GAFCON Press Release: Jerusalem Declaration Signals New Reality for Anglican Communion

This is what we all have been praying for. These 1200 Pilgrims have experienced life changing inspiration what I read. I can’t wait to hear their stories..
Words cannot describe the joy I feel today!
Praise God from whom all blessings flow!

Hmmm.  On the Day of Pentecost there were 12 apostles gathered in Jerusalem, and some 120 meeting in the upper room when the Spirit fell on them, transforming and empowering them for mission.  None of them were Gentiles and none were Anglicans.

Now there are roughly 100 times more orthodox leaders gathered in Jerusalem than there were apostles back then, and roughly ten times more Christian leaders than the 120 huddled in the upper room.  As far as I know, they are all Gentiles, and they are certainly all Anglicans.  So, offhand, I’d say our future is bright—as long as the Spirit likewise empowers and transforms us as we seek to renew the vigorous missionary effort launched on Pentecost.

I’ll just note that the GAFCON Communique and the Jerusalem Declaration included in it imply a doctrinally-based conception of Anglican identity.  That is, of course, a debatable notion (because it’s incomplete or one-sided).  Please don’t misunderstand me: I’m totally in favor of stressing that doctrine trumps polity in the life of the Church.  There is a good reason why our classic Anglican triad of “Doctrine, Discipline, and Worship” always lists Doctrine as first and foremost, implicitly making it at the very least “the first among equals,” and more likely the primary and decisive factor. 

But we do need to safeguard the role of Discipline and Catholic Order as well as Apostolic Doctrine.  A more balanced statement can be worked out later.  But for now, a strong re-assertion of the primacy of Doctrine was essential to counteract the many years in which we Anglicans have ACTED as if polity trumps doctrine, and that breaks in communion or the crossing of diocesan boundaries were worse than heresy. 

The pre-eminence of Doctrine had to be re-established in principle and practice, and the brave leaders of GAFCON have done just that. 

This is the beginning of a new day in Anglicanism.  This new era is bright and glorious with promise for the future.  I firmly believe that the best days of Anglicanism are yet to come.  Alleluia.  Thanks be to God.

David Handy+

I’m singing this passage (just a tad out of context) because my heart swells to bursting with these thoughts:
Luke 1:46-55

Cindy T, That is very appropriate, for Mary’s Magnificat IS the song of the Church, of the redeemed!

Habemus Provincia!

Well, almost.

For years, Anglican intercessors have been impressed by how the daily lectionary speaks to the unfolding events in the Communion.  Today’s psalm is 145, an incredible paean of adoration.

Now this is CAN DO Anglicanism!

“can do anglicanism”
One thing that impressed me is that this cuts through the gordian knot of the “covenant process.” Instead of belabored tip-toing around the sensitivities of those who reject the uniqueness of Christ, etc. for years and years, the participants have said, “No need for lengthy deliberations, we know what we believe; here it is.”

Further, the covenant process, if it even proceeds at this point, has a big hairy fact on the ground of the Jerusalem Declaration.

Thank you, Jill, for your reference to Psalm 145:

Every day I will praise you
and extol your name for ever and ever.

People, (e.g., Father Dan Martins) have questioned what about those who have chosen to stay in the TEC rather than the alternate Anglican orthodox of North America. Well, the possibility about being “out of communion” has been a possibility since the discussion of the covenant, - the TEO might not sign on to the covenant. But here we have:

Building on the above doctrinal foundation of Anglican identity, we hereby publish the Jerusalem Declaration as the basis of our fellowship.

Thus, rather than the covenant, the Jerusalem declaration is necessary to be part of this “club.”

I am delighted that a final split has not quite been made. I pray that in God’s providence this is a stage in the renewal of Anglicanism.

One really minor question. Am I wrong to feel that the language about overcoming colonial structures sits slightly uneasily with the emphasis on the the Reformation/39 Articles/BCP/Ordinal. One might think that the Reformation (and Counter reformation) splits were exported to non European churches precisely as an expression of colonial structures. So there’s a sense in which far from overcoming colonial structures emphasizing the 39 Articles (etc.) reproduces them?

Presumably, there will be four flavors of Anglicans: Ones that sign on to both the covenant and the Jerusalem declaration, ones that sign on to one or the other and ones that sign on to neither. (What is the probability that the TEO will sign on to the Jerusalem declaration at GC09? The devil will need an overcoat.)

Does the Jerusalem declaration make the covenant irrelevant?

Offhand, robroy, I’d say that it does.

