The GAFCON Primates Council — other candidates?

This was posted on Lent and Beyond on July 2, right after the Jerusalem Declaration was issued.  The rest of the post lists other possible Primates and the comments are also interesting. 

Nzimbi has stated his current position in today’s news: “Anglican Archbishop Benjamin Nzimbi of Kenya has said churches in Africa and the Global South will not stop setting up parallel church structures in the United States, despite a call at a gathering of Anglican bishops from all over the world for a halt to such “cross border interventions.”
“We won’t stop going to America to preach the Gospel. We are going to preach the Gospel. We are going to tell the good news to the people,” Nzimbi said in Nairobi on July 30 while addressing journalists before being installed as the president of Church Army Africa, a society of Anglican evangelists.”

There was some reluctance and regret on the part of +Mouneer Anis to open up the fellowship of the Global South to North Americans, to lose their benefical fellowship and unity, when he wrote his letter to decline the GAFCON conference.

However, it may be that he and others who did not attend GAFCON have since seen the rabid aggression of TEC’s agenda at Lambeth bringing ‘gay’ Africans and deposed African bishops to Lambeth to ‘tell their stories’ and have heard of the Archbishop of Sudan’s experiences with the US agendites and his subsequent denouncement.

All this may have convinced the Global South that the ‘Northern and US’ issues have already targeted them and invaded their territories and cannot be ignored. 

This is a global war, Shori has seen to that.  It will need a unified global initiative. 

This will not come from Lambeth if the ABC’s 2nd address is any indication.

Correction, that was a single, not plural deposed African bishop.

Are there other Primates we should be praying for who will likely embrace the idea of the GAFCON Primates Council? I hope and pray so.

Hi all,
Was offline much of yesterday and only just now realized that Sarah linked this L&B;post. 

As GA/FL noted in comment #2 above, I wrote this post over a month ago following GAFCON.  I’m not aware that any of the other GS Primates have specifically addressed the possibility of joining the GAFCON Primates Council, or even said much at all about GAFCON.  So, I’ve not got a lot of hard facts on which to provide any kind of update.  But here are my “gut” thoughts at this point in Lambeth:

1.  I still believe it HIGHLY likely that +Valentino Mokiwa and +Mouneer Anis will sign on.  (+Mokiwa may actually already now be officially included, I think I remember seeing something about a Tanzanian vote re: GAFCON just before Lambeth).

2.  Based on his incredibly bold stand at Lambeth, Sudanese Abp. Daniel Deng Bul might be quite sympathetic to GAFCON.  My only hesitation is that with the Sudan in crisis, +Deng may choose to focus his energies on his own Province’s needs, which certainly would be understandable.

3.  I’m less optimistic than I was about +Ian Ernest and +John Chew because of the roles they’ve been given by Canterbury (+Ernest was on the Lambeth Design Commission, +Chew is on the Windsor Continuation Group).  Sadly, I think such institutional support roles will limit their freedom of action to join GAFCON.  I still think for the long-term success of GAFCON that it is important to get somewhat more Com-Con minded orthodox Primates like +Chew or +Gomez on board.  It’s not looking so likely however.

4. I’ve heard/read NOTHING at all recently of several other orthodox African Primates such as Bernard Ntahoturi of Burundi or Fidele Dirokpa of Congo.  So, it is impossible to guage their support of GAFCON.

5.  Likewise I’ve heard read NOTHING about any of the following probably-orthodox Primates at Lambeth.  I’ve not done exhaustive searches, however.  If anyone has seen commentary by / about the following Primates, please let me know!

Bangladesh: new primate Sishir Sarkar

Myanmar (Burma): Stephen Than Myint Oo (elected Jan 2008, has ties to Network & Common Cause)

Pakistan: Alexander John Malik

Papua New Guinea: James Simon Ayong

Philippines: Ignacio Soliba

South India: new Primate John Wilson Gladstone

Ugh, maybe I’m reacting too strongly, but in reading the comments by Abp. Ian Ernest this afternoon (July 31) as reported by Matt in his Liveblog,
http://www.standfirminfaith.com/index.php/site/article/14979/

I’d have to say that the odds on +Ernest taking any kind of pro-GAFCON stand just got a lot longer.  He is sounding really mushy.  I’m saddened by this, and hope I’m overreacting:

++Ian Ernest: We have been given a process by the Archbishop that enables us each to have a voice. At the opening session I did my speaking in French, and invited all the bishops to be a part to the process that the ABC has been inviting us to participate in. I have to say that we have been able to form friendships from each end of the spectrum and to do it. It is has been challenging and exciting. We have been able to express our views openly and honestly and listen carefully and attentively to bishops in other contexts. I remember having spoken passionately about my convictions and then another bishop stood up and told about his convictions passionately and then we held hands and said that we have to take this journey together

The conversation cannot stop. It must continue

But we have also widened the scope of debate. We are talking about polygamy and sexual abuse and promiscuity, the whole scope of human sexuality has to be integrated. We must be able to act in generosity toward one another. I remember that in my own indaba group a bishop was rejected in his group 10 years ago but today we are able to live with one another and to shed tears together knowing that we have different ways and different understandings, but the AC allows us to take out from under the table an issue and engage in it. Even with my own African colleagues we are listening to each other. I hope this Lambeth Conference will give us opportunities for being a group together and loving one another for the love of God given on the cross.

