Phil Ashey reports from GAFCON
Posted on October 26, 2013
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In his latest “Anglican Perspective”, the American Anglican Council’s Canon Phil Ashey speaks with great hope about the future of GAFCON and its part in the Great Commission.
GAFCON Friday Press Conference
Posted on October 26, 2013
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GAFCON has released a brief highlights video of the Friday press conference.
Archbishop Ben Kwashi reaffirmed the commitments of GAFCON I – to trusting in Jesus Christ as the Saviour of the world, and in the Scriptures as our authority, with a focus on Mission.
Dr Ruth Senyonyi of Uganda spoke of the foundation of the Biblical view of marriage.
GAFCON General Secretary Dr Peter Jensen praised the organisers and the people of Kenya for their welcome.
GAFCON votes to expand
Posted on October 26, 2013
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GAFCON is continuing to build for the future:
“To affirm and endorse the position of the Primates Council in providing oversight in cases where Provinces and Dioceses compromise biblical faith, including the affirmation of a duly discerned call to ministry. This may involve ordination and consecration if the situation requires.”
GAFCON News Release, Friday 25th October 2013 –
The second Global Anglican Future Conference, which concludes this weekend in Nairobi, resolved to expand its leadership role in supporting and recognising Anglicans in places where Biblical faith has been compromised.
A meeting of bishops within the conference this week voted without dissent to affirm the Primates Council in recognizing and overseeing theologically isolated Anglicans. This includes the expansion of the Anglican Mission in England and similar bodies around the Communion.
The text of the GAFCON Bishops’ resolution follows:
To affirm and endorse the position of the Primates Council in providing oversight in cases where Provinces and Dioceses compromise biblical faith, including the affirmation of a duly discerned call to ministry. This may involve ordination and consecration if the situation requires.
The 331 Bishops and Archbishops attending GAFCON 2013 met at All Saints Cathedral, a greater number than in the first GAFCON in Jerusalem in 2008.
“We came to Nairobi seeking God’s guidance for the future. Should we stop? Should we slow down? The Bishops told us we must go on.” said Archbishop Eliud Wabukala, Primate of Kenya and Chairman of GAFCON.
The General Secretary of the Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans, Dr Peter Jensen, said “The problems of the communion in the 21st Century were aired last weekend. But this conference, this movement, is not just calling attention to the dysfunction, it’s about building for the future.”
The General Secretary described GAFCON as unique – gathering Archbishops, Bishops and clergy as well as lay men and women.
Those attending also took part in smaller groups discussing issues such as marriage and family, women, Gospel and culture, theological education and Islam.
The conference attracted 1,358 delegates – 871 Clergy, 487 laity.
There will be a final conference communiqué released tomorrow with more detail and further announcements about the future of the movement.
– from GAFCON. Photo: Andrew Gross, ACNA. (Emphasis added.)
Don’t make The Reformation History
Posted on October 25, 2013
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“…The Reformation did more than reform the abuses of organised religion.
It was a recovery of the gospel that transformed the very nature of the church. Thus it became the foundation for our Protestant pattern of church life.
We cannot truly understand ourselves without a proper grasp of the events of the Reformation.”
– Dean of Sydney Phillip Jensen writes on the crucial need to understand the Reformation today.
Women’s mini-conference
Posted on October 25, 2013
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The Women’s mini-conference is the focus of this highlights video from GAFCON.
‘For the Feast of the Reformation’ — at the Cathedral
Posted on October 25, 2013
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They’re doing something a little different at St. Andrew’s Cathedral for Reformation Day –
JS Bach — Cantata no.79 ‘For the Feast of the Reformation’
“In an Australian first – a performance of Bach’s magnificent Cantata 79: “God is our Sun & Shield”, within the context of our Sunday Service on October 27th at 10:30am.
Bach wrote this cantata for the Sunday morning service celebrating Reformation Day at St. Thomas’ Church in Leipzig in October 1725. His own choir of boys and men was almost the same size and age as the Choir of St. Andrew’s, making this the first time in Australia that the piece has been performed in the same context and with the forces that Bach would have heard it in 1725!
The Dean of Sydney, Phillip Jensen, will be speaking on the Reformation festival itself; a celebration of the very heart of the Christian faith, and the congregation will be invited to join heartily with Martin Luther’s hymns that will frame the service, just as they did in Bach’s day.”
It’s at 10:30am on Sunday 27th October at St. Andrew’s Cathedral. Download a 600kb PDF flier.
