"In Lambeth 1:10, we are standing for the authority of the bible. Marriage is between a man and a woman. Anything else is queering the authority of the bible. It is not just about sexuality but the authority of the bible. But do we? I would think no. It is not respecting the authority of scripture."

Jensen said the GAFCON bishops played a leading role in holding Welby to account. He said Welby squashed the dissent of the orthodox bishops present.

"The orthodox put out a good statement, but did not get their way. The Word of God is the work of God and we must obey it come what may. It is not a cultural issue.

"People from Global South and North America have taken the same stand as the Global South bishops, and we must obey the voice of the Bible," he said.

Jensen said repentance was the key. "The Anglican Communion is basically broken which is tragic but there is a way back; there is a way to bring us back to unity and it is the biblical doctrine of repentance; turning away from sin and error and turning back to the Lord Jesus Christ."

The Global South bishops pointed the gun of repentance at themselves. "We need to repent also. The whole of Lambeth 1:10 includes care for those who are same sex attracted and care for all people. We need to repent."

"If that had come to the floor in any meaningful way, things might have been different," said Jensen. "We are not united and discussing repentance is a deeply spiritual matter and it calls upon us all to repent."

Asked what happens now, Jensen said there was a crossover of GSFA and GAFCON bishops leading the charge. There is no fight; we are standing for the same things. He said the Kigali primates will meet later this year.

"The big [GAFCON] conference in Kigali next year will be a wonderful time with great gospel notes and will sound forth the authority of the Bible. The conference will not be about sex, but the authority of God's Word."

Jensen said the East African revival owes its existence and has been fed spiritually into the life of the churches. The East African revival was based on repentance and a turning away from a compromised Christianity and full-on commitment to the Christian faith.

In Australia, we need repentance before reconciliation, he said.

"Provinces of the Anglican Communion are now free to develop their own teaching on sexuality, according to the Archbishop of Canterbury. There will be no contending for the faith (cf Jude 1:3) or withdrawing fellowship from the sexually immoral.

The Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby arranged the Lambeth Conference so that delegates didn't get to vote on the most contentious issue of the day - sexuality.

Rather, he wrote to delegates announcing that Lambeth 1:10 still applied, but there would be no consequences for ignoring it.

All we will be left with is Anglican politics.

"We are at an important moment in the history of the Anglican Church in Australia," says Richard Condie, Chair of GAFCON Australia.

This week, over 350 Anglicans from around Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea and Vanuatu are gathering in Canberra for the inaugural GAFCONAustralasia Conference to encourage one another to continue proclaiming Christ faithfully.

As part of the conference proceedings, the Diocese of the Southern Cross will be formally announced. "The Diocese of the Southern Cross is a new structure for Anglicans in Australia who can no longer sit under the authority of their bishop," says Richard Condie.

Bishop Glenn Davies will be the first Bishop of the Diocese. Already, its first church, Southern Cross Anglican Beenleigh and Logan, has met under the leadership of the Rev Peter Palmer.

At the recent General Synod, a majority of bishops were unable to uphold the Bible's ancient teaching on marriage and sexual ethics. Many Anglicans in Australia are distressed by their failure and the moves in their own dioceses to lower the standards of sexual ethics for leaders.

At the recent Lambeth conference, The Bishops of the Global South said, "To us in our provinces, this is not primarily about gay sexual practices and unions, but rather that Anglicans look first and foremost to be guided in their faith and order by Scripture, and not by the passing cultural waves of Western society ... as disciples, we are not told in Scripture to mold Jesus into 'our' image, but to be continually transformed by the Spirit into 'His' image."

"The issue for us is the authority of the Bible," says Richard Condie. "The decisions at the recent General Synod, the 2020 Appellate Tribunal opinion that opens the way to blessings for same-sex marriages, and the watering down of standards of behaviour in changes to Faithfulness in Service are examples of this. The Diocese of the Southern Cross provides an Anglican home for those who feel they need to leave their current Dioceses."

We long to see all Australians come to know the love of Christ. This love of Christ cannot be known unless our witness is faithful and clear.

This Diocese is connected to the GAFCON movement internationally. GAFCON stands for the renewal and reform of the Anglican church by recovering its biblical foundations. It embraces the majority of the world's worshipping Anglicans.

For more click here: From the Sydney Morning Herald: https://www.smh.com.au/national/anglican-church-splits-conservatives-form-australian-breakaway-20220816-p5bact.html

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-08-17/australia-anglican-church-splits-over-same-sex-marriage/101341078

GAFCON Frequently Answered Questions:
https://www.gafconaustralia.org/2022/08/17/faq-on-diocese-of-the-southern-cross/?fbclid=IwAR1Vrxw0lFSxn10j8b-iZgER-XFHX9gI9MurNo1x9xPL1BebKGULyCZ_fIk

GAFCON Australia contributed to this story.