Weekly message from the American Anglican Council, August 29

Via email, the weekly message from the American Anglican Council and Bishop David Anderson, August 29 [boldface mine]:

Dearly Beloved in Christ,

This past week the GAFCON Primates Council (GPC) met for the first time and began the organizational process. Decisions about who will take the duties of the General Secretary and who will be the chairman were followed by decisions about forming a Secretariat to handle the everyday business affairs associated with the Council and setting up an Advisory Board.

It may be too early to say that the GPC is fully up and running, but they are now quickly putting in place the organizational infrastructure to provide for the role that they intend to play in the years ahead. Putting together a strong infrastructure to carry out the work of GAFCON and the related Primates is essential, and creating a sound funding base for it will also be crucial for its long term effectiveness.

Those in North America were naturally listening hopefully for word about a North American Province, and desiring to hear that one had now been established. In many ways that was an unrealistic hope, since this first meeting had to organize the Council itself, a singularly daunting task, but the statement that a priority will be given to the North American situation and the formation of a Province is helpful reassurance.

In another sense, however, it is not up to the GPC to create a North American Province; their decision is whether to recognize a body already formed. It is likely that the Common Cause Partners Federation will wish to petition the 2009 Council meeting for recognition, and with its organizational issues taken care of, the Council may give favorable consideration to that recognition.

What the GPC will need to keep in mind is that the revisionist heterodoxy demonstrated by the North American church leaders also has a pernicious grasp on a good portion of the British Church as well.

With regard to "moratoria" on electing/consecrating any new homosexual bishops in the Anglican Communion, the next chance of such an election isn't in North America. We have become aware through reliable sources that Dr. Barry Morgan is a man of his word - he previously has said, "I (Barry Morgan) would ordain Britain's first gay Bishop."

Wales is in an election process for Bishop of Bangor and the election has as one of its still-secret nominees none other than Jeffrey John, sometime bishop designee for Redding, who had to withdraw when the appointment created an uproar. Failing to take the prize home with him, he was given an appointment as a Cathedral Dean to console him, but it now appears that some stock options for the future were thrown in as well (Dean Jeffrey John is in a same-sex civil partnership).

The electoral college consists of the clergy of the diocese of Bangor and all of the Bishops of the Province of the Church of Wales. Although being on the slate is no guarantee of an election, it is clearly something that Archbishop Morgan desires, having said that practicing homosexuals should not be barred from becoming bishops, and having called the opponents of such consecrations "exclusive and narrow-minded."

Could this be happening without the Archbishop of Canterbury knowing about it? Perhaps in theory, but this is Dr. Williams' former Province where he was first a bishop and then the Primate, and one would have to conclude that this type of information, even if not properly made available to Canterbury, would be soon found out by his intelligence operatives.

Dr. Williams might well wish not to know until too late, so that nothing is left on his doorstep for evidence, but we do know that Jeffrey Johns and Rowan Williams have been friends for years, and that it was extremely hard for Dr. Williams to advise Johns that it was time to fall on his sword, figuratively speaking, hence the consolation prize of a deanship. I really doubt that Dr. Williams wishes to rain on Jeffrey's parade twice, and if Canterbury would like plausible deniability, it is understandable.

However, Dr. Williams, if you are on record as knowing about this, and the event takes place despite all the "moratoria" recommendations that were made, the Archbishop of Canterbury will not get a free pass on this one. The Welch electoral college meets on September 10th and the election takes place October 10th. Will Jeffrey Johns still be on the short list for the election? Will he actually be elected?

We have said over and again that the greater part of the tear in the Anglican fabric is over the issues of Christology and the Authority of Holy Scripture, and at least in the USA, the disagreements over sexuality are derivative from these fissures. The sad part is that the media doesn't understand the theological mischief that the American church is pushing, and sex and money sell newspapers. Further, when it comes to human sexuality, nothing is ever settled - by design. If those who advocate for the gay sexual agenda lose, they keep coming back, wearing down the orthodox with "conversation", which means, listen to them until your ears fall off and you give up. If they gain ground by court or compromise, it is only the staging ground for demanding more.

Enough of this foolishness. Those who want to talk the talk and promenade about in their ecclesial vesture, but can't walk the walk, need to be removed from leadership. So...perhaps if Canterbury were to make a phone call to a certain Dean, things could go away again as they did once before. It wouldn't solve any of the existing problems, but it would keep the Communion from sinking deeper into the mess it has already created.

Oh, for the clarity and purpose of GAFCON to spread Communion-wide!

Blessings and peace in Christ Jesus,

The Rt. Rev. David C. Anderson, Sr.
President and CEO, American Anglican Council

Blogging and Lambeth 2008

Well, now that Lambeth 2008 has come and gone, there is a definite diminution of blogging going on around the Internet. Some of it is because there’s just not as much going on (although don’t forget to check out BabyBlue’s CANA Council posts) but I think much of the decrease is because Lambeth changed little.

And with little change has come somewhat of a sense of ennui, of apathy, especially if one is in a traditional parish in a revisionist diocese.

There is no turning back, there will be no change within The Episcopal Church except continued movement away from the Gospel.

There will be no rescue – there is only slugging on year after year.

If one is firmly of the belief that he or she is following God’s will, while staying in ECUSA may be frustrating, there is a certain fulfillment in being obedient to the Lord (and the anxiety of “when are we going to leave?” disappears as well).

If one is not sure, it would be pure agony to remain in a church that no longer holds to a “one, holy, catholic, and apostolic” formula. Continued prayer and discernment are called for, and then action, no matter how difficult, is required one way or another. Stay or go, but do so out of conviction of the Father’s will. Don’t remain trapped in a lukewarm decision or let the paralysis of indecision eat away at one’s faith.

