The Primates Council of GAFCON (the Global Anglican Future Conference) met in Kenya this week and issued this Communiqué. It includes the following appendix referring to the recent meeting of the Anglican Consultative Council.
Appendix: From Canterbury to Lusaka
Last January, we spent time together at the Primates Gathering contending for a restoration of godly order within the Anglican Communion. The sanctions passed at that meeting were not in themselves capable of restoring order, but they were a potential first step.
At that meeting, we acknowledged the reality of the “significant distance” between us and “expressed a desire to walk together” if possible. This distance was created when The Episcopal Church walked away from the Anglican Communion’s doctrine on sexuality and the plain teaching of Scripture.
Within hours of the meeting’s end the public responses from many bishops, clergy, and lay people of The Episcopal Church made it clear that they did not desire to share the same journey. The biblical call to repentance is a call to make a 180 degree turn. It grieves us that many in The Episcopal Church have again rejected this call. While we desire to walk together, until there is true repentance, the reality is that they are deliberately walking away from the Anglican Communion and the authority of Scripture at a distance that continues to increase.
The recent meeting of the Anglican Consultative Council in Lusaka, Zambia has again highlighted the inability of the current instruments to uphold godly order within the Communion. Delegates from the Episcopal Church, by their own admission, voted on matters that pertained to polity and doctrine, in defiance of the Primates. This action has damaged the standing of the Anglican Consultative Council as an instrument of unity, increased levels of distrust, and further torn the fabric of the Communion.
Nonetheless, we give thanks that these events have brought further clarity, and drawn GAFCON closer together in the mission of the Gospel. We are of one mind that the future of the Anglican Communion does not lie with manipulations, compromises, legal loopholes, or the presentation of half-truths; the future of our Communion lies in humble obedience to the truth of the Word of God written. What others have failed to do, GAFCON is doing: enabling global fellowship and godly order, united by biblical faithfulness. This unity has provided us with great energy to continue to work for the renewal of the Anglican Communion.
Earth to Lambeth: Your obfuscation isn’t working.
‘What others have failed to do, GAFCON is doing’ – sounds like a rather tired and sad statement in response to a rather successful ACC-16 meeting.
TEC are ‘walking away from the Communion’?! You set up your own alternative conference, you crazy fools! (Mt 7)
Sawdust. Plank.
The ACC is saying we can truly walk together with our differences. The ACC has prioritized the real Gospel of Jesus to care for one another over the ego needs of GAFCON primates to impose their fundamentalist view on the rest of the communion. The GAFCON primates are the ones “tearing at the fabric of the Anglican Communion.” For the most part, Anglicanism is not about a fundamentalist approach to Scripture, it is more holistic. We can share in the breaking of the bread and work together on compassion and healing without agreeing on everything. The big picture doctrine is… Read more »
It seems these Primates do not understand the meaning of “walking together”. It does not mean everyone dutifully following one “leader”, but often means negotiating about the direction, with plenty of room for disagreements. It seems they want to walk together only if they alone choose the destination and the means of getting there. As to matters of doctrine or polity decided by ACC, the only thing close to a doctrinal statement that I can see is in Resolution 16.03.2: “upholds just relationships between women and men as a reflection of our Christian belief that women and men are equally… Read more »
The agenda of the GAFCON Primates is very clear. They will attempt to exclude the Episcopal Church from the Anglican Communion and admit the Anglican Church in North America as a full voting member. They will continue to use the so-called Instruments of Communion to accomplish this. The timeline is three years from now.
“Delegates from the Episcopal Church, by their own admission, voted on matters that pertained to polity and doctrine, in defiance of the Primates.”
Or so holds a blogger at Episcopal Café.
The ACC isn’t a doctrine-producing body. It is consultative in character. Thankfully even Tom Ferguson is calling for a halt in TEC’s efforts to make ACC something it isn’t.
“The Episcopal Church walked away from the Anglican Communion’s doctrine on sexuality and the plain teaching of Scripture.”
I was not aware that the Anglican Communion had a body of doctrines beyond the creeds. What am I missing?
When did the Anglican communion get “doctrines”?
