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What is at stake in Canterbury
GAFCON
http://gafcon.org/january-2016/
Dec. 17, 2015
Archbishop Justin Welby has called the Primates of the Anglican Communion to meet in Canterbury 11th-16th January to find a way to resolve the spiritual and moral crisis that has beset the Communion throughout the opening years of the twenty first century.
This is a courageous initiative and the GAFCON Primates will attend in the hope that Archbishop Welby will, like them, stand firm to guard the gospel we love, knowing that we cannot rewrite the Bible to suit the spirit of a secular age.
Many orthodox Primates did not attend the last Primates Meeting in 2011 under the chairmanship of his predecessor, Rowan Williams. They were not prepared to share in fellowship with provinces like The Episcopal Church of the United States (TEC) which had rejected the clear teaching of Scripture and the collegial mind of previous Primates Meetings and the Lambeth Conference 1998 by pressing ahead with the blessing of same sex unions and ordaining those in such relationships.
This time, GAFCON and the other orthodox Primates are willing to attend, but they know that after many years of debate, action is needed to restore the spiritual and doctrinal integrity of the Communion they care for so deeply. They are clear that their continued presence will depend upon action by the Archbishop of Canterbury and a majority of the Primates to ensure that participation in the Anglican Communion is governed by robust commitments to biblical teaching and morality.
It has been suggested that the way forward is for the Anglican Communion to abandon the idea that there should be mutual recognition between the provinces and that it should instead find its unity simply in a common relationship with the Archbishop of Canterbury.
This is not historic Anglicanism; the See of Canterbury is honoured and respected as the Mother Church of the Communion, but the unity of the Communion does not depend upon the Archbishop of Canterbury. Rather, it depends upon the various provinces being able to recognize each other, with all their differences of culture, as truly apostolic and committed to the faith as it has been received. Tragically, that recognition has now broken down and affection for Canterbury is no substitute. As the GAFCON movement affirmed in the Jerusalem Declaration of 2008,
'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 Anglican Communion is in danger of losing the gospel of God's costly grace to us sinners for the poor substitute of cheap grace which makes us comfortable but can neither save nor transform. The choice before the Primates as they gather in Canterbury is whether they will recognize this reality and take the difficult but necessary action to restore the bible to its central place in the life of the Communion, or whether they will accept a merely cosmetic solution which will see it increasingly taken captive by the dominant secular culture of the West.
VOL IS CALLING ON ALL ITS READERS TO PRAY FOR GAFCON PRIMATES AS THEY GO TO CANTERBURY THAT THEY WILL HOLD STEADFAST TO THE FAITH ONCE FOR ALL DELIVERED TO THE SAINTS.
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Archbishop Wabukala writes GAFCON priests about Primate's Gathering
By Eliud Wabukala
ANGLICAN CHURCH OF KENYA
Dec. 17, 2015
Grace and peace to you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. I pray you will take a moment to read this important message.
As those who are ordained, we have a special responsibility to care for the people of God. In the foundational liturgy of our Communion, Archbishop Thomas Cranmer described this work as being that of messengers, watchmen and stewards of the Lord.
For many of us that calling is becoming harder as we face the challenges of a compromised church and an increasingly hostile culture. GAFCON was formed in 2008 to enable faithful gospel ministry to survive and thrive in today's world as we stand united in our testimony to the truth of God's Word.
Sadly, that truth continues to be called into question in the Anglican Communion and I am writing to invite you to partner with us as a decisive moment approaches.
I am sure you are aware that the Archbishop of Canterbury has called together all the Primates of the Anglican Communion for a meeting in Canterbury 11th -- 16th January 2016. At this gathering a basic church-defining principle will be at stake:
Will Christ rule our life and witness through His word, or will our life and witness be conformed to the global ambitions of a secular culture?
Together, by the grace of God, we are praying that the Communion will emerge from its current crisis repentant, renewed and restored for its global mission of proclaiming the gospel which is good news for all people, in all places and at all times. This is the hope and testimony of the GAFCON Primates as they approach this gathering.
So please do stand with us in this historic task by calling your people to urgent prayer and practical support. If you could please email your congregation the following link which provides details on how they can stand with us at this crucial time in history: www.gafcon.org/crossroads
Thank you so much for your partnership in the longing we share to see Christ glorified in his church.
Yours in Christ's service,
Archbishop Eliud Wabukala,
Primate of Kenya
Chairman of the GAFCON Primates' Council