Ugh, indeed. And what *is* it with all the French? We’ve got animateurs and I forget what else. Maybe we need agents provacateurs.

Oscewicee—+Ernest is Chairman of the Anglican Francophone Network, so his addressing the group in French makes sense.  But I don’t see why he makes such a big deal of it in his press conference remarks or what that has to do with anything in terms of conflict resolution.

See this about the Francophone Network.  They issued a statement saying “unity is of “primordial” importance”.  Ugh again.

http://www.episcopalchurch.org/79901_98795_ENG_HTM.htm

Ugh again, but thanks for the explanation. Apparently French is alarmingly dear to +Ernest’s heart for it to make it into the press conference.

Karen B., The speech in French by Abp. Ian Ernest have nothing to do with resolving conflict. This emission is in aid of getting funding to undermine the African Anglican leadership. They are planning on using the funding they seek from the communion, to number one, train those who will invade the territor of African Anglican leaders of GAFCon, in an attempt to co-opt the leadership, according to the dictates of his “faith”, in his fellow revisionists in Canada, the US and in the UK, and elsewhere. They will fund “activism” for training replacement priests and bishops, to be revisionist indoctrinators in African nations. To translate all documents from African Anglican dioceses so as to moniter what is said, as well as to translate revisionist propaganda to easily deceminate it in those countries.

They seek to undermine the status of the current African Anglican leaders, by the establishment of a microcredit (though they don’t specificy what the parameters of this will be) program, that will of course have strings attached to those who seek to use those funding programs, I’m sure I don’t have to go into detail.

And of course to work with “partners” who will exploit the suffering of poor women in those countries, so as to create a continuation of their attempt to discredit the GAFCon leaders, as was started yesterday by Roskam and her masters.

It looks as if Lambeth 2008 has stopped GAFCON’s momentum.  Even ++Venables has been quoted on more than one occasion expressing concern about walking apart.

You said it Mari,#10. 

This is increasingly a global war and a spiritual warfare as well as unified comprehensive strategy of the orthodox is what is needed to call down and refute their leadership, their propaganda of accusations and lies. 

We must be accountable among ourselves, be careful, penitent, to clean up our own acts and be sure we are all working for the glory of Jesus Christ and the Gospel of His Kingdom. 

This will need clear, courageous voices,

#11 - GAFCON has said it is working within, not walking apart.  The extra structures are primarily for protection and encouragement and don’t have to be permanent when (hopefully) repentance comes to the Global West/North - INCLUDING - Canterbury/CoE.
These are unusual times when the governing bodies HAVE BEEN RUTHLESSLY SIDETRACKED AND CORRUPTED and other systems for safe-guarding the faith and the faithful are mandated. 
SHAME UPON ROWAN WILLIAMS AND THE REST OF THEM.

#13, point taken.  However, by staying away from Lambeth (when Iker, Venables, Sudan and so many others went), GAFCON appeared unwilling to work within.  Instead of being a ginger group within the Communion, it presented as a breakaway faction.  This reduces its Communion wide appeal.

badman- All of the Gafcon primates were on record years ago that unless Rowan kept his word and excluded those who consecrated VGR AND those who were allowing SSBs in their dioceses, they would not come to Lambeth.  These Primates were supported in this (in some cases, required to do this) by unanimous or near unanimous votes of their HoBs or Synods.  SO, to come to Lambeth would have been to break their own word.  TEC violated its communion relationship with all these provinces, therefore they would not be able to even participate in Eucharists that included any TEC member considered out of communion as one of the celebrants or eucharistic ministers.  Arguably, they could not receive communion in a Eucharist ATTENDED by certain TEC bishops.
Had Rowan kept his word, enforced Windsor, or even enforced Dar, the bishops would all be at Lambeth.  +Rowan CHOSE to have ALL of TEC there, less VGR, and CHOSE not to have the GS bishops.
We have to be careful not to buy into the TEC spin.

+Rowan CHOSE to have ALL of TEC there, less VGR, and CHOSE not to have the GS bishops.

We definitely need to keep this fact in focus.

#14, By their actions, the ABC/TEC/Acoc/etc are extra-orthodox, unfaithful, unholy - they have put themselves out of communion with orthodox believers. 

Many of the GAFCON movement and all of the Global South are still in the AC in a (now-necessarily guarded and watchful) organizational sense, but are ‘out of Eucharistic fellowship-communion’ because of the unrepentance of the apostates until they repent and change. 

Many parishes and one (so far) dioceses have removed themselves to a safe place under an orthodox authority due to necessity.  There was no other choice. 

All other avenues of remedy (patient dialogue and listening) and help (appeals to the IoU) were given trials of decades and there was no other way and you know it.

The West/North provinces have given away their birthright for dung, decadence, deception and unholiness and you know darned well know it. 

Quit the silliness and denial.

As Oscewicee says, the ABC shaped his garden party.  He was warned that many would not attend unless he played this thing fair and square.  He chose to be cunningly obdurant and deceptive and more subtle than a serpent, to side-rail all the instruments of justice and unity. 

He has made his bed with evil.  He has exercised false love, false compassion, has deceived and hated and sentenced immortal souls to continue in evil, destruction and death.
 
My prayers and blessings are with any and every courageous and truthful godly offensive and defensive measures.  But quit casting aspersions against those who are faithful to the Gospel and direct your anger and correction where it is deserved.