If one knows it is time to go, then the question is “to where?” And discernment is again essential (and difficult). I think GAFCON was (and is) a great idea. It illustrated for all that the Global South and its supporters have realized that ECUSA will not turn back, will not stop, so it’s time to move on in mission with those who trust the Lord.

Following biblical injunction, Global South primates tried talking with and confronting those they felt had moved away from Christ. Once it was clear that nothing would change, the Global South essentially dusted off their sandals and left - left not the Anglican Communion (clever, clever), but the poisonous atmosphere of heresy.

If GAFCON can continue on (and that’s a big if, with the elephant in the room of women’s ordination), I really do think that it will over time become, at the very least, the de facto Anglican Communion center.

Communion Partners could prove Anglican Communion’s undoing

From Anglican Mainstream, an analysis by David Virtue:

Buried deep in the Windsor Continuation report is this paragraph, overlooked by most, but of infinite importance, "We are encouraged by the planned setting up of the Communion Partners initiative in the Episcopal Church as a means of sustaining those who feel at odds with developments taking place in their own province but who wish to be loyal to, and to maintain, their fellowship within TEC and within the Anglican Communion."

This confirms VOL’s belief that the Archbishop of Canterbury IS in fact seeking compliant "Communion Partners" from the Global South in order to do an end run around the GAFCON Primates Council in an effort to isolate mainstream evangelical and Anglo-Catholics who number 40 million of the 55 million church-going Anglicans throughout the world.

VOL has learned that Rowan Williams is under a lot of pressure from an orthodox Church of England bishop to make this plan work. Williams reportedly said that if Jefferts Schori signs off on it, is a done deal. Jefferts Schori will only sign this document if the "Communion Partners" clause is part of the deal so she can sell it to her HoB who will not politely accept the tripartite moratoria.

Politics is everywhere.

GAFCON pilgrims should take note. Rowan Williams doesn’t like you. While he would like you back at the Lambeth table, it will only be on his terms, not yours. This is his show, not the Anglican Communion’s or The Episcopal Church’s. But beware, his sympathies and loyalties lie with Katharine Jefferts Schori and the rest of the liberal Anglican West, not with Peter Akinola and the true Global South. If "Communion Partners" is a done deal, then GAFCON leaders should know that what is in de facto a schism in the Anglican Communion is in fact de jure.

Read it all.

Archbishop Peter Akinola must serve full term

From George Conger:

The Nigerian House of Bishops has declined to accept Archbishop Peter Akinola’ request to retire in January when he turns 65, asking that he complete his full ten year term through the end of 2010.

Elected Primate of the largest province of the Anglican Communion in 2000 following the retirement of Archbishop Abiodun Adetiloye, Archbishop Akinola has emerged as a figure of consequence and controversy within the Anglican Communion.

Pilloried by the left in the US and UK, Archbishop Akinola has been demonized for his stance on the morality of homosexual conduct and his call for the reform of the Anglican Communion. Speaking in heavily accented African-English, Archbishop Akinola is a times misunderstood by the Western media. . .

In a statement released on July 14 by the Church of Nigerian News, the Provincial Dean, Archbishop Maxwell Anikwenwa said the bishops had vetoed the retirement request as a consequence of the the decisions taken at the Gafcon meeting to establish a primates council to oversee the renewal of the Anglican Communion. . .

While he may serve only a single ten year term as primate, Archbishop Akinola may continue in office as Bishop of Abuja until he turns 70 years of age in 2014, when he must retire under Nigerian canon law.

Read it all.

Bishop Okorocha of Nigeria Redux

From Cherie Wetzel at Anglicans United [boldface mine]:

. . . We learned at Press Briefing this morning that the conference would not confirm the attendance of any person. They won’t even confirm the numbers of bishops here or the spouses. I have tried to find my bishop, the Rt. Rev. James Stanton, and they will not tell me where he is staying. Today I requested a media interview with him to try and find him. Lets just say that the press is not impressed with the attitude and level of candidness given by the Anglican Communion press office.

This was an issue because the one Nigerian bishop who was in attendance at Lambeth – yes, he defied Abp. Peter’s order and came – left yesterday after his wife received death threats at home. The Rt. Rev. Cyril Okorocha of Owerri was staying in Surrey with Canon Jeremy Cresswell. He came specifically, “To plead with the Communion to protest the liberalization of the western Church, particularly the provinces in America and Canada”, according to a press release by Victoria Combe, The Tablet, this morning.

The release of the Sudanese statement yesterday in opposition to the promotion of homosexuality and refusal to abide by the Bible has caused a ripple in this pressroom. The Archbishop of the Sudan is meeting with press this afternoon in a “non-scheduled” meeting. I will be there! All of this and it is only noon. Things are definitely picking up here.

Read it all. The situation with Bishop Okorocha of Nigeria is very confusing. Ruth Gledhill had him registered but never arriving, David Virtue had him never registered, and now Cherie Wetzel has him registered and arrived, but now left. So which is it?

GAFCON responds to the Archbishop of Canterbury

From here [boldface mine]:

The Global Anglican Future Conference gathered leaders from around the Anglican Communion for pilgrimage, prayer and serious theological reflection. We are grateful to the Archbishop of Canterbury for engaging with the Jerusalem Statement and Declaration. We wish to respond to some of his concerns.

On faith and false teaching. We warmly welcome the Archbishop's affirmation of the Jerusalem Statement as positive and encouraging and in particular that it would be shared by the vast majority of Anglicans. We are however concerned that he should think we assume that all those outside GAFCON are proclaiming another gospel. In no way do we believe that we are the only ones to hold a correct interpretation of scripture according to its plain meaning. We believe we are holding true to the faith once delivered to the saints as it has been received in the Anglican tradition. Many are contending for and proclaiming the orthodox faith throughout the Anglican Communion. Their efforts are, however, undermined by those who are clearly pursuing a false gospel. We are not claiming to be a sinless church. Our concern is with false teaching which justifies sin in the name of Christianity. These are not merely matters of different perspectives and emphases. They have led to unbiblical practice in faith and morals, resulting in impaired and broken communion. We long for all orthodox Anglicans to join in resisting this development.

