You are here
Canterbury Meeting will be Make or Break for Anglican Communion, says Kenyan Primate
Future direction of the Communion will be decided once and for all in Canterbury
By David W. Virtue DD
www.virtueonline.org
October 30, 2015
Dialogue is over. It is time for action, says GAFCON chairman and Kenyan Archbishop Eliud Wabukala.
Everything is at stake when the Primates of the Communion meet in Canterbury at the invitation of the Archbishop of Canterbury next January, says the Evangelical Anglican archbishop. "I believe this will be an historic meeting unlike anything that has gone before. There is now a shared realization that the time for dialogue is over and there must be a decision that will settle the future direction of the Communion and free us from being dragged down by controversy and confusion.
In a pastoral letter from the GAFCON Primates Council the archbishop noted the unique nature of the proposed meeting in Canterbury at the Archbishop of Canterbury's invitation which he and ACNA Archbishop Foley Beach will attend, but noted that "We will not compromise the biblical principles for which we stand."
"Our GAFCON movement stands together as a global family to restore the Bible and this gospel of grace to the heart of the Anglican Communion. We are approaching a critical moment and we all have a part to play."
"In recent days the Lord has put on my heart the seriousness of the call to be a faithful watchman. In a time of crisis and confusion in ancient Israel, God appointed Ezekiel to be a watchman over his exiled people (Ezekiel 33:1-9). This is one of the set readings in the Anglican Church of Kenya's service for the ordination of priests and for those of us who are bishops and archbishops, this responsibility to watch is even greater.
"The gospel is about God's amazing grace in rescuing us from sin and the power of death in Jesus Christ. It brings great joy, but it is not a worldly message about how to achieve prosperity or self-fulfillment. Without the hope of the glory to come, the gospel is not the biblical gospel."
Speaking at a mission conference at the Anglican Church of North America's (ACNA) Church of the Resurrection in Chicago earlier this month, Wabukala said he was delighted by the strength and fruitfulness of the global relationships being formed through GAFCON.
"Despite many challenges, this congregation is truly a church of the resurrection! It is a wonderful demonstration of the joy, vision and spiritual vitality so typical of the ACNA. I praise God that the ACNA, birthed at our first Jerusalem Conference in 2008, is now recognized as a full Province of the Anglican Communion by Primates representing the majority of the Communion's active membership."
END