11- It seems to me that the Jerusalem statement and the Covenant will be either mutually supporting or mutually exclusive.  The Gafcon primates will be a force to be reckoned with in any negotiation on the Covenant (as they have been all along).  The ball is now in Rowan’s court.  There was some discussion of this a few days ago on a couple threads.  The discussion is no longer “can the Communion come up with a Covenant that will be acceptable to TEC”, the discussion is now whether the ABoC will sign on to the same Covenant that will be approved by the majority of Anglicans who went to church this morning- which is what the Gafcon provinces represent.
  For myself, I look forward with anticipation to reading the reactions from +Keith Ackerman and +Jack Iker to this momentous event in the history of the Church.  While much has been made of the supposed “Anglo Catholic dilemma” I find myself very hopeful and positive that we are seeing a new dawn in the Church.  God bless all who participated, and gave their effort and wisdom to the conference.

I look forward to the day when we can say “Gloria Dei!  Habemus provincia!”

Driver-
I think the references to colonial structures refer to the “primacy” of CoE and TEC, as the original colonial power, and the later “economic” colonial power. For example, it was an exercise of power derived from the colonial history of the Communion when the ABoC refused to call a meeting of his “equals” to adjudicate TEC’s response to Dar. The point is that “Angicanism” indeed has theological roots, and is not just based on some relationship to a former colonial power and an invitation to a party once every ten years.  Nor is it based on the power of “economic colonialism.” And Truth is to be found in Scripture, not in power.

ISTM that this would just make TEO and ABC dull and void.  They should fade away to status of a small splinter of gnosticism from the Anglican heritage.  I may be wrong.  Time will tell.  May God bless and keep up the momentum and raise up strong leaders to guide and motivate to action.

Stand by for the counter attack.  General quarters!

Prophet- The counter attack started with the quite probably intentional misquote of ++Akinola re: the ABoC.  (I blame neither Reuters or the NYT, I suspect someone fed it to them- it is unlike either organization to outright misquote someone, regardless of their editorial stance).

Lambeth will be interesting now! The HoB/D is not a happy place today and it wasn’t yesterday….They are spinning in outrage over GAFCON and its statement and declaration. So, I think that means that God is in control and in charge and is driving the faithful of GAFCON and we are on the right path.

Lambeth will be interesting now!

I wonder if perhaps the stage managers of Lambeth would now like the opportunity to get a resolution out of the conference.  Perhaps they have been hoisted by their own petard.  Fitting.

carl

Something to talk about in those n’daba groups.

Three points:

Major:  The Lambeth Conference was purposely set up to keep it from making broad public statements.  SO, it has muzzled itself on what God just did in Jerusalem.  Hoist with their own petard, indeed.  Oh, the rich ore of irony!  ESPECIALLY since, whatever the indaba-conversational agenda WAS to have been, GAFCON will now be ITEM #1 AND ONLY, no matter how the organizers try to hush it up, shut it down.  I only wish the Africans would show up in “shock and awe” force and unannounced with printed copies in their hands to distribute, both to rebuke the apostates and to say to those tempted to flee to Rome, “Wait, we have established a place for you too.  Come and take up the sword of the Spirit once again.  You are not alone.  We are with you.”  THAT would throw the whole of the CoE into the midst of this “perfect storm.”

Major:  With the ruling in Virginia (appealed to the VA Supreme Court, where it will get the same verdict, and then appealed to the SCOTUS, where in all likelihood the justices will send it back unread or rule with Virgina), there will be legal standing for PROPERTIES and whole dioceses to switch to a different and valid Anglican Province of North America, and there will be nothing the P-bess can do about it except hurl emptied martini glasses into the fireplace in fury.

Minor:  As a Latin teacher, I can’t resist.  If we have a shout of victory, let’s at least be grammatically correct:

Gloria Deo!  Habemus provinciam!  Habemus ecclesiam!

Dative (indirect object) on the Deo.  Accusative (direct object on the provinciam and ecclesiam.

Sorry to have the red pen out when we have this joyous news (which I echo from the depths of my heart), but accuracy is still important!

Cheers and Huzzahs all round,
Under the mercy,
RNW+

It should be noted that the positions they have taken with respect to jurisdiction jumping will open
them to sanctions under the proposed St. Andrew’s Draft.  They will not care, of course because they have founded an alternative Communion based in the dishonesty of pretending they are staying to reform things.”

I won’t say who wrote this but it came across my inbox via a listserv and am curious as to how the St. Andrew’s Draft would even figure into this? Anybody?????