On the uniqueness of Christ. We are equally concerned to hear that 'the conviction of the uniqueness of Jesus Christ as Lord and God' is 'not in dispute' in the Anglican Communion. Leading bishops in The Episcopal Church, the Anglican Church of Canada, and even the Church of England have denied the need to evangelise among people of other faiths, promoted and attended syncretistic events and, in some cases, refused to call Jesus Lord and Saviour.

On legitimacy. In the current disorder in the Communion, GAFCON came together as a gathering of lay leaders, clergy and bishops from over 25 countries on the basis of their confession of the common historic Christian faith. They formed a Council in obedience to the word of God to defend the faith and the faithful who are at risk in some Anglican dioceses and congregations.

GAFCON, where the governing structures of many provinces were present, affirmed such a Council of the GAFCON movement as its body to authenticate and recognise confessing Anglican jurisdictions, clergy and congregations and to encourage all Anglicans to promote the gospel and defend the faith.

In their primates and other bishops, the assembly saw a visible connection to the catholic and apostolic Church and the evangelical and catholic faith which many have received from the Church of England and the historic see of Canterbury. It is this faith which we seek to affirm.

On authority. As the Virginia Report notes, in the Anglican tradition, authority is not concentrated in a single centre, but rather across a number of persons and bodies. This Council is a first step towards bringing greater order to the Communion, both for the sake of bringing long overdue discipline and as a reforming initiative for our institutions.

Whilst we respect territoriality, it cannot be absolute. For missionary and pastoral reasons there have long been overlapping jurisdictions in Anglicanism itself – historically in South Africa, New Zealand, the Gulf and Europe. In situations of false teaching, moreover, it has sometimes been necessary for other bishops to intervene to uphold apostolic faith and order.

On discipline. Finally, with regard to the Archbishop's concern about people who have been disciplined in one jurisdiction and have been accepted in another, we are clear that any such cases have been investigated thoroughly and openly with the fullest possible transparency. Bishops and parishes have been given oversight only after the overseeing bishops have been fully satisfied of no moral impediments to their action.

We enclose a response to the St Andrew's Draft Covenant. (See separate post).

We assure the Archbishop of Canterbury of our respect as the occupier of an historic see which has been used by God to the benefit of his church and continue to pray for him to be given wisdom and discernment.

Signed

The Most Rev Peter Akinola, Primate of Nigeria
The Most Rev Justice Akrofi, Primate of West Africa
The Most Rev Emmanuel Kolini, Primate of Rwanda
The Most Rev Valentine Mokiwa, Primate of Tanzania
The Most Rev Benjamin Nzmibi, Primate of Kenya
The Most Rev Henry Orombi, Primate of Uganda
The Most Rev Gregory Venables, Primate of The Southern Cone
July 18 2008

An open wound

From Ruth Gledhill, a poignant piece on her impressions of Lambeth and the absence of the Global South:

We still awaiting precise figures but at present, it seems about 650 bishops and archbishops have registered. The absence of the other 230 is like an open wound running in the side of the conference. Many bishops are wondering how they can claim collegiality if a quarter of their number are not present. The Archbishop of Canterbury invoked their presence in spirit when he was leading the retreat at Canterbury Cathedral yesterday. Strangely, they are almost more present in their absence than if they were physically here. They are missed, even the most extreme among them, and the sense of grief among their brother and sisters is palpable. (That is to say nothing in the press room, as they were great for stories last time.) Dr Williams spoke about this directly, as Rachel Zoll reported. It is terribly shocking to be here, at Lambeth in Canterbury, without so many of the bishops from Nigeria, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda and elsewhere, all places with strong, historic links to Britain and to the Church of England. The Queen, who is hosting the bishops at a garden party at Buckingham Palace a week today, the 24th, will surely notice their absence. She loves her Commonwealth.

Read it all. You know, I can understand what she's saying here, but another part of me says, "So what? Everyone knew what was going to happen when the Archbishop of Canterbury completely ignored the Dar-es-Salaam Communiqué - and now those attending Lambeth are upset about some bishops not coming? Crocodile tears, as far as I'm concerned. GAFCON is looking better and better every day."

More thoughts on Bishop Schofield and Lambeth

From Fr. Dan Martins, thoughts on Bishop Schofield and Archbishop Williams and the invitation to Lambeth [boldface mine]:

. . . On balance, I would tend to score this one: Advantage Schofield (and, by extension, Venables, and by further extension, GAFCON). Not point or set yet, and certainly not match. But the Archbishop of Canterbury has manifestly declined to recognize Bishop Schofield's deposition by the Presiding Bishop, and has held open the possibility, through the ongoing work of the Windsor Continuation Group, of in future recognizing the relationship between San Joaquin and the Southern Cone.

Moreover, the strongest negative statement the Archbishop was able to make was that Bishop Schofield's status "remains unclear on the basis of the general norms of Anglican Canon Law." While that may at first blush have an ominous aspect, upon closer inspection it is quite harmless because it is not only true, but completely self-evidently true in a manner that no rational person would contest it. Hence, it isn't even controversial. Not even the most diehard GAFCON-ite would disagree that a province in South America having a diocese in central California is outside the "general norms of Anglican Canon Law."

That's tantamount to saying that rain in the San Joaquin Valley in July is "outside the general norms of local weather patterns." The question is, does such an outside-the-norm arrangement contribute to the greater good of the Anglican Communion. The jury's still out on that one.

Read it all.

