Why GAFCON?: The Anglican Communion over the past year
“Criticisms have been directed against GAFCON, many of them by those considered to be conservatives. And these criticisms are not to be ignored. But for the Global South and their allies, no real alternative to GAFCON is evident, given two factors.
The first is the evasiveness of the House of Bishops of The Episcopal Church (TEC) in responding to the communiqué of the Primates’ Meeting of February 2007.
The second, no less compelling, is Canterbury’s undercutting of the Primates’ Meeting and of the Primates themselves, apparently to avoid rejection of the HOB response. By way of giving grounds for this view, this article traces the sequence of events giving rise to GAFCON. …”
Read the rest of this analysis by the Rev. Theodore L. Lewis, Theologian in Residence at All Saints’ Church, Chevy Chase, Maryland, on VirtueOnline.
North West Australia not going to Lambeth
Bishop David Mulready, of the Diocese of North West Australia, has written a Pastoral Letter to the churches of his diocese –
“Many Bishops around the world have questioned whether Lambeth will be able to deal adequately with the present crisis. While most Australian Bishops will be attending Lambeth, I have decided not to attend, after many months of prayerful consideration and conferring with others. While I understand the argument that it is better to be present and make my views known, I don’t believe that anything worthwhile will be achieved. …
The Global Anglican Future Conference (GAFCON) is being organized by a group of Archbishops and other leaders from Africa, South America and Asia, as well as England, Canada and Sydney’s Archbishop Peter Jensen, together representing over half of the 55 million Anglicans world-wide. I have decided to attend this conference which promises to be positive and future looking. …”
Read the full letter on the DNWA website. PDF file.
Jerusalem Pilgrimage plans for GAFCON
After consultation with a number of church leaders in Jerusalem, and around the world, the pilgrimage of the Global Anglican Future Conference will now take place from June 22nd – June 29th.
An important Consultation in Jordan from 18–22 June will include the conference leadership, theological resource group, those bishops serving in majority Islamic settings and other key leaders.
The Jerusalem pilgrimage will focus on worship, prayer, discussions and Bible Study, shaped by the context of the Holy Land.
“We are very grateful for the feedback that we have received on the many complex issues that confront us,” said Archbishop Peter Jensen, Archbishop of Sydney and a member of the leadership team. “The emphasis of our time together will be our future in the Anglican Communion and the reformation and renewal of our common life rooted in the Holy Scriptures and our common faith in Jesus Christ.”
Participants will include bishops and their wives, key clergy and laity.
The press release and brochure are available now on the GAFCON website.
Church Society: Open letter to the Primates of the Global South
An open letter to the Primates and faithful Anglicans of the Global South
Greetings in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
The Anglican Communion is a voluntary association of national and provincial churches.
The Bible teaches that Christians should not be in fellowship with those who are false teachers (1). By any reasonable reading of the Bible views held by the present Archbishop of Canterbury are such as to mean that sincere Christians should not be in fellowship with him. (2)
We therefore call on you, as leaders within the Anglican Communion, to break fellowship with the present Archbishop of Canterbury until such time as he renounces his published teaching. Read more
‘Global South’ Anglican Catechism in Outline
“The Anglican Catechism in Outline project was unanimously endorsed and commissioned by the Global South Primates or their representatives present at its meeting at Kigali, Rwanda, September 2006. It was agreed that an interim report should be sent to the Global South Primates by February 2008 for their comments, and the final report be submitted by June 2008.
It is a historic and important project initiated by the Global South at this very critical juncture of the life and witness of our Anglican Communion.
The Global South Anglican Theological Formation and Education Task Force submitted their Interim Report to the Global South Primates Steering Committee on 6 January 2008.
We commend the Interim Report for careful study and feedback.”
Read the 60 page ACIO Interim Report (PDF) here.
Food for thought
“…even assuming that there will be a remnant of Evangelicals at Lambeth … the 70% who will be there represent a MINORITY of Anglicans worldwide, while the 30% of bishops attending GAFCON represent 70% or more…”
From a Viewpoint article by Anglican journalist David Virtue.
What we believe
The message at the heart of Christianity is really quite simple…