The Anglican Communion and Homosexuality
Review of the 2008-JUN Global
Anglican Future
Conference (GAFCON)
Sponsored link
2008-JUN-22 to 29: GAFCON: a rival Anglican conference:
1,148 senior conservative leaders of the Anglican Community, including
about 289 bishops from Africa, Latin America, Asia, and North America, attended
the eight day Global Anglican Future Conference (GAFCON). Together they
represent more than 35 million Anglicans -- about half of the total
Anglicans in the worldwide Communion.
GAFCON was held in Jerusalem, a few weeks before the 2008 Lambeth
Conference in the UK.
The bishops organized the
conference because they felt that their concerns about
homosexuality and biblical authority were not being properly addressed by the
Episcopal Church, USA; by Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury; and
presumably by the Anglican Church of Canada. Their main concern with
the Episcopal Church was the consecration of what they call a
"practicing homosexual:" Gene Robinson, the Bishop of New
Hampshire. Their main concern with the Anglican Church of Canada
is over the policy of some western dioceses who have made
church rituals available to recognize loving committed same-sex
relationships.
Many of the bishops indicated that
they plan to boycott the 2008 Lambeth Conference scheduled
for JUL-16. This is a one-per-decade gathering of Anglican bishops from around
the world at Canterbury, UK.
Comments by some of the GAFCON leaders:
Among the archbishops who played a prominent role at GAFCON were:
- Ugandan Archbishop Henry Orombi issued a statement about the consecration of Gene Robinson,
bishop of New Hampshire, who is in a loving, committed same-sex relationship and
recently entered into a civil union with his spouse. Orombi said that this was a:
"... direct violation of the Bible and historic
Christian teaching. ... We are not going to pretend by going to Lambeth that we
are in fellowship [with the US church]. We are not. What they have done is a
very serious thing, and what the Archbishop of Canterbury has done in inviting
them is grievous, and we want them to know that."
Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury, who was until the GAFCON conference the spiritual leader of the Anglican
Communion, invited a delegation of bishops from the Episcopal Church, USA to
come to the Lambeth Conference.
However no invitation was extended to Bishop Robinson. Archbishop Orombi told a press briefing,
"The Western church brought its religion to us and we embraced it, and now the
Western church is contradicting what it brought to us." 4
- Nigerian Archbishop Peter Akinola called the western Anglican leadership
"revisionist." He said:
"Our beloved Anglican Communion must be rescued from the
manipulation of those who have denied the gospel and its power to transform and
save, those who have departed from the scripture and the faith."
He also said:
"A sizeable part of the communion is in error, and not a few are apostate. In
the wisdom and strength God supplies, we must rescue what is left of the church
from the error of the apostates." 4
- Peter Jensen, Archbishop of Sydney,
Australia said that GAFCON and the voluntary absence of many bishops from the
Lambeth Conference should be viewed as a "button" pointing to the enormity of
the problem. He said:
"Our absence will be helpful in that it forces the issue.
It will help them focus their minds, and I hope the result will be a helpful
convention which will pull us all together." 4
His comment seems to
imply that the only way in which the deep divisions in
the Anglican Communion can be healed is if all provinces
adopt the views of the GAFCON conference attendees
concerning their interpretation of the Bible and their
denigration of homosexual relationships. Agreeing to
disagree appears to be an option on the table.
Book release:
Conference leaders released a new book on JUN-19 titled "The
Way, the Truth and the Life." It can be downloaded in PFD format at no
cost from VirtueOnline.org. 8 Rev. Vinay Samuel, coordinator of
the book said:
"At a time when the fabric of the communion has been torn apart,
the entire drive of the book is to hold together what is meant by 'Anglican.'
How can we claim this identity? This is not to exclude anyone but in a confused
situation this says, 'This is where we are'." 1
Rejection of the 2007 Anglican Covenant:
The GAFCON Theological Resource Team reviewed
the St Andrews Draft Text of An Anglican Covenant which was written by
the Anglican primates at their meeting in Dar es Salaam during 2007.
5 They found
that the covenant was:
"... both seriously limited and severely flawed. Whether
or not the tool of covenant is the right way to approach the crisis within the
Communion, this document is defective and its defects cannot be corrected by
piecemeal amendment because they are fundamental. The St. Andrews Draft is
theologically incoherent and its proposals unworkable. It has no prospect of
success since it fails to address the problems which have created the crisis and
the new realities which have ensued." 2
GAFCON issues the "Jerusalem Statement"
A GAFCON press release appears to define a formal schism in the Anglican
Communion:
"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 [sic] 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."
6,7
Response to GAFCON by Presiding Bishop Schori:
The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori, Presiding Bishop and Primate of the Episcopal
Church, USA issued a statement in response to the statement issued by the GAFCON meeting:
"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." 5
The sources of the conflict:
It is important to realize that this group of conservative
Anglicans regards themselves as representing mainline Anglicanism. One
indication of this is the name chosen for of one of their newsletters: "Anglican
Mainstream." 3
They regard many western provinces to be radically "revisionist." The
latter is viewed as having abandoned the authority of the Bible, and the
historical interpretation of the six biblical "clobber
passages" that are commonly used to denigrate homosexuals. Anglicans
generally base their beliefs on the "three-legged stool" consisting of the
Bible, church tradition and reason. However, conservatives and liberals in the
Communion differ in the emphasis that they place on each of the legs.
Conservatives tend to stress the Bible and tradition; liberals stress reason,
which includes personal experience, scientific findings, etc. Another source
of the conflict is the extreme variation in culture among the 38 Anglican
provinces. The provinces share the Bible, church tradition, many rituals, and
centuries of cooperation. But their cultures differ greatly on matters related
to human sexuality. Only a bare majority of provinces allow women to be
ordained; only a handful allow women priests to be consecrated as bishops; only
one -- the Episcopal Church, USA, has a female primate. The cultures of many of
the southern provinces are extremely homophobic, while the cultures found in the
U.S., Canada, United Kingdom and a few other provinces are beginning to accept
homosexuality, bisexuality and heterosexuality as morally neutral sexual
orientations.
References:
- Judith Sudilovsky, "Rival Anglican conference begins in Jerusalem,"
Anglican Journal, 2008-JUN-20, at:
http://www.anglicanjournal.com/
- Response of GAFCON to the St Andrew's Draft Text," GAFCON, at:
http://www.gafcon.org/
- Free subscriptions to GAFCON's two newsletters: "Anglican Mainstream"
and "GAFCON" can be obtained at:
http://www.anglican-mainstream.net/
- Judith Sudilovsky, "Akinola calls Anglican leadership 'revisionist',"
Anglican Journal, 2008-JUN-20, at:
http://www.anglicanjournal.com/
- "An Anglican Covenant," Anglican Communion, at:
http://www.anglicancommunion.org/
- "Jerusalem Declaration Signals New Reality for
Anglican Communion," GAFCON, 2008-JUN-29, at:
http://www.gafcon.org/
- "Statement on the Global Anglican Future," Press
Release, GAFCON, 2008-JUN-29, at:
http://www.gafcon.org/
- "The Way, The Truth and The Life: Theological resources
for a pilgrimage to a Global Anglican Future,"
VirtueOnline.org. at:
http://www.virtueonline.org/ This is a PDF file. You may require software to read it. Software can be obtained free from:
Site navigation:
Copyright © 2006 to 2008 by Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance
Original posting: 2006-MAR-11
Latest update: 2008-JUL-23
Author: B.A. Robinson
|
Page Translator: