Global South Anglican

The Common Cause Partnership leaders issued a statement today welcoming the Jerusalem Declaration and the statement on the Global Anglican Future and pledging to move forward with the work of Anglican unity in North America.

This document is NOT a report by the Windsor Continuation Group. It constitutes their preliminary observations on the life of the Communion and of the current state of responses to the recommendations of the Windsor Report, and offering some suggestions about the way forward. These observations are offered to the Lambeth Conference for conversation and testing.

Chris Smith, the Archbishop of Canterbury’s aide de camp met with Archbishop John Chew of Southeast Asia and Presiding Bishop Mouneer Anis of Jerusalem and the Middle East —- leaders of center right Communion Partners group, and Presiding Bishop Gregory Venables of the Southern Cone —- a member of the more traditionalist Gafcon primates’ council.

The Bishop of Durham and other English bishops met with the primates to formalize a way forward for the conservative amidst the chaos of the Anglican Communion the unfolding train wreck of the Lambeth Conference. The two conservative factions are at odds with the best way of responding to the crisis of doctrine and discipline within the Anglican Communion. The Gafcon wing, led by the Churches of Nigeria and Uganda and comprise over 60 percent of the Communion’s members, are seeking to reform the Anglican Communion, lessening the authority of the Archbishop of Canterbury and the existing power structures.

Regarding Bishop Robinson, who is in Canterbury taking part in events on the fringe of the conference, including a speech this evening, Dr Deng said: “For me, if he says, as he has always said, that he’s a Christian, he should resign for the sake of the Church.”

He added: “We want the Anglican world to remain united.”

In view of the present tensions and divisions within the Anglican Communion, and out of deep concern for the unity of the Church, we consider it important to express clearly the position of the Episcopal Church of the Sudan (ECS) concerning human sexuality.

Ed: Andrew Goddard helpfully points out the ‘astonishing error’ in the GAFCON Theological Resource Group’s paper in comparing the Nassau Draft and the St Andrew’s draft and respond to their analysis of the latter:

"The first and irrefutable conclusion that must be drawn from these two documents is the shocking inadequacy of GAFCON’s theological resource group and wider leadership. To have produced a briefing paper (has since been removed from GAFCON site) claiming to summarise the changes between the Nassau and St Andrew’s draft covenants but actually comparing the St Andrew’s draft to a quite different document unrelated to the covenant (and which many of the GAFCON team were involved in writing) is an astonishing error. That nobody in the group (or among the GAFCON leadership which released it) realised that the claimed removals from the Nassau draft were therefore all fraudulent suggests an inexcusable level of ignorance about the covenant process on the part of all those involved in writing and then disseminating this briefing paper to the wider Communion.”

Read the rest here

Editorial comments:

The GS Primates Steering Committee has made a commitment to the Covenant process here, including the dateline of May 2009, as expressed in the (Statement from the Global South Primates Steering Committee, London, Mar 13-15, 2008).

"The Global South remains committed and encourage all Provinces to actively participate in the study and requested feedback on the St Andrew’s Draft of the Anglican Covenant, its substance and spirit to be in line with our common classical Anglican heritage of biblical, historical and reformed formularies of faith and ecclesiology. In particular, we strongly urge the presentation of a definitive text to the Provinces by ACC 14th (May 2009) to begin the urgent and timely process of official adoption and ratification for the Communion.”

Pray that the GS Primates will continue their work faithfully, follow through on past decisions and stand together for the good of the Church.
Pray for Lambeth, especially for the on-going discussions on the Covenant process.

Quite a few people have said that the new ways we’re suggesting of doing our business are an attempt to avoid tough decisions and have the effect of replacing substance with process. To such people, I’d simply say, ‘How effective have the old methods really been?’ Earlier Lambeth Conferences issued weighty reports and passed scores of resolutions (I must put my hand up and admit that I’ve drafted parts of those reports and resolutions myself in the past!); no-one would say they have been a waste of time, because they still embody a lot of careful thinking and planning. Yet not much of this material attempts to convey what was different about meeting in a prolonged time of prayer and fellowship as we always do at these Conferences. And as for resolutions: if you look at the resolutions that have been passed since 1867, you’ll find many of them, on really important subjects, have never been acted on...(Ed: How true indeed!)

Lambeth Daily: Retreat provides a strong foundation for the work ahead

Lambeth Daily Programme here

Church Times: Bishop should do their duty

Church Times Interview: Defiant amid the doubters. Here, the Archbishop of Canterbury comments on a a variety of issues; Gafcon, Lambeth, his role in handling the 2003 crisis, Sydney etc

(London) Times: Rowan Williams takes up the cross of diplomacy

The idea of a Covenant as a way out of the difficulties in which the Anglican Communion finds itself has been proposed in several quarters. The St Andrews Draft Text of An Anglican Covenant is one such attempt. The GAFCON Theological Resource Team reviewed the St Andrews Draft Text during pre-conference preparations in Jerusalem on 20th and 21st June 2008. More here.