The scapegoating of the Archbishop of Canterbury

From the Rev. Richard Kew at the Kew Continuum:

. . . For saying something like this I have been roundly accused of being soft, of having lost my theological bearings, of compromising biblical truth, and so forth. Although this is untrue, people have the right to their own perceptions, but nothing could be further from the reality. It is because I am committed to biblical truth that I say what I do. Rowan Williams should not be blamed in the way he is, we should all take upon ourselves the responsibility for the chaos and the seemingly endless stand-offs that just lead to a downward spiral. The Archbishop can surely be criticized for some of what has happened, but then so can everyone from the Primates and bishops down to you and me. . .

Read it all.

Local reflections on GAFCON

Reflections from Fr. Larry Bausch, rector of Holy Trinity San Diego (Southern Cone) and member of Forward in Faith, on his GAFCON experience, posted on SanDiegoAnglicans.com [boldface mine]:

It has been quite interesting to read some of the many email opinions both here and at other sites concerning GAFCON. As one who was blessed to attend the Conference, I can say that I have not been surprised to see that many who were not there have had time to reflect on what happened in advance of some of us who were. This is in part the consequence of the full schedule which allowed virtually no time for reflection. Between speakers, workshops, networking and conversations while eating meals or sitting on busses, there wasn't much time left. Taking the earliest bus back to my hotel each evening, I arrived about 9:15 pm at the earliest or 11:00 pm at the latest, with mornings starting usually with the Eucharist at 6:30, breakfast, and time to board the bus at 7:30 am.

Now, having had a couple of days to do a bit of reflection, I'd like to offer the following comments: First, I was stunned with the comprehensiveness and strength of the Statement. It covered more territory than I had thought possible, considering the gravity of our concerns, the diversity of the local circumstances of the pilgrims, and the very strong personalities in leadership. Second, I was particularly pleased with the clear acknowledgement of the utter failure of the Archbishop of Canterbury to fulfill the expressed will of the 1998 Lambeth Conference and subsequent Primates' Meetings in using his authority to withhold invitations from those bishops who have violated this will from Lambeth 2008. In this same vein, the Statement is quite clear that GAFCON had become necessary precisely because of this failure. Third, I rejoice in the endorsement of the creation of a new orthodox Province for North America, using the work of the Common Cause Partnership to help bring this about.

I do agree with many who have written that the Statement is imperfect, and that it leaves many strategic concerns unaddressed. . .

Read it all.

Cast your GAFCON vote

Go vote at the Church Times (U.K.) on whether GAFCON has changed the Anglican Communion for the better.

When I voted today (Saturday), a total of 584 votes had been cast:

• 28% saying "yes, GAFCON has changed the Anglican Communion for the better"


• 72% saying "no"

AnglicanTV: The post-GAFCON London meeting

From AnglicanTV:


Check it out.

AnglicanTV: GAFCON: Less than I expected -- more than I hoped for

From Kevin Kallsen at AnglicanTV, final thoughts on GAFCON:

I have learned over the last two years that arriving a day or two early helps to get over jetlag and troubleshoot local logistics (ie: power convertors and transformers for my eight separate gadgets). As portable as AnglicanTV is -- having everything working before the opening Eucharist is a hard fought accomplishment in a foreign land.

Sometime during the planning process the organizers of GAFCON discovered how expensive it is to hire a videographer. A good price is around two hundred dollars an hour, so I was not surprised to learn they didn't hire anybody and I would be the only person taping every open session. However, when I arrived the GAFCON leadership approached me to see if I could provide them with copies of my tapes and put the entire conference on DVD. I mistakenly said yes and instantly tripled my daily workload normally needed to videotape, edit, produce, stream, archive and blog an event live.

This added work also meant I had to work with the local audio technicians (who spoke almost no English) and every day they sent a new technician who would change all the settings that fed audio to my camera. By the third day I had translated a sign into Arabic and Hebrew that said; "Don't touch!" The sign worked.

On the flight over I had finished the "The Truth, The Way, and the Life" (A Gafcon Publication). I was largely disappointed with the book as it was written not about the future or about the book's title, but only about the past. The book seemed to be setting up the conference to be GAPCON (the Global Anglican Past Conference) – dooming itself to be just another meeting.

My fears about the conference faded quickly at the Opening Eucharist on Sunday where Archbishop Akinola laid the foundations for something new. . .

Read it all.

My reaction to the Jerusalem Declaration and GAFCON

Others (Stand Firm, TitusOneNine, Fr. Dan Martins, Christopher Johnson, Ruth Gledhill, etc.) can parse over the details of the Jerusalem Declaration and the ins and outs of GAFCON – they offer tremendously valuable insight, questions, and understanding of what happened, what was agree to, and how that might play out. And Kevin’s coverage for AnglicanTV made all of us front-row participants at the event, for which we should offer [tangible] thanks [cough* donate now for his Lambeth trip *cough].

My admittedly superficial sense of the event, gathered from a great distance, is one of joy and fellowship.

Knowing some of the clergy from San Diego that went and having met some of the archbishops and bishops that were there, I can only say that any result, while maybe not perfect, would definitely have been made in intense and searching prayer with the wish to follow God’s direction and Christ’s commands under the discernment of the Holy Spirit.


There also seems to be a great sense of relief, and rightly so. GAFCON participants correctly realized that it would do no good, and was pointless, to discuss on and on, again and again, anything about the American church. Been there, done that (and been undercut by the Archbishop of Canterbury).

It is time to move on.

ECUSA is no longer an issue because ECUSA is no longer important. The Episcopal Church has removed itself from the greater part of the Anglican Communion in everything but name. The GAFCON bishops know ECUSA cannot be trusted, will try unendingly to bend others to her way, and will try to buy those that she can. So the only way to move forward is not to move ECUSA out of the way, but to just go over her and continue on. The Jerusalem Declaration gives a framework for doing just that. All of the energy that has been expended over the past five years or so to try to call the Episcopal Church to repentance can now be directed outward, to the Great Commission, and there are many ready to do that.