“Thankfully even Tom Ferguson is calling for a halt in TEC’s efforts to make ACC something it isn’t.” Classic projection! Wow. The ACC asserted their independence from the primates, not TEC in particular. It’s the primates who overstepped and who have absolutely NO authority to determine doctrine for any province other than their own. TEC merely said that they were there and participated in an event that was very positive in fellowship, worship, and outcome. If ACC doesn’t matter because “isn’t a doctrine-producing body,” then the full participation of the TEC delegation shouldn’t be a big deal. But clearly, it… Read more »
Hmmm. So the ACC isn’t a doctrine producing body, yet the primates somehow found it necessary to keep TEC folks from voting on matters of doctrine at the ACC? Sounds a little odd, there cseitz. Additionally, the TEC reps didn’t introduce the resolutions on doctrine. They just voted on them. So if someone is trying to make the ACC into something it isn’t, I suggest you look to the folks who proposed the resolutions. In the case of the resolutions on doctrine, that would be Inter-Anglican Standing Commission on Unity Faith and Order. In the case of the resolution that… Read more »
This is pure madness. Blind belief and God’s true word always a recipe for disaster.
“We have no doctrine of our own. We only possess the Catholic doctrine of the Catholic Church enshrined in the Catholic Creeds, and these creeds we hold without addition or diminution.” G Fisher ABC. Trouble is those same creeds contain no reference to that which the Primates and the ACC delegates find to be so vexatious. If only we could conjure up from history one of those famous letters bearing the Trent postmark addressed to his successor giving helpful advice to Michael Ramsey. Letters which so often got accidentally smeared in breakfast marmalade and sometimes found their way unopened into… Read more »
The whole thing is a mess: Primates who think that they act as a Magesterium over a global denomination; they don’t. Consultative bodies who issue nice sounding statements and make resolutions and then individual churches, many of which ‘hold’ a wide range of differing views and theologies. If the ‘communion’ is to continue it can only do so as a loose federation with the provinces relating to Canterbury. This would be a far more democratic and economically more sensible model. But, there again the Primates aren’t really interested in ‘democratic’ theology, still less the principle of subsidiarity.
I find this all rather sad. The number of grassroots parochial Anglicans who give a flying fig about this political posturing is tiny. Even in the Provinces where the GAFCON Primates serve (note the word), the bonds of affection across the communion remain strong and continue in spite of the efforts of a small number of British and American ‘ultras’ to turn churches to their sectarian agenda. None of this is to diminish the right of African or other Provinces to take a view on sexuality that differs from that of the US (the Primates meeting sort of reinforced that… Read more »
I just got slightly dizzy trying to do a 180 degree repentance move while walking. I don’t recommend it.
“The whole thing is a mess.”
Yes indeed.
Thank goodness no one has to go through this exercise for another 3 years or so. TEC claiming it is voting on doctrines; Gafcon claiming it is doing that so as to take exception to it; warnings about English law waved in the air; behind the scenes negotiations with +Douglas so that he steps back; paternity matters in the news.
If one returned from five years in outer space and read about this event, it would not be believed for its bizarre presentation.
Thanks to Cassandra for the voice of sanity in the context of much craziness. Goodness knows, there’s a need for some humour in all this mess.
I’m not too happy to see that the recent meeting of some of the Gafcon Primates in Nairobi saw fit to include in their communique – as their allies in Aotearoa/New Zealand – 500 people gathered under the hastily-erected flag of FoCA, calling itself FOCANZ, over the last few days. These people have already aligned themselves with the one schismatic (ex-Anglican) parish in the Waikato diocese, hoping, no doubt, to takeover the name and legacy of ACANZP, under the self-nominated title of ‘authentic Anglicanism’. They are, admittedly, just a small bunch of Kiwis, but one is mindful of Gafcons’ influence… Read more »
hope placed on technicalities….. so much faith in Welby?
I’ve said this elsewhere, but don’t mind repeating it: the only thing in our formularies that I know of that could conceivably be construed as an “Anglican doctrine” of marriage is in Article XXV of he 39 Articles, which says marriage isn’t to be “counted for sacraments of the Gospel,” going so far as to say that it “pertain(s) to a state of life allowed in scripture.” Since same-sex couples living together in self-sacrificing, unconditional love isn’t mentioned in scripture; and since many of the instances of heterosexual marriage illustrated in scripture are so repugnant to modern sensibilities and ideas… Read more »
Yes, Daniel; we don’t hear much about Art.XX4 from the thirtynine-artifacts group. Naturally, being non-sacramental, that makes marriage second-order material, and not worth argumentaion.
