Evangelicals decide to stick with Anglican Communion but fight gay ordination
The Global Anglican Future Conference (GAFCON), which is closing in Jerusalem today, has approved the formation of a new global network to fight against the preaching of “false gospels” of homosexuality and other “immoral” sexual behaviour.
But the meeting of evangelicals decided not to break away from the Anglican Communion.
“We cherish our Anglican heritage and the Anglican Communion and have no intention of departing from it, ” the group said in an agreed statement.
Adding: “We believe that, in God’s providence, Anglicanism has a bright future in obedience to our Lord’s great Commission to make disciples of all nations and to build up the church on the foundation of biblical truth.”
The group which was formed primarily in objection to the ordination of gay clergy and the decision of the American Episcopal Church to elect the openly gay Gene Robinson to the post of Bishop of New Hampshire.
Gafon claims that some in the Church “promote a variety of sexual preferences and immoral behaviour as a universal human right.”
It claims God’s blessing for same-sex unions is against the biblical teaching on holy matrimony.
“In 2003 this false gospel led to the consecration of a bishop living in a homosexual relationship.”
“There is no longer any hope, therefore, for a unified communion,” Peter Akinola, the Archbishop of Nigeria stated in his booklet, The Way, The Truth and the Life, published to coincide with the Gafcon meeting.
Last week, it was reported that the Rt Rev Michael Nazir-Ali, the Bishop of Rochester would boycott the conference held in Canterbury over issues relating to homosexuality.
At the end of May, two Anglican clergy, the Reverend Peter Cowell and the Reverend David Lord exchanged vows in a “blessing ceremony” at St Bartholomew the Great, Church of England in the City of London.