I am very happy for those churches in San Diego that have already moved under Anglican Primates and out from under the Presiding Bishop. I think that GAFCON and the Declaration will contribute greatly to their cohesion, unity, and fellowship. They are now in the forefront of the ongoing (and quickly gathering steam) Anglican renewal movement. They took the risks over the past several years and stepped out in faith: most left their buildings and all trappings of “normal” church, the ones that stayed are now under litigation from Bishop Mathes with the backing of 815, and all are relearning what it is to be a Christ-centered community. There is an energy, an excitement, and sense of freedom there that I pray continues on since there is also a lot of hard work to be done.

For the Episcopal churches still in the Diocese of San Diego that are at all traditional (and there are only a few left), I’m afraid it’s just a matter of time. Given Bishop Mathes’ most recent ordinations and the diocese’s ideas about “holy relationships,” he is moving further and further away from the Gospel. Once traditional rectors leave or retire, I cannot see +Mathes letting any orthodox, traditional, or Anglo-Catholic priest into the diocese. There would be no reason to – most of those upset with the direction of the Episcopal Church have already left in San Diego, not quite all, but most.

And I think +Mathes is not interested in keeping the orthodox, he is not interested much in the pew sitters in those churches, and he is definitely not interested being a “bridge builder” (his claim to fame at his election several years ago). He is interested in property. And given that the diocese is financially helping, in some form or another, over 50 percent of the churches in the diocese, money matters. Even with the real estate decline in southern California, there is some prime real estate that churches are sitting on that could keep the diocese going for quite a while (if only those darn reasserters would just leave already).

But for all of that, I feel strangely removed from it all, a little set apart – from whatever machinations Bishop Mathes may think up, from the activity at GAFCON, from the revisionists’ reactions (and I think they are protesting much too much – GAFCON has them shaken and a little scared).

Perhaps it is because we have left the Episcopal Church and have not yet landed anywhere. I also think it is because I feel some guilt that I should have, could have, done more at my church to help people realize what was going on. But Bishop Mathes was very clever – in his 2006 “pastoral” letter he implied very strongly that anything done to organize against the diocese’s actions or 815 (say, join the Network or make too many waves) would bring wrath down, not on me as a parishioner, but on my rector. Being a political newbie at this several years ago, that affected me. How could I rally and organize to do something that might get my rector fired? If I had known then what I know now, I would have approached it differently but then I was still trying to get my mind around lying bishops and heretical Executive Council actions.

And now, my family has left. Should we have stayed? No, not only were our reasons for leaving valid, but both my husband and I felt God was calling us out. But sometimes I feel like I abandoned something and in a few years if I happen to wander in, it will be unrecognizable to me.

I also think it is because I am still working through what it means to be a member of the “one holy catholic and apostolic Church” because, which church is that? How does one tell? Does it really matter which particular flavor of Christianity? Or does the Nicene Creed mean all of the followers of Christ together, only then becoming the Church as the Body of Christ?

So GAFCON has come in the middle of my ongoing, muddled discernment and gets short shrift in the process, I’m afraid.

Reappraising San Diego reaction to GAFCON

Posted on Susan Russell's blog (I don't see a link to anything, so I'm not sure where this originated), a comment from the Rev. Michael Russell, All Souls' Episcopal Church, Point Loma (San Diego) [boldface mine]:

The number of Primates openly supporting this movement has gone down since 2006 not up. Within Gafcon itself there is a move to redirect leadership from ++Akinola to ++Jensen.

The number of American Dioceses active in the movement has dwindled and even the Windsor Compliant Bishops are now prepared to cut the jurisdiction jumpers out of the equation to raise their own influence.

There is no occasion since the fully public inception of this movement of them actually getting anything they wanted. Neither TEC nor the C of Canada have been sanctioned or side streamed, and the reasserters have not been proclaimed as the true Anglican presence by anyone with any actual authority to do that.

The promises made to parishioners that they would soon be the acknowledged by the Archbishop of Canterbury as the true presence has not and will not happen.

The Jerusalem Declaration has pinned its future to an arcane formulation of "authorities" that most Anglican provinces worldwide are not going to endorse: specifically the 39 Articles and the 1662 BCP as standards of the faith.

Nor will most of the Anglican provinces endorse their peculiar formulations and doctrine of Scripture as found in the Document.

So after a dozen years of planning and six years of bullying and threats, this movement has a smaller affiliation circle and less influence than five years ago.

And their position on the Archbishop of Canterbury will further reduce that.

Despite their assertions that they will not leave, they have simply defected in place and will now just function as an out of control irritant.

Presiding Bishop responds to GAFCON statement

From EpiscopalLife Online:

Much of the Anglican world must be lamenting the latest emission from GAFCON. Anglicanism has always been broader than some find comfortable. This statement does not represent the end of Anglicanism, merely another chapter in a centuries-old struggle for dominance by those who consider themselves the only true believers. Anglicans will continue to worship God in their churches, serve the hungry and needy in their communities, and build missional relationships with others across the globe, despite the desire of a few leaders to narrow the influence of the gospel. We look forward to the opportunities of the Lambeth Conference for constructive conversation, inspired prayer, and relational encounters.

The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori
Presiding Bishop and Primate
The Episcopal Church

Check it out. I have to admit, I agree with others who find the use of the word "emission" as odd and jarring. What is she talking about? Very strange.

"The Anglican Communion must change or die"

From Matt Kennedy at Stand Firm, the sentence that sums it all up for me:

. . . The Jerusalem Declaration is not a declaration of independence but it is the beginning of an open spiritual and ecclesial struggle for the heart and soul of Anglicanism. . .

Read it all.