The Communion may not have doctrines, but the Holy Bible sure does. The ACNA believes in and teaches those doctrines.
Dear Mr Gillias, Just fine. I ran into Lonergan and he says to say hello! Sunday best wishes.
So what do we think Welby is thinking? Even if he managed to convince himself after the Primates meeting that they all wanted to walk together (and that the sanctions weren’t sanctions but consequences), he’s surely too intelligent to believe that any more.
I think Welby has to be coming to the conclusion that maintaining a facade of Communion unity is a fool’s errand.
“The Communion may not have doctrines, but the Holy Bible sure does. The ACNA believes in and teaches those doctrines.”
ACNA believes and teaches doctrines as it *interprets* the Bible, Kenneth. Those not affiliated w/ ACNA, every bit as devoted to the Bible as you are, interpret it differently.
I agree, Rod. The prsence of the ACNA ‘Archbishop’ on the hustings with the GAFCON lot, is the only way these African Primates have into their attempted invasion of North America. However,schism only leads to more schism, as experience has already proved in North America. I don’t think acna/foca/gafcon will ever really take on in the free world of Anglicanism
In the meantime, Christ is risen, Alleluia!
I agree with Simon Butler. This is rather sad and irrelevant.
Is anyone else tired of this phrase: “and further torn the fabric of the Communion”? If anything tears at the fabric of the communion it’s this self righteous segregationist posturing of the Gafconites. They have ‘cried wolf’ so many times but don’t actually seem to do anything other than huff and puff.
Perversely, I take some pleasure from this announcement, since it at least confirms that GAFCON had the same impression of the outcome as the Episcopalians. When the first report in these pages that ACC had declined to support the Primates’ statement was via a link to the Episcopal News Service, I feared that GAFCON might have taken a different view, but this criticism confirms that they saw it the same way. Well Done to the ACC!
As to the ABC’s bizarre attempt to spin the outcome as being supportive of the Primates’ statement, dream on!
“My blue collar union upbringing makes your rejoinders virtually irresistible.”
Thank you for sharing. Sounds very deep.
Amities en Christ.
In the UK, as I think we all realise, this debate is entirely over. The predicted dooms that would follow from same sex marriage, the thousands of laws that would need revising, the families ripped apart, the rise in sexual diseases and, indeed, water levels, have not happened. There is no public debate about same sex marriage, outside tiny and rather nasty enclaves of the hard right. The idea that it is ever going to get back onto the legislative agenda and be cast into the outer darkness by a rising sun of righteousness is preposterous. The CofE can continue… Read more »
“The ACC isn’t a doctrine-producing body. It is consultative in character.”
I agree on this point with cseitz.
In fact, there is no body in the Anglican Communion that makes decisions with respect to doctrine other than the local General Synods or equivalent. The highest legislative body in the Anglican Communion is the local General Synod. Period.
@ Kenneth on Sunday, apparently you didn’t read or didn’t comprehend the rest of my posting. Go back and try again, why don’tcha’?
“Funny you should say that. For some of my family, it was profoundly deep, ocean deep collieries deep. Some the smartest guys in the room paid for their education, or that of their children, by working in them.”
Thanks again for sharing.
And this is related to anything how … except autobiography?
“Irresistible” — for whom besides yourself?
I wish the whole Anglican Communion, and all of us here, would reflect on Psalm 133: “How good and pleasant it is when brothers (and sisters) live together in unity!” Or as the gospel says: A new commandment I give you. Love one another.” And in the epistles: “Now these three remain – faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.” We need to learn to wash one another’s feet, and seek one another’s prosperity. The Anglican Communion needs to remember this call to grace, and it’s really sad if we don’t, because there is so much… Read more »
Mr Perry Well thank God we agree on the fact that an Anglican Consultative Council is, well, consultative in character. TEC was producing a grandiose remit for it. To my mind it would not matter whether someone classified ‘Christian marriage’ a doctrine or not. Orthodox Christians of various stripe have held different views. That the Primates appealed to this tells me more about their common mind than about the probity of the term as such. That +Curry referred to this common mind, and even referred to ‘doctrine’, tells me again that he was referring to the mind of the meeting.… Read more »
“TEC was producing a grandiose remit for it.”