The Gafcon Theological Resource Team also did a comparison between the Nassau Draft and St Andrew’s Text here. 

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.

“My own prayer and hope for the Conference is not that after two weeks we will find a solution to all our problems but we shall as I have written more than once in some sense find the trust in God and one another that will give us the energy to change in the way God wants us to change. That is the most important thing we can pray for, the energy to change as God wants us to change individually and as a Communion.”
The Archbishop of Canterbury Dr Rowan Williams opens the Lambeth Conference

The Archbishop of Canterbury has admitted that the crises in the “wounded” church will not be ended by the gathering of Anglican bishops which began this week. Dr Rowan Williams said at the start of the ten-yearly Lambeth Conference that he felt “great grief” that one in four church leaders are boycotting it because of deep divisions over homosexuality and women bishops. But he added that he still respected the conservatives who are staying away, and urged delegates at the first session of the meeting in Canterbury on Wednesday night to “mend relations that have been hurt”.
Archbishop of Canterbury: Lambeth Conference won’t solve church’s problems: UK Telegraph

Speaking to the some 600 bishops and their spouses at the opening session on the evening of July 16, Dr Williams outlined his vision for the conference around the theme of “building relationships.” “Forming personal relations among the college of the Anglican Communion’s bishops by itself will not settle the disputes of doctrine and discipline, he acknowledged, but “it is certain that without the building of relationships the challenges will never be resolved,” he said according to bishops present at the opening session.” George Conger reports at Religious Intelligence

“For the next two days, the bishops will follow perhaps the most common model for retreats. The Archbishop of Canterbury will give several addresses to the bishops. After each address, considerable time will be set aside for silent prayer and reflection. This time is intended to kindle the Holy Spirit in the hearts and minds of the bishops as they begin the decennial Lambeth Conference.”
Bishops’ Retreat - Lambeth Daily

Photos from Lambeth Conference website can be viewed here

Boycott lays bare rift in Anglican Church - Strait Times, Singapore

“If the work of the Lambeth Conference is in fact to strengthen rather than weaken the Communion in the days and years to come, we are firmly convinced that the bishops there assembled must find ways to address in a constructive manner several key issues.”
ACI: Lambeth Conference, The Episcopal Church, and The Anglican Communion

“Moreover, a bishop from Canada has said freely that once Lambeth is over the Canadian church will be moving forward apace with same-sex blessings etc. This gives substance to the observation that there is denial in what looks to be a potentially schizophrenic conference. Everyone knows that the North American lobbies are determined to have their agenda affirmed. However, all the processes of the conference in plenary addresses and small discussion groups mean that there is no place for the whole conference to hear itself think and address this elephant in the room.”
Anglican Mainstream--Today at Lambeth: Thursday 17th July 2008

Bishops of the Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) on Sunday rejected a notice of voluntary retirement from Archbishop Peter Akinola as Primate of the Church. They requested him to complete his tenure, which ends in 2010.

IN LONDON - THE deep fractures in the Anglican Church were laid bare, as the Archbishop of Canterbury opened a once-a-decade summit with a quarter of the world’s Anglican bishops boycotting because of a row over sexuality and a liberal interpretation of scripture.

The Final Report of the Global South Anglican Theological Formation and Education Task Force presented to the Global South Primates Steering Committee on the Feast of Barnabas the Apostle, 11 June 2008.

Download the PDF copy here

Gregory Cameron’s recent lecture is a most sensitive treatment on the Anglican Communion today. His position as the Deputy Secretary-General of the Communion and as the Archbishop of Canterbury’s confidant makes his proposal all the more significant. It marks a strikingly new departure and positive way forward towards resolving the present crisis…

Go to this link for the latest round up on GAFCON. 

GAFCON was a great celebration of the gospel of the love and transforming power of the gospel of Jesus Christ. The church needs this energy and vision. But this doesn’t mean the GAFCON proposals can be accepted without question. The proposed ‘Primates’ Council’ is a strange body, just as the ‘Declaration’ is an odd document which leaves many ambiguities. It gives far too many hostages to fortune, inviting us to trust an unformed and unaccountable body to make major decisions and giving licence to all kinds of unhelpful activities. It isn’t so much that GAFCON should invite people to sign up to its blank cheque. Rather, GAFCON itself should be invited to bring its Christian vision and exuberance to the larger party where the rest of us are working for the same gospel, the same biblical wisdom, the same Lord.

I have in the past quoted to some in the Communion who would call themselves radical the words of the Apostle in I Cor.11.33: ‘wait for one another’. I would say the same to those in whose name this statement has been issued.  An impatience at all costs to clear the Lord’s field of the weeds that may appear among the shoots of true life (Matt.13.29) will put at risk our clarity and effectiveness in communicating just those evangelical and catholic truths which the GAFCON statement presents. 

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.