Fr. Russell at GAFCON: Final thoughts

From Fr. Russell Martin of St. Timothy & St. Titus in San Diego (Southern Cone) via email [boldface mine]:

Dear Friends in Christ,

All is well with me. The Conference ended on a wonderfully high note as the amended Jerusalem Statement was approved. This was followed up by a closing Eucharist during which our own Archbishop Venables preached. It was wonderful. This is an extremely important and historic statement. It was marvelous as the Primates present all signed their names to the Statement and thus they began their work of working together to form a global orthodox Anglicanism devoted to faithfulness to Christ and the proclamation of His Gospel. I literally wept as the we all stood their brothers and sisters from every corner of the world united as one in Christ Jesus. It reminded me of the magnificent vision of St. John of the Great Multitude in Heaven. I still have much to process related to this incredible day in the life of the Church but I tell you the Holy Spirit was clearly present and we delighted in Him. It has been one of the most significant periods in my life to be amongst the privileged few to take an active part in this important council of the church. I feel so blessed and thankful to our Father in Heaven.

Following the close of the Conference I set out on the follow up tour with Bishop John Gurnesy et al. Our first stop yesterday was Qumran where the Dead Sea Scrolls where found. It was a wonderful site and very near the Dead Sea. We stayed about three blocks from the Dead Sea. I took in the Sunrise this morning as it came over the mountains from Jordan and illuminated the Sea with startling pinks and reds--like a beautiful rose unfurling. It was simply stunning. I sat with my feet soaking in the water as I did my morning prayers. It was very special. This morning following breakfast we headed for Massada -- the hill top fort build by Herod the Great and the site of a tragic siege that ended with the Jewish Rebels defiantly committing suicide rather than being captured by the Romans. We then went to the Ein Gedi, the place where King David fled and hid while Saul was seeking to take his life and David then cut off the fringe of Saul's cloak as he was relieving himself in cave in which David and his men where hiding (Cf. 1 Samuel 23 & 24). It was beautiful, and it gave meaning to 'streams of living water bursting forth in the wilderness. We then lunched in modern Jericho at a place named Temptation, no less! We then made our way to our next hotel, a Kibbutz on the shores of the Sea of Galilee, where we will stay and tour from over the next two days.

My thoughts and prayers are with all of you and I pray that the fire and blessing of the Holy Spirit may embolden you in your witness to Christ and the Kingdom of God!

Russell+

GAFCON Jerusalem statement

From GAFCON:

STATEMENT ON THE GLOBAL ANGLICAN FUTURE

Praise the LORD!
It is good to sing praises to our God; for he is gracious, and a song of praise is fitting.
The LORD builds up Jerusalem; he gathers the outcasts of Israel. (Psalm 147:1-2)

Brothers and Sisters in Christ: We, the participants in the Global Anglican Future Conference, send you greetings from Jerusalem!

Introduction

The Global Anglican Future Conference (GAFCON), which was held in Jerusalem from 22-29 June 2008, is a spiritual movement to preserve and promote the truth and power of the gospel of salvation in Jesus Christ as we Anglicans have received it. The movement is global: it has mobilised Anglicans from around the world. We are Anglican: 1148 lay and clergy participants, including 291 bishops representing millions of faithful Anglican Christians. We cherish our Anglican heritage and the Anglican Communion and have no intention of departing rom it. And we believe that, in God’s providence, Anglicanism has a bright future in obedience to our Lord’s Great Commission to make disciples of all nations and to build up the church on the foundation of biblical truth (Matthew 28:18-20; Ephesians 2:20).

GAFCON is not just a moment in time, but a movement in the Spirit, and we hereby:

• launch the GAFCON movement as a fellowship of confessing Anglicans


• publish the Jerusalem Declaration as the basis of the fellowship


• encourage GAFCON Primates to form a Council.

The Global Anglican Context

The future of the Anglican Communion is but a piece of the wider scenario of opportunities and challenges for the gospel in 21st century global culture. We rejoice in the way God has opened doors for gospel mission among many peoples, but we grieve for the spiritual decline in the most economically developed nations, where the forces of militant secularism and pluralism are eating away the fabric of society and churches are compromised and enfeebled in their witness. The vacuum left by them is readily filled by other faiths and deceptive cults. To meet these challenges will require Christians to work together to understand and oppose these forces and to liberate those under their sway. It will entail the planting of new churches among unreached peoples and also committed action to restore authentic Christianity to compromised churches.

The Anglican Communion, present in six continents, is well positioned to address this challenge, but currently it is divided and distracted. The Global Anglican Future Conference emerged in response to a crisis within the Anglican Communion, a crisis involving three undeniable facts concerning world Anglicanism.

The first fact is the acceptance and promotion within the provinces of the Anglican Communion of a different ‘gospel’ (cf. Galatians 1:6-8) which is contrary to the apostolic gospel. This false gospel undermines the authority of God’s Word written and the uniqueness of Jesus Christ as the author of salvation from sin, death and judgement. Many of its proponents claim that all religions offer equal access to God and that Jesus is only a way, not the way, the truth and the life. It promotes a variety of sexual preferences and immoral behaviour as a universal human right. It claims God’s blessing for same-sex unions over against the biblical teaching on holy matrimony. In 2003 this false gospel led to the consecration of a bishop living in a homosexual relationship.

The second fact is the declaration by provincial bodies in the Global South that they are out of communion with bishops and churches that promote this false gospel. These declarations have resulted in a realignment whereby faithful Anglican Christians have left existing territorial parishes, dioceses and provinces in certain Western churches and become members of other dioceses and provinces, all within the Anglican Communion. These actions have also led to the appointment of new Anglican bishops set over geographic areas already occupied by other Anglican bishops. A major realignment has occurred and will continue to unfold.