Bishop Charlie Masters talks about the Diocese of Niagara
Posted on October 25, 2013
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“At GAFCON 2, Bishop Charlie Masters discussed how ANiC [Anglican Network in Canada] priests were treated by their former church. …”
– Anglican TV via Anglican Samizdat.
(Context: earlier posts mentioning Charlie Masters and St. George’s Lowville.)
Global challenge – the UK situation
Posted on October 25, 2013
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Paul Perkin, Vicar St Mark’s Battersea Rise in London gave GAFCON attendees an update on the situation in the UK –
“The largest Anglican church in England has 23 ordained ministers and thousands of young people being discipled to follow Christ. It is producing over 30 ordinands every year. …
So Jesus is the sovereign, risen Lord, miraculously active in the UK, prospering gospel evangelism, pouring out his Holy Spirit, growing the churches and planting new ones, and bringing glory to himself in it all.
However, the opposite to the dream of the church penetrating the nation is the nightmare of a secular nation invading the church. This is the contrary scene and it is also happening in Britain.”
– Read his remarks via the GAFCON website
or watch them via Anglican TV (19 minutes).
Prime Minister says he will attend sister’s wedding, but not support the marriage
Posted on October 24, 2013
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“Tony Abbott says he will ‘do the right thing’ and attend his gay sister’s wedding but could never support the marriage. …”
– Report from News.com.au.
(h/t SydneyAnglicans.net. Photo pm.gov.au)
Related: When a private act sends a public message – Albert Mohler.
The Grace of God OR the world of the West?
Posted on October 24, 2013
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“My first really significant encounter with worldwide Anglicanism came at theological college.
It was 1990 and an east African priest was on secondment with us. He preached in the college chapel. He posed a question. Which gospel, he asked, which gospel do you westerners want us to believe? The one you came with or the one you preach now? Which gospel? I was horrified, not because what he said was not true. I was horrified because it was true.
My east African brother’s question has nagged away at me ever since. But how has it come about that we have a different gospel now from the one we first preached. What is this difference between what we westerners say now and what we said then? …”
– Dr. Mike Ovey, Principal of Oak Hill College, speaking at a GAFCON Plenary session. Full text PDF from GAFCON. Watch it here, courtesy Anglican TV. (Photo: Stephen Sizer.)
See also:
Archbishop Peter Jensen – “GAFCON is a way of delivering friendship and unity” – Sunday 20th October – transcript (GAFCON) and video (Anglican TV).
GAFCON 2013 Tuesday Highlights
Posted on October 23, 2013
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A 2 minute 40 second video-montage of Tuesday at GAFCON in Nairobi.
The Global Challenge
Posted on October 23, 2013
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Archbishop Dr Eliud Wabukala, Primate of Kenya and Chairman of the Global Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans –
“The challenge we face is that the nations which were once the spiritual powerhouses of world wide mission have now become deeply secularised and even hostile to the Christian faith and the Churches of those lands have more often than not been strongly influenced by the societies in which they are set.
I am aware that for some of you, the threat of violence from Islamic extremism may be uppermost your minds, and we have had a painful reminder of that reality recently here in Kenya, but that which really rots the fabric of the Communion is the much more insidious process by which weak churches are gradually taken captive by the surrounding culture.”
– from The Chairman’s Address at GAFCON on Tuesday 22nd October. Read it all.
The official photo of Bishops and Archbishops attending gives some indication of the shift in global Christianity. See who you can spot in the full size version. (Photo: GAFCON.)
The Archbishop’s earlier greetings can be seen here from Anglican TV.
NSW Council of Churches supports High Court challenge
Posted on October 22, 2013
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Here’s a Media Release from the NSW Council of Churches, 22 October 2013 –
Prime Minister Tony Abbott is to be commended for his Government’s support of uniform national marriage laws and the decision to vigorously challenge the ACT Government’s new same sex marriage laws in the High Court. Read more
GAFCON not ‘a breakaway movement’
Posted on October 22, 2013
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“Leaders of the Global Anglican Future Conference … refuted characterizations in the western press of the gathering as a breakaway movement, with recently retired Archbishop Peter Jensen of Sydney responding that ‘nothing could be further from the truth.’…”
– Report from GAFCON.
Edited highlights from the press conference may be seen here on Vimeo.
Nairobi conference confirms major realignment in Anglican Communion
Posted on October 22, 2013
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“Although initially expecting 1100, the final total is 1,352 Archbishops, Bishops, clergy and lay people, men and women, from almost 40 countries. The number of bishops attending is 331, of whom 30 are Archbishops.. …” – from GAFCON.
What we believe
The message at the heart of Christianity is really quite simple…