Read the rest here

THE most liberal-sounding speaker at GAFCON by the end of Tuesday was the Bishop of Rochester, Dr Michael Nazir-Ali. Dr Nazir-Ali surprised participants on Tuesday by speaking up for inculturation, change, and diversity. But each of these had its limits, he said. The gospel had to be adapted to different cultures, but “capitulation to culture” must be avoided; change and development must be principled; diversity had to be legitimate.  Read the full article at Church Times.

Orthodox Anglicans who are creating a new movement at a breakaway summit in Jerusalem have said they feel “betrayal and abandonment” at the current church structure. The 1,000 conservatives at the Gafcon conference say they feel “profound sadness” that the worldwide Anglican Communion has been driven to the brink of schism by liberals in America and Canada departing from traditional church teaching, particularly over sexuality.  Read the full article at Telegraph

Traditionalists are set to form a “church within a church”, keeping in formal relation with the Archbishop of Canterbury but severing ties with the progressive wings of the Episcopal Church and Anglican Church of Canada.  Read it all here

Click on photo for a larger image. More photos in this link.

Pilgrims Go to Mount of Olives, Gethsemane. Read here
The Anglican Communion is in need of healing - Henry Orombi in his keynote address. Read here.
GAFCON – A Rescue Mission: Archbishop Peter Akinola’s opening address. Read here

Times Online (Ruth Gledhill): Leaders of Gafcon seek to live within the Evolution of a new Global Anglicanism. Article here
Living Church: GAFCON Pilgrims Face Questions on Communion’s Future. Article here

More news at GAFCON site here

Titusonenine has a link to a list of the latest reports and participants’ views. Go here

The Way, the Truth and the Life is the official study document for the GAFCON Jerusalem Pilgrimage. You can now download it from the GAFCON website absolutely free here.

The whole world is watching. This gathering is about the future. In my travels around North America this spring it has become increasingly clear just how much faithful Anglicans are looking to what we will do here. In contrast, there is almost no popular expectation surrounding Lambeth. We are here on pilgrimage. With the author of the Letter to the Hebrews, we know ourselves to be strangers and exiles, aliens here. We are headed to a lasting city. We know that everything we do has to do with the story: the old, old story. Finally, it is not about England, or Canterbury, though these relationships matter to us. Our life, our witness, our leadership, our pilgrimage here is all about Jesus. What comes out of this gathering we cannot predict. But we are confident that God is not done with Anglicanism. We are confident that GAFCON is one piece of what God already has in mind as part of a Global Settlement of Anglicanism. This Global Settlement of Anglicanism we also understand to be but one aspect of a 21st century Reformation of the whole Christian Church.

Read it all here

Leaders of the Global Anglican Future Conference reaffirmed the historic faith saying it is the actions of North American liberals that has caused the rift in the Communion with Sydney Archbishop Peter Jensen saying that the consecration of a homosexual bishop has made the situation “irreversible” in the Anglican Communion. 

GAFCON will prove to be “one of the most important events in the next two or three decades” of the Anglican Communion, the Archbishop of Sydney has predicted, and will set the future course of the Church. In an interview with Anglican Media Sydney before his departure for the June 22-29 gathering in Jerusalem, Dr Peter Jensen said the 1,000 delegates —- including 280 bishops —- will be “working out where [Anglicans] go from here.” He dismissed suggestions that Gafcon was a stalking horse for a conservative schism, saying evangelicals “are Anglicans and intend to remain so.”

A press release from the Church of Uganda.

Mr Short, who is the rector at St John’s, and all other clergy belonging to the Anglican Network in Canada in the Diocese of New Westminster received letters outlining the charges from Bishop Michael Ingham on Monday.

An insightful article by Bishop Andrew Proud, Area Bishop of the Horn of Africa. 

Communion Partners Formed. Read it here

Living Church - Communion Partnership Expands. Read it here.

Churches and organizations seeking to give aid to the Myanmar cyclone crisis can do via a collaborative effort between the Diocese of Singapore and the Province of the Anglican Church in Myanmar:

Contact info:

Revd Michael Teh

across@anglican.org.sg

“..we want clergy, we want lay people, we want younger generation leaders, potential leaders so we’ve seen beyond just bishops, we want to go beyond that ..” In an indication of the mood he thought should pervade GAFCON, Orombi said delegates will “..think of mission. What is it that the Lord demands of our church? What is the need of the world? Let’s go for it.”

THE Archbishop of Burma and a Burmese priest who is visiting the UK have described the devastation wrought by Cyclone Nargis in their country. One aid worker called the scene he found there a “nuclear landscape”.

I have ‘sensed’ two things in my personal interaction with Anglican leaders across the board....

In February (2008), Theresa Carino visited the Shanghai headquarters of the National CCC/TSPM and interviewed newly elected leaders Rev. Gao Feng, President of the CCC and Elder Fu Xuanwei, Chair of the TSPM. Their hopes and concerns are summarized below.