The Ven George Davison, Archdeacon of Belfast, has been elected Bishop of Connor.
Mr Davison was appointed by the Episcopal Electoral College for the Diocese of Connor, meeting in the Alexander Synod Hall, Armagh. He succeeds the Rt Rev Alan Abernethy who retired in December.
The Bishop-elect is currently rector of St Nicholas Parish Church, Carrickfergus, in the Diocese of Connor, and Archdeacon of Belfast. He is an Honorary Secretary of the Church of Ireland’s General Synod, and was previously Archdeacon of Kilmore and rector of Kinawley, in the Diocese of Kilmore, Elphin and Ardagh.
The Rt Rev Patrick Rooke, President of the Electoral College and Bishop of Tuam, Killala and Achonry, said: ‘I congratulate Archdeacon George Davison on his election as Bishop of Connor. I am confident that he will be a popular choice and a wise and caring leader in a diocese he knows well.
“I look forward to working alongside him in the wider Church and wish him well as he prepares for this new phase of ministry.’
Bishop-elect Davison said: “The members of the Electoral College for the Diocese of Connor have done me a great honour in electing me to serve as the next bishop of the diocese.
“I am very conscious of the great responsibility that is being entrusted to me. I am immensely thankful for the gifted colleagues who serve the Church in Connor Diocese and look forward to serving with them as we seek to share the Good News of Jesus Christ in the years ahead.”
Following approval by the House of Bishops, the bishop-elect will be consecrated as a bishop on a date to be determined.
Great News. Al the Diocese in Ulster have evangelical bishops and most if not all are supportive (in varying degrees) of GAFCON Ireland
Let us hope their first commitment is to the preaching of Jesus Christ, and him crucified, their second to serving the local church under their care, their 3rd to the Church of Ireland. Please God, let GAFCON be well down their list of priorities.
You are mistaken. We hope GAFCON and fidelity to orthodoxy will be at top of their priorities, that more Church of Ireland bishops and clergy will sign the Jerusalem Declaration and GAFCON, that a new, more conservative Primate will be elected, and that eventually the Church of Ireland become a true, vibrant and orthodox Anglican orthodoxy, not tolerant of heresies, like the acceptance of homosexual behaviour or abortion. Maybe one day we will see the Church of Ireland as a GAFCON province. It will be difficult not impossible. The future of the Anglican Communion lies in the GAFCON and the Global South, in orthodoxy, not in tolerance of un-Christian beliefs and heresies.
Chuck Colson famously noted (at least I think it was him) that salvation doesn’t fly in on Air Force One. I’m reasonably sure the same can be said for GAFCON. Reformation is a process; GAFCON only a tool. (In this instance +Foley’s website might be useful).
Foley Beach writes wisely that there can`t be tolerance of heretic beliefs for a Christian, nor we can pretend that they are Christians. I can also quote Archbishop Nicholas Okoh: “Contending for the Gospel cannot mean just maintaining my right to my views, but being willing to publicly challenge church leaders who contradict the Gospel and establish the need to maintain apostolic boundaries. Outright false teaching, such as is championed by TEC (The Episcopal Church), the ACoC (Anglican Church of Cananda), and the SEC (Scottish Episcopal Church) can actually have a galvanizing effect on the body of Christ. For us it has served to awaken the sleeping giant of orthodox Anglicanism around the world./ But “good disagreement” is like a slow acting solvent which gradually dissolves the convictions of the orthodox, while all the time they still think that they hold to the apostolic faith. We must be ready to challenge the denial of the Gospel wherever it is manifested in word or deed./ The Biblical Gospel is God’s initiative. It is by definition not something we can work out for ourselves. Selective reading and application of Gospel imperatives to suit any generation is unacceptable. According to Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen, “The Church never suits the particular mood of any age, because it was made for all ages. A Catholic knows that if the Church married the mood of any age in which it lived, it would be a widow in the next age.”/ However, the most insidious aspect is not the appearance of those who defiantly reject the Word of God, but the tendency of orthodox believers in such churches to continue in fellowship with them. By doing so, they speak by their actions and a watching world naturally concludes that if they can live with such contradictions, then they are not orthodox.”
I hope you are right. In the Republic of Ireland the Church of Ireland has three heretic bishops, all pro-homosexuality and at least one of them pro-abortion. They have at least a GAFCON bishop, Ferran Glenfield. The fact that the Church of Ireland tends to be soft on abortion I don`t think that makes it a viable alternative for social conservative Roman Catholics who want to leave their church.
Thomas, why is important to name Bishop Glenfield and not name the ‘heretics’. It seems calling them out would be far more important. Neither was I aware the church had taken a ‘soft stance on abortion’ or that it was hoping to be a landing spot for disaffected Roman priests (not that it could not benefit from them).
The heretic bishops are Paul Colton, Michael Burrows (pro-abortion too) and Pat Storey. The Church of Ireland took a “neutral” stance in the campaign against the repeal of the 8th Amendment, unlike the Roman Catholic Church and the Presbyterian Church of Ireland, so I can say that they aren`t that much pro-life as these other denominations. I meant that with all the scandals involving sex abuse of minors, many disaffected Roman Catholics could contemplate affiliation in the Church of Ireland, but I doubt it appeals a lot to them.
In retrospect, I should have said “(and I’m not asking you to)”. My point was really more about identifying one bishop in a polemic and not the others when none really needed to named. My heartfelt apologies to these bishops for stoking this flame and causing their names to be mentioned here.
I see. You`re on the same level as them, supporting homosexuality and disowning Lambeth 1.10 1998. So, you`re in good company to be an anathema to the Christian faith like they are. We hope that the conservatives will be able to take full control of the Church of Ireland and no more heretic bishops will take office.
Wow brother. What a broadside. You extrapolate a lot from a few lines merely asking for a little charity. Hopefully, if you tie my posts together across this and otjer sites the picture will be of someone whose interest is in building up the Church in truth and love (which requires a little pushing back now and then when people, in offices high and low, neglect Christ for special agendas. I may not be very good at it yet but commenting is enjoyable (and hopefully generally helpful). Peace be with you.
Excuse me, but I am not a “brother” of heretics. Since St. Paul we know about wolves in sheeps clothings, who talk about “love” and support aberrant sexuality and abortion. This is not the way to be a Christian.
Unfortunately Thomas, or maybe thankfully, like in any family we don’t get to choose our siblings.