The third fact is the manifest failure of the Communion Instruments to exercise discipline in the face of overt heterodoxy. The Episcopal Church USA and the Anglican Church of Canada, in proclaiming this false gospel, have consistently defied the 1998 Lambeth statement of biblical moral principle (Resolution 1.10). Despite numerous meetings and reports to and from the ‘Instruments of Unity,’ no effective action has been taken, and the bishops of these unrepentant churches are welcomed to Lambeth 2008. To make matters worse, there has been a failure to honour promises of discipline, the authority of the Primates’ Meeting has been undermined and the Lambeth Conference has been structured so as to avoid any hard decisions. We can only come to the devastating conclusion that ‘we are a global Communion with a colonial structure’.

Sadly, this crisis has torn the fabric of the Communion in such a way that it cannot simply be patched back together. At the same time, it has brought together many Anglicans across the globe into personal and pastoral relationships in a fellowship which is faithful to biblical teaching, more representative of the demographic distribution of global Anglicanism today and stronger as an instrument of effective mission, ministry and social involvement.

A Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans

We, the participants in the Global Anglican Future Conference, are a fellowship of confessing Anglicans for the benefit of the Church and the furtherance of its mission. We are a fellowship of people united in the communion (koinonia) of the one Spirit and committed to work and pray together in the common mission of Christ. It is a confessing fellowship in that its members confess the faith of Christ crucified, stand firm for the gospel in the global and Anglican context, and affirm a contemporary rule, the Jerusalem Declaration, to guide the movement for the future. We are a fellowship of Anglicans, including provinces, dioceses, churches, missionary jurisdictions, para-church organisations and individual Anglican Christians whose goal is to reform, heal and revitalise the Anglican Communion and expand its mission to the world.

Our fellowship is not breaking away from the Anglican Communion. We, together with many other faithful Anglicans throughout the world, believe the doctrinal foundation of Anglicanism, which defines our core identity as Anglicans, is expressed in these words: The doctrine of the Church is grounded in the Holy Scriptures and in such teachings of the ancient Fathers and Councils of the Church as are agreeable to the said Scriptures. In particular, such doctrine is to be found in the Thirty-nine Articles of Religion, the Book of Common Prayer and the Ordinal. We intend to remain faithful to this standard, and we call on others in the Communion to reaffirm and return to it. While acknowledging the nature of Canterbury as an historic see, we do not accept that Anglican identity is determined necessarily through recognition by the Archbishop of Canterbury. Building on the above doctrinal foundation of Anglican identity, we hereby publish the Jerusalem Declaration as the basis of our fellowship.

The Jerusalem Declaration

In the name of God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit:
We, the participants in the Global Anglican Future Conference, have met in the land of Jesus’ birth. We express our loyalty as disciples to the King of kings, the Lord Jesus. We joyfully embrace his command to proclaim the reality of his kingdom which he first announced in this land. The gospel of the kingdom is the good news of salvation, liberation and transformation for all. In light of the above, we agree to chart a way forward together that promotes and protects the biblical gospel and mission to the world, solemnly declaring the following tenets of orthodoxy which underpin our Anglican identity.

• 1. We rejoice in the gospel of God through which we have been saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit. Because God first loved us, we love him and as believers bring forth fruits of love, ongoing repentance, lively hope and thanksgiving to God in all things.


• 2. We believe the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments to be the Word of God written and to contain all things necessary for salvation. The Bible is to be translated, read, preached, taught and obeyed in its plain and canonical sense, respectful of the church’s historic and consensual reading.


• 3. We uphold the four Ecumenical Councils and the three historic Creeds as expressing the rule of faith of the one holy catholic and apostolic Church.


• 4. We uphold the Thirty-nine Articles as containing the true doctrine of the Church agreeing with God’s Word and as authoritative for Anglicans today.


• 5. We gladly proclaim and submit to the unique and universal Lordship of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, humanity’s only Saviour from sin, judgement and hell, who lived the life we could not live and died the death that we deserve. By his atoning death and glorious resurrection, he secured the redemption of all who come to him in repentance and faith.


• 6. We rejoice in our Anglican sacramental and liturgical heritage as an expression of the gospel, and we uphold the 1662 Book of Common Prayer as a true and authoritative standard of worship and prayer, to be translated and locally adapted for each culture.


• 7. We recognise that God has called and gifted bishops, priests and deacons in historic succession to equip all the people of God for their ministry in the world. We uphold the classic Anglican Ordinal as an authoritative standard of clerical orders.


• 8. We acknowledge God’s creation of humankind as male and female and the unchangeable standard of Christian marriage between one man and one woman as the proper place for sexual intimacy and the basis of the family. We repent of our failures to maintain this standard and call for a renewed commitment to lifelong fidelity in marriage and abstinence for those who are not married.


• 9. We gladly accept the Great Commission of the risen Lord to make disciples of all nations, to seek those who do not know Christ and to baptise, teach and bring new believers to maturity.


• 10. We are mindful of our responsibility to be good stewards of God’s creation, to uphold and advocate justice in society, and to seek relief and empowerment of the poor and needy.


• 11. We are committed to the unity of all those who know and love Christ and to building authentic ecumenical relationships. We recognise the orders and jurisdiction of those Anglicans who uphold orthodox faith and practice, and we encourage them to join us in this declaration.


• 12. We celebrate the God-given diversity among us which enriches our global fellowship, and we acknowledge freedom in secondary matters. We pledge to work together to seek the mind of Christ on issues that divide us.


• 13. We reject the authority of those churches and leaders who have denied the orthodox faith in word or deed. We pray for them and call on them to repent and return to the Lord.


• 14. We rejoice at the prospect of Jesus’ coming again in glory, and while we await this final event of history, we praise him for the way he builds up his church through his Spirit by miraculously changing lives.

