We are losing the greatest generation and the values they fought and died to protect. A vicar in the CofE steps down in protest of the transgender policies of his school. Also, CANA self-destructs into fiefdoms.

6 COMMENTS

  1. Thank you for the comments on the Vicar who resigned. How sad that in England that his prospects are limited if he remains in anglicanism. Bishop Gavin is quite right in my view, and Gafcon should have taken the step of forming and growing an orthodox alternative for those anglicans who seek one.
    The Great Commission calls us to make disciples, and yet how many in the average Anglican church have had an encounter with the risen Lord, have placed him at the centre of their lives and have a living relationship with Him? Maybe 10 to 20 percent at best?
    If the church wants to grow etc then it needs to go back to the beginning and make disciples, not appease those around us.

    • Let’s leave space for the 80-90 percent to grow. There is an implication that people should become good, right, and born again before even considering entering a church.

  2. I salute the Reverend John Parker for his stand on the issue and for his unwavering testimony to the Gospel!!! What a terrible tragedy for the CoF, and especially for his unchristian, spineless, lousy bishop, to lose such a man of God! I am so angry: screw the CoE and screw the bishop of his diocese. ???

    I wholeheartedly agree with Bishop Gavin that GAFCON has failed to remove itself from the ”Anglican Communion” and be the orthodox Anglican testimony its called to be just now. With every blemming networks it claims to has established for the cause of the Gospel, if all the claims it makes for itself to represent 75% faithful Anglicans of the world, surely, at this point time of its movement, it must have a place where those like the Revd Parker must be able to bank on when the ABC, his school and the bishop are out to persecute him for his faith and testimony.

    GAFCON’s leadership under the godly headship of Archbishop Foley — to use the same language Bishop Gavin had used — I wish that GAFCON would surgically remove itself from the cancer of the Anglican Communion to becoming the communion it’s claiming to be.

    Personally, I have invested a heck of lot on GAFCON to be the Promised Land for the faithful and Orthodox Anglicans of the world. I see it as a land out side the Anglican Communion under the ABC and pray would reach, if not at least see ahead, before I die.

    Thank you God’s guys for another wonderful episode. You’d covered a lot, and I will comment on the other matters shortly.

    • AlphaTomega, I say yes to all that you’d said in reply to my comment. Of course, yes to the issues like that of WO etc., GAFCON must address. The crisis before us is like that of a cancer fiercely eating away the Body of Christ with vengeance.

      While the effects of this cancer spreading throughout of the Body must be entirely eradicated for its survival through chemo etc, the source must be surgically removed.

      I join in prayer alphaTomega in all these things.

  3. I think, on the question “what has Gafcon done for us lately” we need some explanation from our esteemed hosts- especially given that my #3 below would seem to indicate that one of our esteemed hosts is among the people that Gafcon charged with doing what needs doing.

    Briefly, Gafcon would appear to have made 4 attempts to provide structure for orthodox Anglicans in the British Isles- to wit-
    1) 2009- Organized the Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans UK (FCA-UK). This included several regional meetings and a major conference in London. Speakers covered the range of Anglican theology from ++Peter Jensen to +Kieth Ackerman. Included in the organizers were 3 CoE bishops- Broadhurst (at the time, Chair of Forward in Faith UK), Benn and Nazir Ali. Within months of the London event, +Nazir Ali retired (staying active in Gafcon and various mission projects in the Middle East and Asia). Broadhurst swam the Tiber the next year, and Benn retired a couple years later. Much of the “conservative” opinion in the UK (Andrew Goddard, for instance) amounted to “There is, at present, no widespread sense that this new initiative is a necessity for Anglicans to be faithful and maintain fellowship within the Church of England and with the churches of the Communion.” Or Rod Thomas at about that same time said: “Many Reform members work well with their Bishops, and they need our support not our rebuke.” He encouraged the House of Bishops to develop “English solutions” for the provision of alternative oversight for 25 congregations in the UK who are currently in impaired communion with or being denied oversight from their bishop…”

    2) 2013- Anglican Mission in England “emerges” from the FCA-UK with backing from Gafcon Primates. “In 2013 the Primates recognised the need to put AMiE on a footing able to address the rapidly growing challenges faced by orthodox Anglicans in England. To that end AMiE was placed under the care of an Executive Committee charged with planning for that future.”

    And that future is now here. What’s the plan?

    3) 2016- Gafcon-UK emerges and forms a “Panel of Reference”
    Per the story published Nov 22, 2016 by Rev. George Conger- the panel includes (included?) Rev. Gavin Ashenden (now a Rt Rev) and the Rt Rev John Fenwick, along with several prominent rectors and “usual suspects” of Christian circles in England. Gafcon UK hasn’t published anything new on its website for several months, and has a sign up saying that it is currently undergoing a reorganization of its leadership.

    4) 2017- Andy Lines appointed as missionary bishop for the UK.

    So…. Gafcon has made 3 tries and ordained a bishop and placed 2 bishops from Continuing Churches on their governing organization. 3 bishops (including Lines) and some prominent rectors should be adequate to get an alternative church up and running.

    Gafcon did not form either ACNA or the Church of Brazil- it supported them, yes, and recognized them, but they were formed by Christians committed to the Gospel and willing to take the risk of lawsuits, depositions, and public censure. It is a high cost. Gafcon cannot pay that cost for CoE members who recognize the need to leave, they have to bear that cost themselves.

    My own guess is that the formal break between the Global South (not just Gafcon) and the Church of England will come when CoE adopts gay marriage in 2023 (if I have the process right- begins in 2020 right after Lambeth at Synod but will have to go through that bizarre years long parliamentary process they have)

Comments are closed.