This was revealed in a communique put out by six Primates representing Burundi, Central Africa, Southern Africa, Tanzania, West Africa, and The Episcopal Church, and four Bishops of The Episcopal Church representing both U.S. dioceses and Haiti. They met recently at the General Theological Seminary in New York City, a seminary now engaged in a bitter battle for its own survival.

There is something deeply symbolic about the staging of this meeting at a morally and theologically bankrupt institution that may well not be around five years from now.

A few short years ago, one would never have seen archbishops from Burundi, Central Africa, Tanzania or West Africa even engage the Episcopal Church, knowing that it had ordained openly practicing homosexuals to the episcopacy like Gene Robinson and Mary Glasspool. Now apparently, it is acceptable, even though other African Primates from the Global South would not be seen in the same room with the likes of Presiding Bishop Jefferts Schori or Canadian Archbishop Fred Hiltz. They were noticeably absent at Lambeth 2008 and the later Anglican Primates Meeting in Dublin in 2011.

The Anglican game is changing and the slow but steady seduction of African Anglicans is well under way with money and a bottomless supply of plane tickets and hotels to encourage otherwise impoverished African leaders.

This particular gabfest was headlined, "Transformation through Friendship", a catchy title pushed along by continuous talk of Indaba and money.

The Episcopal Church sweetened the Indaba pot by having three non-Europeans on its staff including the Rev. Canon Isaac Kawuki Mukasa (Partnership Officer for Africa), Elizabeth Boe (Global Networking Officer) and the Rev. Ranjit Mathews (Network Officer for Mission Personnel and Africa), all designed to indicate normalcy and collegiality with the African leaders present. Clearly, the seduction went well based on what the Africans had to say.

"Our conversations grew out of the Fifth Consultation of Anglican Bishops in Dialogue, May 22-25, 2014, at Coventry, England where we shared news from our churches, rejoiced in our renewed fellowship, and marveled at the gifts and diversity of creation God has provided. We prayed together, and we worshiped. Our intention was to build missional partnerships among our churches, taking Jesus' statement of his mission as our own--'to bring good news to the poor, . . . to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor.' (Lk. 4:18-19) We confessed that one thing we have in common is that we all have needs, not the least of which is our profound need for each other."

"Conversation" in Episcopal parlance means "if we talk long enough, you will come to see how just like you we are and vice versa, so why can't we all just get along or, better still, agree with us?" Forget about Spong, (and his twelve heretical theses), Robinson's homosexual behavior and the pluriform truths of Frank Griswold; and please don't forget Jefferts Schori's famous statement "personal salvation is heresy and idolatry". This is a church so wonderfully diverse that next time we meet we will invite an Imam to say prayers over us. Diversity goes in many directions and we should never short change God.

We hope, said the delegates, that the Communion's strategy to address the next iteration of the United Nations Development Goals might be part of the agenda.

Ironically it is "personal salvation" preaching that has made the Anglican Church in Africa grow by leaps and bounds; at the same time, The Episcopal Church hollows out and shrinks while preaching its multiple truths nonsense focusing on climate change and bed wetting rather than saving souls. Over the past twenty years, several million have left the Episcopal Church while millions have joined Anglican churches in Africa where they have heard and embraced the gospel of Christ.

One wonders if the leaders of TEC would recognize Jesus if he turned up at 815 2nd Avenue and started writing "mene, mene, tekel upharsin" in large letters on the front doors...?

Undaunted, these African said they celebrated each other's churches and that they had gifts to offer others including pushing human dignity (and flourishing,) the sustainability of a common ministry, and the care of the Earth. All of these things could be done by a UN agency and have little to do with gospel proclamation. "We committed ourselves to exploring pension schemes, stewardship of finances and other resources (management and investment), health services, mining and related environmental issues, advocacy, migration and statelessness, human trafficking, religious freedom, and theological education." Again any secular institution could cover this. Where was talk about implementing the Great Commission, discipleship or the transforming love of Jesus Christ, pray tell?

