how their goal, if it is needed, would be achieved.
It’s also a good reminder that wisdom would be a good thing to pay for.
“The Alliance” coalition writes to the Archbishops of Canterbury and York
The Alliance – “a broad coalition of leaders of networks across different traditions supported by more than 2,000 clergy within the Church of England” has written to the Archbishops of Canterbury and York outlining their plans to form – if necessary a “parallel Province”.
“…we want to inform you that we are now proposing a positive way forward to allow those churches who support the Church’s teaching to carry on their mission and pipeline of ministry securely, founded on the Church’s doctrine.
If the further departure from the Church’s doctrine suggested by the Synod papers does go ahead, we will have no choice but rapidly to establish what would in effect be a new de facto ‘parallel Province’ within the Church of England and to seek pastoral oversight from bishops who remain faithful to orthodox teaching on marriage and sexuality.
We will encourage all church leaders who are in sympathy with The Alliance to join the parallel Province.
We will take action with immediate effect to open up a new pre-ordination stream for potential ordinands, in partnership with orthodox bishops, to reverse the decline caused in part by this unconstitutional and unorthodox process.
We are not leaving the Church of England or the Anglican Communion. We wish to stay loyal to the one holy catholic and apostolic Church throughout the world rather than be part of a schismatic move which departs from the teaching received…”
They conclude,
“We urge you, even at this late stage, to honour your oaths as archbishops and bishops in England and to follow the lawful constitutional path to preserve the unity of the Church throughout the Anglican Communion.”
Download the full letter (PDF file) from The Alliance website.
Bishop Stephen Hale’s EFAC Global message after the GFSA Conference
“Message from Bishop Stephen Hale, Chairman of EFAC Executive Committee
Greetings in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
This EFAC Global report has been written while I’ve been in Cairo participating in the Orthodox Leaders Meeting (AOL) organised by the GSFA and GAFCON Global. It is a new meeting that arose out of the Ash Wednesday Declaration of the GSFA in 2023 and the Kigali Commitment also in 2023. Its purpose is to connect the Primates with the many mission partners and groupings who are involved in conversations about resetting the Anglican Communion. A Statement from this meeting will be issued in due course.
The background to all of this for EFAC Global is a remarkable journey from the Lambeth Conference in 2022 to today. …”
– Read it all, via Anglican Mainstream.
CEEC welcomes orthodox bishops’ statement ahead of Synod
“CEEC is grateful to the group of 11 bishops who have today published* a warning, ahead of General Synod, that the LLF proposals currently on the table would go against church doctrine, further endanger the unity of the church and by-pass proper canonical process.
We commend the courage of these bishops as they write, ‘we are among a number of bishops unable to support the direction of travel presented to the bishops at our most recent meeting, or the proposals to be brought to General Synod later this month.’
We support the assertion of this group as they state that while they support the emphasis on and importance of unity highlighted in the proposals, they believe that the proposals will not ‘protect our unity in mission to the nation or our partnerships within the wider Church.’…”
– Read the full Statement from The Church of England Evangelical Council.
Egypt: A CEEC perspective from John Dunnett, National Director
The Church of England Evangelical Council’s National Director, John Dunnett, reports on the GSFA First Assembly in Egypt –
“It was an amazing privilege to attend the gathering of 200 archbishops, bishops, senior leaders and lay brothers and sisters from 40 different countries.
There was an incredible sense of unity amongst people from radically different cultures and backgrounds, all united in the gospel. …
I was struck by a real sense of disbelief, shock, grief and betrayal at the Church of England’s continued departure from its biblical doctrine…”
Can the Church of England afford same-sex blessings?
“The General Synod meeting in York next month is being overshadowed by revelations of the dire financial state of most of the Church of England’s 42 dioceses.
The staggering picture of the C of E’s financial decline in the Diocesan Finances Review Update, circulated to Synod members ahead of their July meeting, comes as the C of E’s bishops seek approval for their plan to allow standalone services of blessing for same-sex couples to go ahead on an experimental basis. …”
– Julian Mann highlights the multiple financial woes facing the Church of England as the House of Bishops steams ahead with same-sex blessings.
Church Society responds to the latest LLF proposals from the Bishops
“Another synod, another paper on LLF. So, what do we have?
Within the synod paper there is much discussion about ‘discernment’, the idea being, no doubt, to reassure us all that no irreversible decisions are being taken. However, it is important to note that this is not discerning prior to acting but rather discerning through action. Standalone services of blessings for same sex couples will be allowed, and this will be monitored annually through ‘existing data or feedback gathering models’. All this for a three year period.
This is a curious thing. It is normally considered more prudent to discern whether something is right or wrong before you act. When crossing the road it is wise to check there is no traffic before you step out. True, just heading onto the road and being struck by a car would help you discern it was not safe, but would it not be better to have looked for traffic first? Especially when others on the pavement are shouting: ‘Stop!’
This is particularly the case when it comes to issues such as this one …”
– Church Society looks at the latest LLF proposals from the Church of England’s House of Bishops and asks, “Is it possible to hold multiple doctrines simultaneously [?]”. You probably know the answer.
Many related earlier posts on LLF here.
(Image modified from a photo by Philip Clark.)
Archbishop Kanishka Raffel’s sermon at the GSFA First Assembly in Egypt
Our thanks go to the Anglican Futures website for drawing attention to Archbishop Kanishka Raffel’s sermon at the final session of the GSFA First Assembly in Egypt last week.
The Archbishop spoke on Romans 10:1-10 – and you can see video of the sermon here.
“…the Anglican Communion will not be surrendered to leadership that denies the authority, truth and trustworthiness of the Word of God…”
Take the time to watch to be reminded of the great issues and the great responsibilities before every believer. Most encouraging!
Update:
A PDF file of the Archbishop’s sermon notes is available here, with thanks to Russell Powell. (Clicking the link may download the file to your downloads folder.)
Cof E ‘forfeits leadership’ role in Communion declare Global South Anglicans
“Global South Anglican leaders meeting in Cairo last week repeated their statement that the Archbishop of Canterbury and C of E had “forfeited” leadership and vowed to press on with creating new structures for the worldwide Anglican Communion.
Some 200 Global South Anglicans met in Cairo to hear the Archbishop of Sudan, Justin Badi Arama, state that membership of the Communion had shifted ‘from geography to doctrine’. …”
– From The Church of England Newspaper. Republished at Anglican Mainstream.
Photo: Archbishop Justin Badi Arama at Lambeth in 2022, with thanks to the Lambeth ’22 Resource Group.
What we believe
The message at the heart of Christianity is really quite simple…