Bible exposition central
“We turn to the Bible every day at GAFCON because we wish to hear the word of God saying what God wishes to speak to us,” said the Rev. David Short as he introduced GAFCON’s series of daily scriptural expositions. David spoke to introduce Archbishop Justus Akrofi, primate of the Anglican Church of West Africa as he began the expositions on Tuesday.
– Outline of this week’s Bible expositions from the GAFCON website. (Photo: Joy Gwaltney)
Secular media response to GAFCON
Secular media covering the Global Anglican Future Conference are seriously distorting both the content and message of the 1200 mostly Global South Anglican leaders, which includes 300 bishops from 38 countries …
– David Virtue comments at VirtueOnline.
(Photo: Joy Gwaltney)
GAFCON Slideshow – Mount of Olives
We’ve added a slideshow of photos taken on the Mount of Olives – with a focus on people our Australian readers will recognise. Photos thanks to Russell Powell.
Dr. Mark Thompson: Just what is the Bible?
GAFCON participants have been organized into about 6 different workshops. I’ve fortunately been placed in the workshop that has to do with scripture. The first session was led this morning by Dr. Mark Thompson from Sydney. He discusses the nature of scripture, its clarity, its truthfulness, and its place in the church. These are my notes from his talk. It was brilliant and incredibly encouraging. …
– Matt Kennedy of Stand Firm blogs from GAFCON.
See also Mark’s Authority in the Church – on the GAFCON website.
(Photo from the pre-GAFCON leaders consultation – by Russell Powell.)
Sowada and Forsyth write from GAFCON
SydneyAnglicans.net has posted comments from Dr. Karin Sowada and Bishop Robert Forsyth – on their experiences so far at GAFCON.
(Photo: GAFCON Media team.)
Pilgrims help draft GAFCON statement
There is no advance text of a final statement of the Global Anglican Future Conference (GAFCON), nor prepared plans for future organization and action. And there won’t be one until the 1,200 bishops, priests and laity meeting in Jerusalem June 22 – 29 has had a chance to seek God’s guidance and contribute their thoughts to the Statement Committee.
“The final statement is going to emerge as the work of all the participants of GAFCON,” said Archbishop Benjamin Nzimbi of the Anglican Church of Kenya and chair of the Statement Committee. …
– Press release from GAFCON. (Photo of Archbishop Benjamin Nzimbi: Joy Gwaltney.)
GAFCON Pilgrims on Mt of Olives
One thousand two hundred Global Anglican Future Conference pilgrims visited the Mount of Olives on Monday, June 23.
Traveling on close to 30 tour buses, the pilgrims worshipped, prayed together, and had their picture against the backdrop Jerusalem’s Old City. The Rev. David Pileggi, rector of Christ Church, Jerusalem, reminded pilgrims that it was on the Mount of Olives, which separates Jerusalem from the desert, that Jesus wept over the city. Pilgrims took time to pray for their own cities, provinces, dioceses, congregations, and families.
Pilgrims also walked down the valley slope to the Garden of Gethsemane, where Jesus wrestled with God’s will and was arrested the night before his crucifixion.
The Rev. Martin Foord, from Perth, Australia, said of the experience: “It has revolutionised my reading of scripture. I can’t read the Bible the same way again. I can now visualise Jesus weeping over Jerusalem.”
His compatriot, the Rev. Gary Nelson, concurs: “I got this sense of history, being in the very place where real events happened. I got a feel for the distances. It has helped me visualise portions of scripture. You can understand how news (2,000 years ago) spread so quickly.”
– GAFCON Press release. (Photo: GAFCON media team. Click for a larger version.)
Day 2: The Mount of Olives, Gethsemene
Almost everyone at the GAFCON conference visited the Mount of Olives today. There was a short prayer service, a group photo thanks to a hired helicopter photographer, and a second group photo for bishops and primates… Our guide led us to … the church built over the place where tradition says Jesus wept over Jerusalem…
– Matt Kennedy continues to blog from GAFCON at Stand Firm. (Members of the pre-GAFCON consultation visit the Jordan River last week in this photo by Russell Powell.)
