At an event hosted by GAFCON Australia today here in Sydney, Archbishop Foley Beach (Primate of the ACNA and now chair of the GAFCON Primates Council) reaffirmed that they will be turning down Archbishop of Canterbury’s invitation to attend the 2020 Lambeth Conference.
Beach answered a query I asked directly in the Q&A session of the meeting. You can see his full response below:
Beach observed that he received his letter of invitation from Welby on the same day that GAFCON were “insulted” in a press release that came from Welby’s office.
The GAFCON Primates consulted on the matter during their meeting this past week in Sydney and have written in response to Welby. While the contents of that letter have not been made public, I understand that they have made it very clear that the presence of those who participate in the consecration as bishops of actively partnered homosexuals, let alone the presence of those specific bishops, is in clear contravention of Resolution 1.10 Lambeth 98 and repeated calls for discipline from the Primates.
Beach also noted that Welby has sought to persuade conservatives to attend Lambeth by claiming that Resolution 1.10 will be reopened for debate and that if they do not attend, they may lose the vote. He went on to observe that continuous attendance at other meetings had simply failed to achieve anything and that “we’ve found that our voice is louder when we don’t attend certain events so we’re not manipulated from within them”.
Speaking to the matter a little later in the meeting, Archbishop Glenn Davies of Sydney pointed out that it was “incongruous” to not invite the spouses of those gay bishops when the bishops themselves were the issue. On the question of whether they would attend Lambeth he said “we’re going to remain firm”.
Archbishop Davies also told the meeting that the Primates had recognised an extra-Provincial diocese in New Zealand and their first bishop would be consecrated later this year, probably at an October event in Christchurch with Archbishops Davies & Beach and others in attendance.
It was a very encouraging morning, listening to the addresses and questions and answers. The three main speakers were very impressive and as a layman I’m glad much of the communion is in good hands.
I completely agree.
I still find it particularly revolting that ++Welby agreed to address and grant the concerns of Global South attendees at prior gatherings, only to deliver an about face in a press conference after Global South bishops had boarded their planes to go home. The ABC and his backers speak with forked tongues.
Sad, because we Christians love reconciliation and unity in the Body of Christ.
But right to take a stand for our Lord and His Gospel of Salvation.
The unity Archbishop Welby seeks is an earthly, carnal, unrepentant and rebellious unity.
True unity submits itself to the Creator God, the uncaused First Cause.
True unity bows the knee to the Son of God and His words of wisdom and life.
True unity does not seek to interpret or twist them for its own purposes; but recognises that all Truth and Judgment and Compassion lies with Him.
To seek to please the unregenerate, the rebellious, the mocking and the unrepentant is to sin against Almighty God.
So well done Gafcon!
I pray that you will keep your eyes fastened on our Lord and Saviour, and will resist the temptation to seek recognition or position, and focus on being worthy servants of the living God..
Very glad that GAFCON has taken the stand to expose itself for the non-inclusive, judgmental organization it truly is. While reveling in plural marriage, adultery, rape of young girls, female circumcision, murder of LGBT persons, they get very judgmental at sitting at the same table with “homosexuals.” Enough of you already.
always worked well in short term- long term always a disaster
It was a kind of gobbledygook compound question. As for the answer, how about observing the admonition “Let your yes be yes, your no, no”? Or: “No, we will no longer have anything to do with Canterbury”? Instead, it sounds like they want to keep arguing futilely, or make a point for the sake of making a point.
[…] the political manoeuvrings in Canadaprior to its General Synod this summer, or at the international level in anticipation of Lambeth 2020. What is new, however, are signs of lost confidence […]