From allafrica.com via VirtueOnline:
by Esther Namugoji
New Vision (Kampala)
http://allafrica.com/stories/200809150040.html
September 13, 2008
KAMPALA--The split between conservative and the liberal Anglican provinces torn over the place of homosexuality in the church appears to be official.
The Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans (FCA) has been formed, following the first meeting of the Global Anglican Future Conference (GAFCON) Primates Council in London. A secretariat was also created by the conservative primates who met from August 20-22.
According to a press release issued on August 29, 2008, the council will be assisted by an advisory board to 'authenticate and recognise confessing Anglican jurisdictions, clergy and congregations and to encourage all Anglicans to promote the gospel and defend the faith'.
"We believe that the Jerusalem Declaration provides for a viable way of helping to deal with the crisis in the Anglican Communion brought about through the disobedience to Scripture by some in North America and elsewhere," said the statement.
The council notes that there have been irreversible changes in the Anglican Church, such as the sanctification of sinful practices, the fact that churches affected by this disobedience have withdrawn from the main communion, yet they wish to remain authentic Anglicans and the widespread broken sacramental communion amongst Anglicans globally. It concludes that it is an illusion to hope for a return to the state of affairs before 2003 when the American Anglican church ordained a gay bishop.
It calls upon individuals, churches, dioceses, provinces and para-church organisations worldwide who assent to the Jerusalem Declaration to join the Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans. Priority will be given to the possible formation of a province in North America which has particularly been affected by schisms, with bishops, clergy and entire congregations that do not want to be under the US Episcopal Church any longer.
"For the sake of the Anglican Communion this is an effort to bring order out of the chaos of the present time and to make sure as far as possible that some of the most faithful Anglican Christians are not lost to the Communion."
Responding to the Archbishop of Canterbury's concluding Presidential Address at Lambeth 2008 Conference, the GAFCON primates noted that no decision was made regarding the future of the Communion and accused some of using the strategy of delay to weary those calling for reform.
While expressing dissatisfaction with the renewed calls for a stop to the blessing of same sex unions or ordination of gay clergy, it was noted that such calls have been ignored in the past, especially by some North American Bishops. The primates' council also snubbed Lambeth's proposal of a Pastoral Forum for churches in the US that want to be under another jurisdiction, noting that it has never been discussed with those actually affected.
"We warmly appreciate the good words which they have written about GAFCON and look forward to co-operation with them in the future as we ourselves try to avoid (the Anglican Communion) collapse and renew the Communion," said the communiqué signed by the primates of Nigeria, The Southern Cone, Rwanda, Tanzania, Kenya and of Uganda.
END
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