I disagree that we (TEC) produced anything remotely grandiose. I think the illusions of grandiosity are on the side of the GAFCON bishops.
The ACC decided to actually walk together. I would agree that that is just grand!
“What matters is ‘Will you open your heart to grace and love?'” That is a question so terribly well-intentioned. “Mercy and Truth have kissed each other.” “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” Appeals to ‘love’ will sound like ‘good conduct requests’ but these will never soar with the Love of God in Christ until they are brought fully within his saving judgments and Truth. And that, dear Susannah, is where the larger disagreement manifests itself. (I leave aside the pettiness and so forth that blogs engender.) But God will plough the fields in his Time’s swath. So… Read more »
I repeat:
“…many of the instances of heterosexual marriage illustrated in scripture are so repugnant to modern sensibilities and ideas of justice that they’re illegal in most civilized countries…”
Does anyone here believe it’s lamentable that civilized societies finally found it necessary, beginning in the 17th Century, deliberately to exclude the savagery of Bronze Age ethics that condition much of the bible?
“TEC was producing a grandiose remit for it.”
It was the Primates, especially the GAFCON Primates, who wanted the ACC to act beyond its remit.
That gambit seems to have failed, and failed spectacularly.
Yet here you are trying to spin it otherwise. No one is fooled.
Exactly ten years ago I waded into Anglican/Episcopal cyber forums, blogs and chat rooms with great relish. Then, about eight years ago, I left that conversation. I am sad to say that as I peruse the comments in this post — for the first time in many years — I see the same exact arguments being made by (alas) the same people. Friends, this is not getting anywhere.
“Friends, this is not getting anywhere.”
To the contrary, some parts of the Communion are getting closer to God’s kingdom.
Over the past 20 years or more, TEC has shown leadership in treating all God’s children equally. Other provinces–Canada and Scotland come to mind–are leading similarly.
Meanwhile, those reacting against such leadership have failed to persuade the majority of provinces to take the reactionary position.
Which is why those reacting founded GAFCON, and why several GAFCON provinces and primates have now separated themselves from Primates2016 and from the ACC.
This leaves the Communion more free to move ahead.
“this is not getting anywhere” Allow me to clarify my own motivation. (Others will respond or hoot or defend or whatever; this is a blog). I do not read blogs or respond to “get anywhere” but rather to see what the church looks like and to pray about that. I try to understand what one segment of those claiming the name of Jesus Christ mean by that (especially in the case of the ambitious rubric “Thinking Anglican”). So this is an assignment, for me, of responsible stewardship. What does a church wanting to be ‘Anglican’ or ‘episcopal’ (or something else)… Read more »
Christopher
Would Jesus see the Primates Gathering as a meeting of disciples or of Pharisees?
“What matters is ‘Will you open your heart to grace and love?'” -Susannah
More precisely, ‘Will you open your heart to grace and agape?’
“fog of war” by partisans — Mr. Gillis, if you are claiming to be ‘above’ the fog you are more self-referential than I thought. What we do know is that the Instrument +Welby says that the Instrument ACC and Instrument Primates are in agreement. And we know that Gafcon is a subset of the GS and doubts whether this is so on the terms he is claiming. What we do not know and cannot know is how things will now play out, and whether the AC will simply fracture further. Kate: nice set of options! a) I take it you… Read more »
Christopher: “But God will plough the fields in his Time’s swath. So be assured.”
Could you possibly translate that please? And all of it? It sounds sort of important but if I had just come from Mars I don’t think I’d have any idea what you were actually going on about.
Christopher
Thank you for explaining your own reasons for participation and your views on whether God might use a blog for his purpose. My own view is that He often speaks to just one person and that a blog can do that very well. Not the same person all the time, of course. I also find that I draft a number of comments which I never post – I think those were for me.