‘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.)
Women support Akinola
Mrs Oluranti Ademowo said that the women who form the majority of worshippers in the Anglican Church in Nigeria are solidly in support of the Primate of Nigeria Archbishop Peter Akinola in the campaign to uphold Biblical authority. …
– From the Church of Nigeria website. (Photo: Peter Frank.)
Dawn in Jerusalem
According to the schedule the final communiqué will be reviewed and put forward for adoption on Sunday morning. Participants will discuss a draft of the final this morning in small workshop groups.
The process by which the communiqué is being drafted is an interesting one. The purpose is to include the whole conference in creating the final draft. Cynical observers (like myself unfortunately) might assume that the content of the communiqué is foreordained; that the pretence of pilgrim participation is just that, but I do not think so this time. …
– Matt Kennedy posts at Stand Firm.
Archbishop Benjamin Nzimbi (Kenya) with Mrs. Kwashi (Nigeria) at press briefing. Photo: Joy Gwaltney.
The pointy end of GAFCON
“As GAFCON makes its exciting, inspiring and exhausting way into its second half, the question of ‘What next?’ is becoming more and more urgent. So many are looking for so much from this conference. We are facing a danger of unrealistic expectations.
And yet, as GAFCON has already, from my point of view at least, achieved so much more than a realist would expect, then just maybe the crucial final statement will do the job.
There are at least four distinct groups of delegates here, all with different approaches to GAFCON. …”
– Bishop Robert Forsyth writes from GAFCON at SydneyAnglicans.net. So does Dr Karin Sowada. (Photo: Russell Powell.)
GAFCON moves towards agreement
The chair of the Statement Committee at the Global Anglican Future Conference has told a media briefing that there is already general agreement on a number of points as the meeting is just two days away from issuing its final communique. …
– Report from Russell Powell at SydneyAnglicans.net.
American conservatives ‘not bank-rolling GAFCON’
Claims the Global Anglican Future Conference is being underwritten by American conservative money is false …
Bishop-elect AkinTunde Popoola, the Church of Nigeria’s press spokesman said two donors gave the bulk of the funds. … The suggestion that shadowy Western financiers were behind Gafcon was “nonsense” he said.
– Report from George Conger at Religious Intelligence. Apparently a response to this. (Photo: Joy Gwaltney)
GAFCON Slideshow Day 4
Here’s a slideshow of photos taken at GAFCON on Day 4 – Wednesday. Includes photos of Australians at GAFCON.
You can also see our slideshow of Day 3.
– and Monday’s photos from the Mount of Olives.
‘Why I will not be attending Lambeth’ – Wallace Benn
The Rt. Rev Wallace Benn, Bishop of Lewes, says he will not be attending the upcoming Lambeth Conference because he can’t have fellowship with those who have “broken fellowship”, and because revisionist American and Canadian bishops are persecuting his friends, including one of the world’s foremost Anglican theologians, Dr. J. I. Packer. …
– Story from VirtueOnline. (Photo: Peter Frank.)
The Australian team at GAFCON
The Australian contingent – at the Ophel Gardens service.
At left: The Western Australian contingent – including the small team from the largest (by area) Anglican diocese in the world, North West Australla.
Martin Foord, Bishop David and Maureen Mulready (NWA), Lachlan and Bec Edwards, Kanishka Raffel
Photos: Russell Powell.
Short on the Word of God
David Short, Rector of St John’s Shaughnessy, gave the GAFCON Bible exposition from the book of Exodus on Wednesday. He reaffirmed the centrality of the Word of God for the people of God – from the time of Exodus to now.
Listen to an excerpt (90 sec / 750kb mp3 direct link) courtesy GAFCON. (Photo: Joy Gwaltney)
Update: Cheryl M. Wetzel, Editor of The Anglican Voice, has posted her notes from David’s talk.
GAFCON Slideshow Day 3
Here’s a slideshow of photos taken at GAFCON on Day 3 – Tuesday.
See also yesterday’s photos from the Mount of Olives.
Tentative steps to a new future
Bishop Bill Atwood, a US-based Kenyan bishop, told a press conference that agreed upon principles will lead to a new awareness of voluntary association which will, in turn, lead to a shared purpose and vision, and ultimately to shared structural mechanisms.
He stopped short of declaring a new Anglican entity or that GAFCON would be a rival or alternative Anglican Communion. “Structural life proceeds out of the realities of relationships. There is no constitution in the wings that people can line up…it has to grow out of relationships,” he said.
“Our authority is to the Holy Scriptures and the historic way in which the church has received and interpreted scripture.” …
– Report from David Virtue. (Photo: Russell Powell)
The Big Question: an inevitable split?
In recent decades the Anglican Communion has been sharply divided over a number of issues, particularly whether homosexuality should be accepted and tolerated in the Church. But things are really coming to a head. …
– from The Independent.
Bp Michael Nazir-Ali: Recover your nerve
The most senior English Bishop to appear at the GAFCON conference in Jerusalem has spoken of the need for Christian churches in the west to “recover their nerve”.
Bishop Michael Nazir-Ali, of the diocese of Rochester in the United Kingdom, announced this week that he would not attend the Lambeth Conference. …
– Story from SydneyAnglicans.net. (Photo: Joy Gwaltney)
Sola Panel on GAFCON
“Back at the Renaissance Hotel Ballroom, Henry Orombi (Archbishop of Uganda) preached a powerful sermon on ‘Jesus is Lord’, the high point of which was his emphasis on the powerful, transforming word of God. Expounding the story of the paralysed man healed by Jesus in John 5, Archbishop Orombi pointed out that Jesus exercised his Lordship by speaking a creative, healing word of power, and that he continues to do so today. …”
– Tony Payne is blogging from GAFCON. Catch his posts here.
What we believe
The message at the heart of Christianity is really quite simple…