The Road Ahead

We believe the Holy Spirit has led us during this week in Jerusalem to begin a new work. There are many important decisions for the development of this fellowship which will take more time, prayer and deliberation. Among other matters, we shall seek to expand participation in this fellowship beyond those who have come to Jerusalem, including cooperation with the Global South and the Council of Anglican Provinces in Africa. We can, however, discern certain milestones on the road ahead.

Primates’ Council

We, the participants in the Global Anglican Future Conference, do hereby acknowledge the participating Primates of GAFCON who have called us together, and encourage them to form the initial Council of the GAFCON movement. We look forward to the enlargement of the Council and entreat the Primates to organise and expand the fellowship of confessing Anglicans.

We urge the Primates’ Council to authenticate and recognise confessing Anglican jurisdictions, clergy and congregations and to encourage all Anglicans to promote the gospel and defend the faith.

We recognise the desirability of territorial jurisdiction for provinces and dioceses of the Anglican Communion, except in those areas where churches and leaders are denying the orthodox faith or are preventing its spread, and in a few areas for which overlapping jurisdictions are beneficial for historical or cultural reasons.

We thank God for the courageous actions of those Primates and provinces who have offered orthodox oversight to churches under false leadership, especially in North and South America. The actions of these Primates have been a positive response to pastoral necessities and mission opportunities. We believe that such actions will continue to be necessary and we support them in offering help around the world.

We believe this is a critical moment when the Primates’ Council will need to put in place structures to lead and support the church. In particular, we believe the time is now ripe for the formation of a province in North America for the federation currently known as Common Cause Partnership to be recognised by the Primates’ Council.

Conclusion: Message from Jerusalem

We, the participants in the Global Anglican Future Conference, were summoned by the Primates’ leadership team to Jerusalem in June 2008 to deliberate on the crisis that has divided the Anglican Communion for the past decade and to seek direction for the future. We have visited holy sites, prayed together, listened to God’s Word preached and expounded, learned from various speakers and teachers, and shared our thoughts and hopes with each other.

The meeting in Jerusalem this week was called in a sense of urgency that a false gospel has so paralysed the Anglican Communion that this crisis must be addressed. The chief threat of this dispute involves the compromising of the integrity of the church’s worldwide mission. The primary reason we have come to Jerusalem and issued this declaration is to free our churches to give clear and certain witness to Jesus Christ.

It is our hope that this Statement on the Global Anglican Future will be received with comfort and joy by many Anglicans around the world who have been distressed about the direction of the Communion. We believe the Anglican Communion should and will be reformed around the biblical gospel and mandate to go into all the world and present Christ to the nations.

Jerusalem
Feast of St Peter and St Paul
29 June 2008

Check it out!

GAFCON: Jerusalem Declaration signals new reality for Anglican Communion

From GAFCON:

Anglican leaders representing a clear majority of the world's practising Anglicans, joyously affirmed the Global Anglican Future Conference (GAFCON) Statement and the Jerusalem Declaration at the end of the conference on Sunday June 29. The document addresses the crisis gripping the Anglican Communion over scriptural authority. It calls for the creation of a new council of primates overseeing a volunteer fellowship committed to mission and biblical Anglicanism as well as a new structure of accountability based on the Jerusalem Declaration. It also signals the move of most of the world's practicing Anglicans into a post-colonial reality, where the Archbishop of Canterbury is recognized for his historic role, but not as the only arbiter of what it means to be Anglican.

The primates' council will initially be formed by the six Anglican primates participating in the GAFCON from Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, Southern Cone, Uganda and West Africa. Also the Anglican Church of Tanzania delegation to GAFCON is in agreement with the statement but will need the endorsement of their House of Bishops before their archbishop join the council. The primates council is tasked with recognizing and authenticating "confessing Anglican jurisdictions, clergy and congregations and to encourage all Anglicans to promote the gospel and defend the faith." From the outset, the statement recognizes the "desirability of territorial jurisdiction for provinces and dioceses of the Anglican Communion except in areas where churches and leaders have denied the orthodox faith or are preventing its spread." Speaking specifically to Anglican Christians in North America, the statement goes on to say that GAFCON believes "time is now ripe for the formation of a province in North America for the federation currently known as Common Cause Partnership to be recognised by the Primates' Council."

The statement describes those participating in this new movement as "A fellowship of confessing Anglicans." It asserts the intention of all those involved to remain Anglican. "Our fellowship is not breaking away from the Anglican Communion. We, together with many other faithful Anglicans throughout the world, believe the doctrinal foundation of Anglicanism, which defines our core identity as Anglicans, is expressed in these words: The doctrine of the Church is grounded in the Holy Scriptures and in such teachings of the ancient Fathers and Councils of the Church as are agreeable to the said Scriptures. In particular, such doctrine is to be found in the Thirty-nine Articles of Religion, the Book of Common Prayer and the Ordinal."

Finally, the statement makes clear that worldwide Anglicanism has now entered a post-colonial phase. Instead of continuing to rely solely on the colonial structures that have served the Anglican Communion so poorly during the present crisis, it states the movement's intent to accept all those as Anglicans who affirm the Anglican standard of faith. "While acknowledging the nature of Canterbury as an historic see, we do not accept that Anglican identity is determined necessarily through recognition by the Archbishop of Canterbury."

The GAFCON Statement concludes: "The primary reason we have come to Jerusalem and issued this declaration is to free our churches to give clear and certain witness to Jesus Christ. It is our hope that this Statement on the Global Anglican Future will be received with comfort and joy by many Anglicans around the world who have been distressed about the direction of the Communion. We believe the Anglican Communion should and will be reformed around the biblical gospel and mandate to go into all the world and present Christ to the nations."

The Jerusalem Declaration was produced at GAFCON with the participation of all 1148 delegates who came on pilgrimage to Jerusalem June 22 – 29. They represent more than 35 million of practicing Anglicans worldwide.

Read it all.