#22 rwightman+ “THAT would throw the CoE into the centre of this “perfect storm”
We don’t want to be in the centre of this “perfect storm”.  We are quite happy sitting on the sidelines thank you very much.

We will have to see.

How long will it take for Episcopal Life to put their report together? Monday is a work day. Yes?

Their POV will be the first hint of the official response from TEC.

#22: Thanks for the correct grammar.  I was going to do that if you hadn’t!

Response to #22 rwightman+

“My son, despise not the chastening of the LORD; neither be weary of his correction” Proverbs 3:11 KJV

Now that it appears we are finally part of a global Anglican Church that values Scriptural Truth for a change, we gratefully accept your correction to our grammatically incorrect Latin.  Praise God!

Dear Pageantmaster, I regret to say that the perfect storm is approaching the English shore as we speak.  There will be the meeting in London on Tuesday, as a follow-up to the Jerusalem conference, and Friday, I think, your Synod begins, at which, if the evangelicals don’t rise up in defense of their catholic brethren (and some of their own), the CofE could be shattered, and this right before Lambeth!

This is an open question to anyone who may have an insight.  Were/are there any indications on whether the Primates council will allow a home for Anglo-Catholicism or whether we will have to take a separate read from the Anglo-Protestant leadership?

“read” = “road”

Iker was there, and you don’t get a lot more Anglo-Catholic without dropping the “Anglo” part.  As far as I know he and others expect to be full participants.

I only wish the Africans would show up [at Lambeth] in “shock and awe” force

But imagine the box in which Canterbury would right now be encased if only conservatives had decided not to attend.  GAFCON sidelines the AoC.  The ACC is hopelessly compromised as a tool of the religious left.  And RW has already undermined the authority of the Primates meeting by his actions over the last year.  If Lambeth had been delegitimized, RW would be left without voice to respond.

As it stands, I would not be surprised to see plans for Lambeth “slightly modified.”  RW needs a friendly credible Communion voice to reject the organizational plans of GAFCON in hopes of killing the infant in the crib. 

carl

“The Lambeth Conference was purposely set up to keep it from making broad public statements.  SO, it has muzzled itself on what God just did in Jerusalem.  Hoist with their own petard, indeed. “

More like gagged by their own vomit.

Marie

A prayer for the primates’ council is here.

Does anyone have an idea how the GAFCON statment will affect churches lik the REC in the US? Will these churches be considered in communion? What will there relationship be?

#35- It would seem that at the very least, both parties being agreeable, the REC would share at least the same degree of Communion with the “Gafcon primates” as the ELCA does with TEC.

Point of information:Is correct Latin grammar the stigmatum of the Anglo-Catholic or do all Anglicans rejoice in good grammar?

#35 and #36,

The REC has for several years now been in “Covenant Communion” with Nigeria and is also a member of the “Common Cause Partnership.  In the last paragraph of the section, “Primates’ Council” of the “Statement on the Global Anglican Future”, this is specifically addressed where it says, “In particular, we believe the time is now ripe for the formation of a province in North America for the federation currnetly known as Common Cause Partnership to be recognized by the Prmates’ Council.”

I think this says, “Look out, ++Cantuar! We are recognizing a new province of the Anglican Communion, whether you do or not.  As I told my congregation this morning, this will have little effect on us in the REC at the local level, because we already use the 1662 BCP, subscribe to the 39 Articles of Religion, and ordain clergy according to the 1662 Ordinal.

It would appear that the CCP is likely to receive formal recognition as a Province in the near future.  However, I don’t think it is likely that the bishops of the REC will be receiving invitations to Lambeth next week. BTW, There were five REC Bishops at GAFCon.

Blessings,  M

Is correct Latin grammar the stigmatum of the Anglo-Catholic or do all Anglicans rejoice in good grammar?

While I can’t really say (since I’m both a Latin grammarian and an Anglo-Catholic). But I would certainly hope given the traditional Anglican desire for propriety that all who use Latin would endevour to use it correctly.  Incidentally, the correct singular of stigmata is stigma (from the Greek) rather than the more regular stigmatum.

Pax Christi vobisum,

#2, David…..AMEN and….AMEN!! Thanks be to GOD!!
A new dawn for Anglicans, but still much work to be done for our Lord.

This may seem like an asinine question, but I’m very curious, so I’ll pose it.

Since the Primates’ Council will be recognizing a new province here in North America, what will the ecclesial body be called?  I’ve noted that the current website of the Common Cause Partnership has nothing to do with common cause, but is instead unitedanglicans.org.

Will our proviciam be the United Anglican Church of North America?  Just the United Anglican Church?

