GAFCON book

Key Document Released as GAFCON moves to Jerusalem

The pre-GAFCON preparatory consultation in Jordan wound up early, and the participants moved to Jerusalem on Thursday, 19th June. Hotel and meeting rooms previously unavailable in Jerusalem became available at the same time GAFCON leaders learned that previously granted permission for the Jordan consultation was deemed insufficient.

The time in Jordan was very valuable for prayer, fellowship, and networking. The group made pilgrimages to Mt. Nebo and the Baptism Site of Jesus. GAFCON Chairman Archbishop Peter Akinola of Nigeria, and Archbishop Greg Venables of Southern Cone, were for different reasons unable to be in Jordan. Both are, however, expected to play significant roles at GAFCON in Jerusalem.

GAFCON book, The Way, The Truth and the Life, will be released on Thursday, 19th June, in Jerusalem. A press conference will be held at the Renaissance Hotel on Thursday, 19th June at 19:00 hours.

The 94-page book is published by Latimer Trust and was prepared by GAFCON Theological Resource Team. It provides the theological and historical foundation for the movement of orthodox Anglicans that is meeting in Jerusalem June 22 – 29. More than 1,000 Anglican leaders from 25 countries, including 280 bishops, are expected to attend the conference.
After outlining the recent history of conflicts within the Anglican Communion, “The Way, the Truth and the Life,” sets out to define authentic Anglicanism, discuss what is at stake in the conflict, and what the future holds for orthodox Anglicans. “Our journey is a witness that the truth of God is accessible. We are convinced that God has made himself known, sufficiently for us to be able to respond to him, and to make truly moral choices between obedience and disobedience.”

The book deals frankly with the crisis facing the Anglican Communion. “We have made enormous efforts since 1997 in seeking to avoid this crisis, but without success. Now we confront a moment of decision. If we fail to act, we risk leading millions of people away from the faith revealed in the Holy Scriptures and also, even more seriously, we face the real possibility of denying our Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ,” writes the Most. Rev. Peter Akinola, Archbishop of Abuja, Primate of All Nigeria and chairman of the Global Anglican Future Conference.

“The Way, the Truth and the Life,” which is being released digitally as well as handed out in hardcopy to all GAFCON attendees, reaffirms “our Christian faith as it relates to some prime topics: Anglican identity and orthodoxy, the Lordship of Jesus Christ and its implications for personal morality and missions, and the whole issue of authority, Christ’s authority in the church and the authority of the Bible,” writes the Most. Rev. Nicholas D. Okoh, Archbishop of Bendel, Nigeria, and chairman of the Theological Resource Team.

The 25 members of the Theological Resource team come from 10 Anglican Provinces. Members of the Theological Resource Team are: Chairman: Archbishop Nicholas Okoh, Bishop of Asaba and Archbishop of Bendel, Nigeria; Convenor: Canon Dr Vinay Samuel, South India; Archbishop Okoro, Archbishop of Orlu, Nigeria; Bishop Onuoha, Bishop of Okigwe, Nigeria; Bishop Simeon Adebola, Bishop of Yewa, Nigeria; Bishop John Akao, Bishop of Sabongidda-Ora, Nigeria; Professor Dapo Asaju, Department of Religious Studies, Lagos State University, Nigeria; Canon Festus Yeboah-Asuamah, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Ghana; Revd Roger Beckwith, England; Bishop Wallace Benn, Bishop of Lewes, England; Bishop Robinson Cavalcanti, Bishop of Recife, Brazil, Southern Cone; Bishop John Ellison, former Bishop of Paraguay; Bishop Michael Fape, Bishop of Remo, Nigeria; Dr Steven Ferguson, USA; Canon Alistair MacDonald-Radcliff, sometime Dean of All Saints Cathedral, Cairo, Egypt; Revd Professor Stephen Noll, Vice Chancellor, Uganda Christian University; Bishop Ikechi Nwosu, Bishop of Umuahia, Nigeria; Bishop Joel Obetia, Bishop of Madi and West Nile, Uganda; Revd Dr Emily Onyango, St Paul’s University, Limuru, Kenya; Revd Dr Mike Ovey, Principal of Oak Hill Theological College, England; Revd Dr Mark Thompson, Head of Theology and Academic Dean, Moore Theological College, Sydney, Australia; Bishop Eliud Wabukala, Chair of National Council of Churches, Bishop of Bungoma, Kenya; Editor: Mrs Sarah Finch, Member of General Synod, England; Secretary: Canon Dr Chris Sugden, England.

GAFCON begins on Sunday, 22nd of June in Jerusalem. Over seven days, Anglican leaders and laypeople representing 75 percent of the Anglican Communion will meet for prayer, bible study and worship. Jerusalem was chosen as it represents the historical roots of the Christian faith.

The Anglican Church is divided, but not fatally

The grandly named Global Anglican Future Conference (Gafcon), which is meeting in the Holy Land this week, is supposed to be a sort of conservative rival to the Lambeth Conference next month. Gafcon consists of around 200 Anglican bishops and laity, principally from the theologically conservative reaches of Africa and the United States.

On Wednesday, it effectively declared the end of the worldwide Anglican Communion, explaining that it could no longer be associated with liberals who tolerate actively homosexual clergy.
On paper, therefore, the moment of schism in worldwide Anglicanism has arrived. Many of Gafcon’s members will boycott Lambeth, and the Archbishop of Canterbury will therefore preside over a ruptured communion. But, before Dr Rowan Williams runs up the white flag, he should take a closer look at the reality of Gafcon, as opposed to its self-important pronouncements. The truth is that the conference has so far been a shambles. Its leader, the belligerent Archbishop Peter Akinola of Nigeria, has been denied entry to Jordan. Other conservative church leaders are missing because they have chosen not to attend. Significant absentees at Gafcon include the Rt Rev John Chew, Primate of South-East Asia, and Dr Mouneer Anis, Presiding Bishop of Jerusalem and the Middle East and treasurer of the “Global South” group of conservative provinces. And even those leaders who are attending the conference make up a volatile compound. Gafcon, in other words, is far from the united force it claims to be, and it does not fully represent Anglicanism in the developing world.

It is true that the forthcoming Lambeth Conference will also be a divided body, boycotted by an unprecedented numbers of bishops. But the semi-fiasco of Gafcon means that Dr Williams still has a chance of keeping the conservative Christians of, say, Uganda, in dialogue with the liberal provinces of the United States and Canada.

Whether the Anglican Communion can survive the inevitable discord of Lambeth is still unclear. But it is encouraging that some of the most vociferous critics of liberal Anglicanism have decided to join in debate and worship with their fellow bishops at their traditional gathering in England rather than declare allegiance to a rival body meeting in the Middle East.

Gafcon is dominated by the single issue of homosexuality; its relative failure should remind us that ordinary Anglicans – and especially members of the Church of England – are not obsessed with sexual mores or gay marriage. The challenge of Lambeth is to revive Christianity in a secular age. Dr Williams is well aware of that fact, and we wish him well..

"Telegraph view" is written by our team of leader writers and commentators. This team includes David Hughes, Philip Johnston, Simon Heffer, Janet Daley, Con Coughlin, Robert Colvile, Iain Martin and Alex Singleton.