One truth did emerge, however, delegates said they were "aware that Africa is now the demographic center of the Anglican Communion and has always been mother to us all." This begs the question as to why these Africans didn't flex their muscle and lay down the law about the "torn fabric" of the Anglican Communion and who it was who tore the giant sized hole in it.

Friends, they said, walk together. "Friends go the distance together. Friends make music together. Friends of Jesus love each other just as he commanded (v. 14). Friends share their needs and their gifts, their burdens and their joys. Over the years in the Anglican Communion, we have had the experience of together reconciling the world to Christ in diverse and creative ways. It is what we call mission, which is grounded in the holy and transforming friendship that comes through our common life in Christ."

Friends also tell friends when they have gone astray. They tell them when they preach "another gospel" Gal. 1:8-9 and II Cor. 11. 3-5 and that by doing so, they imperil their souls and the souls of those around them.

REALIGNMENT IS A REALITY

Standing in stark contrast to this Western intrusion into African affairs are the GAFCON bishops and archbishops and the Global South Primates who have resolutely stood fast against Western theological and moral intrusion into their affairs.

These Primates have not fallen for Indaba or the imperial designs of TEC or their money. Witness the words of Kenyan Primate Archbishop Eliud Wabukala who recently said, "We must remember that the fundamental reason for [the divisions in the Anglican Communion] are doctrinal. We are divided because the Faith is threatened by unbiblical teaching."

He continued to say that GAFCON 2 demonstrated that "we were emerging as a new and effective 'instrument of unity' for the Anglican Communion."

The Kenya Primate noted that the investiture of Archbishop Foley Beach as the second Archbishop of the Anglican Church in North America by the Primates gathered in Atlanta, representing GAFCON and the Anglican Global South, who received him as a Primate of the Anglican Communion, underlines this reality.

Did those African Primates meeting at GTS know this? Did they ignore the fact that their fellow African Primates now perceive that two very different understandings of what it means to be Anglican now exist!?

"It is a sign of great hope for the Gospel in the world. It is not a small thing that has happened. There was no need for us to be reminded of the reasons why GAFCON had called the Anglican Church in North America into being five years ago because the investiture demonstrated that the realignment of the Anglican Communion is now established and unstoppable," noted Wabukala.

The Kenyan Primate added that Anglicans around the globe are now affirming this fact. "Last month the Provincial Synod of the Anglican Church of Kenya unanimously approved a resolution to be in formal partnership with the GAFCON movement. GAFCON is an emerging instrument of communion when others have failed to provide the well needed leadership' and stated 'recognizing Synod's desire to be in full communion with the ACNA."

The Archbishop believes the task before us is one of rebuilding, developing of institutions and networks which help, rather than hinder, the proclamation of the gospel and reflect the new thing God in his mercy is doing in the Anglican Communion. GAFCON 2 brought together 1358 delegates, including 331 bishops, from 39 countries.

What were the Most Rev. Bernard Ntahoturi, Archbishop of Burundi, The Most Rev. Albert Chama,
Archbishop of Central Africa and the Most Rev. Jacob Chimeledya, Archbishop of Tanzania (whose election was bought by $75,000 from TEC resources) or The Most Rev. Daniel Sarfo, Archbishop of West Africa all thinking as they engaged with a church that might not be around 25 years from now? Was business class travel really worth it? Were the sights and sounds of New York City with all its money and glitz really worth it? Was talk of Indaba really worth it?

The Episcopal Church is vanishing, says distinguished church historian Philip Jenkins.

"I'm doing a little math, and the consequences are troubling. If we extrapolate that rate into the not-too-distant future, then the number of people attending Episcopal churches on a typical Sunday will be negligible by mid-century, typical of a tiny sect rather than a great church or denomination. It won't reach zero for a while, but in effect, the church will cease to exist."

Who would want to do business or Indaba with a church that is going out of business? Those few African archbishops apparently, but in doing so, they are selling their souls to Western pan-sexualism. That is a recipe for their own inevitable demise.

We know the outcome for TEC and the Anglican Church of Canada. What is by no means certain is the long-term outcome for those African Anglican provinces that heed the siren call of the West; and will they wake up in time to see the huge mistake they have made?

END