The Anglican Division Looms
The world-wide Anglican Communion has been skating on thin ice for decades now, skirting disaster only by an infinitely creative arrangement of compromises. Now, with the Lambeth Conference of Anglican bishops coming in just a few weeks, a group of 300 conservative Anglican bishops is meeting in Jerusalem. Their meeting will make history, and may well define the ultimate breakup of global Anglicanism. …
– Al Mohler on the challenge facing the Anglican Communion.
The Guardian on GAFCON and Lambeth
“In the latest blow to Williams’s plans for Lambeth, the Bishop of Rochester, Michael Nazir-Ali, became the most senior Church of England figure to decline an invitation, joining a growing boycott movement by scores of bishops unhappy with the liberal agenda of some provinces of the church. …”
– from The Guardian.
(Update: Bishop Nazir-Ali spoke about GAFCON and Lambeth during a talk for Reform London recently. Here’s an excerpt – 5 min 14 sec 1.8MB mp3 file – direct link. Bishop Nazir-Ali was asked if GAFCON is divisive. With thanks to Reform London – full unedited audio here.)
Archbishop Akinola on error and apostasy
This is Dr Peter Akinola, Archbishop of Nigeria, addressing Gafcon this evening. ‘A sizeable part of the Communion is in error and not a few are apostate,’ he said, questioning whether the Communion could be rescued from within or without. It was an important rallying call that will set the tone for the rest of the conference. …
– From Ruth Gledhill’s blog at Times Online. (Photo: Ruth Gledhill. Note ACL President Mark Thompson and Oak Hill Principal Mike Ovey on the right of the picture. At centre, Cesar Guzman from Chile speaks with Archbishop Peter Jensen.)
Archbishop Jensen on BBC World Service
Part of an interview recorded with Archbishop Peter Jensen in Amman last week has been broadcast on the BBC’s “Reporting Religion” programme. Archbishop Mouneer Anis is also interviewed.
Worth listening to. The relevant section is at the start of the programme and runs for 14 minutes – from the BBC.
(Picture: from a photo by Russell Powell.)
GAFCON opens in prayer
More than 100 leaders of the Global Anglican Future Conference joined Anglican Bishop of Jerusalem in a prayer service just hours before the opening session addressed by the Archbishop of Nigeria, Peter Akinola.
Despite the Jerusalem bishop’s public disagreement with the conference, GAFCON organisers believed that it was important for them to pray with and hear from him as the Anglican Bishop of Jerusalem. … – Russell Powell reports for SydneyAnglicans.net.
In his Cathedral address to the GAFCON visitors, Bishop Suheil Dawani appealed to them not to bring any ‘decisions’ to Jerusalem –
“…I note that you say your coming here to Jerusalem is a ‘pilgrimage’. Pilgrims here do not bring decisions with them. They come here to seek prayerfully the decisions God wants them to make. And God will always surprise us. …”
The full text of Bishop Dawani’s address is available from The Episcopal Church website (link to a Word doc). VirtueOnline also has a report.
(Archbishop Peter Akinola is greeted by Bishop Suheil Dawani at St George’s Cathedral. Photo: Tundi.)
“A Rescue Mission” – Archbishop Akinola’s welcome message
Read Archbishop Peter Akinola’s opening address at GAFCON on Sunday night – via the GAFCON website.
(Dr Ajakpo from Nigeria and Sylvia and Robert Tong from Sydney singing on the first night of GAFCON: Photo: Russell Powell.)
Anglican TV to stream GAFCON sessions live
The main GAFCON sessions in Jerusalem will be streamed live on the Internet by Anglican TV.
They can be seen via this link.
What we believe
The message at the heart of Christianity is really quite simple…