Does someone “in the know” have a better idea?

Thanks a million Eluchil.  My wife taught Latin sixteen years in a classical school and majored in four languages.  The few Latin courses I was able to take (thanks to the RCC parents in HS who hired the teacher) I treasure as the best in my education.  Every school should offer and requie Latin regardless of what field to be entered.  Alas, most of my Latin has faded deep into my brain and only occassionally surfaces.  Sitting on a plane with a legate from the Vatican, I said to pass on my observation that they had made a mistake leaving Latin.  Shortly after that I noticed the Pope was promoting Latin!  Down here in the NASCAR Provence, we often slip into a lingula vulgar Latin or some just go to the “unknown tongue” that no one understands.  Pox on your enemies.  PM, not a slave to spell check.

Dear PM, it looks as though Katherine makes a few valid points, don’t you think, you blogging sideliner.  Judging from Parliament, it doesn’t appear that the CoE will squabble entirely with decorum.

“One really minor question. Am I wrong to feel that the language about overcoming colonial structures sits slightly uneasily with the emphasis on the the Reformation/39 Articles/BCP/Ordinal. One might think that the Reformation (and Counter reformation) splits were exported to non European churches precisely as an expression of colonial structures. So there’s a sense in which far from overcoming colonial structures emphasizing the 39 Articles (etc.) reproduces them?”  driver8 [#10]

I don’t think driver’s point is completely answered by tjmcmahon’s remarks [#15].  Attendees at GAFCON have thankfully chosen to stay and fight for the Anglican Communion.  Yet merely through the course of history, the colonial Anglicanism that reached the shores of many states in previous centuries was closer to the Reformation/Counter reformation divide.  So all fruit of that divide was younger and more likely to be more closely nurtured by its respective mother church, including the 39 Articles and the colonial, missionary CoE.  A new day for Anglicanism is a new day for Anglicanism.  That would mean all colonial vestiges should be very carefully examined and weighed against Anglicanism’s future, at some and increasing distance from the colonial period.

#43 Dear Seen-Too-Much
It’s a point I have made a number of times but the CofE has never been through the heterodox theological makeover that TEC has embraced.  We do have our liberals; those who approve SSU’s and wish to bless them, those who wish to have women bishops but I would be surprised if many of them including some who post here did not have on other matters a surprisingly orthodox theology, accepting the divinity of Christ, his physical resurrection from the cross and His saving grace.  Most of us recite the creeds with conviction.

So I am not convinced that there is the pressure or need for new structures here, or at least I would have said that until recently.

However people here are getting very hot under the collar about the disgraceful behaviour of TEC and the persecution of conservatives, the [what looks like TEC supporter inspired] St Barts gay wedding which has reduced the tolerance level, and the ABC’s failure to show a lead.  The latest, which may have brought division here is the unaccountable decision of our HOB to bring a recommendation of women bishops without proper protection of dissenters before Synod.  Up until now, much effort has been put into listening carefully to each other and caring for those who disagree.  We may be seeing a liberal putsch - and the likely effect of this will be to import the poisonous discord brought to the Communion by TEC.  I pray not.  As with our church affairs discourse is likely to continue to be courteous.

Given what I said above I think that the Jerusalem principles good as a statement of theological doctrine, which most of the CofE would sign up to, including I suspect the ABC [although he may have issues with the ecclesiology expressed].  Jerusalem has just restated the theology of the traditional Anglican formularies, nothing radical and I thought stated them well. Something which the church high and low, broad and whatever should welcome in my view.  They state a basic theology, not exclusive of anglo-catholic practice which seems to be a concern of many here.

Colonialism - bit of a buzz word in Africa isn’t it - most of us have forgotten about the Empire.  The Cross followed the flag, and sometimes led it.

Blessings.

On the 1662 BCP:  I think it is safe to say that everyone will not just suddenly drop their current liturgies and adopt a by-the-book 1662 service.  This would be as much of a problem for the thriving evangelical parishes I’ve been is as it would be for the Anglo-Catholics.  Many of the evangelical parishes I’ve seen (particularly St Philips in Pittsburgh, All Saints in Dale City, Falls Church in VA) use Rite II and modern worship styles as their prime means of worship.  Fall Church does a variation on a Rite II Morning Prayer service that you’d be hard pressed to call a liturgy, and is nearly identical to the Baptist services I grew up with.  Not that I’m complaining.  It seems to work.  But it will be very interesting in to see how the liturgy issues get resolved.

Even I, a big fan of the 1662, would find an unremitting diet of its services in the complete original form, agony.