3 October 2015 A.D. GAFCON Final Statement (Dated 29 Jun 2008)
3 October 2015 A.D. GAFCON Final
Statement (Dated 29 Jun 2008)
Editors. “GAFCON
Final Statement.” GAFCON. 29 Jun
2008. http://gafcon.org/news/gafcon_final_statement/.
Accessed 3 Oct 2015.
GAFCON Final Statement
STATEMENT ON THE GLOBAL
ANGLICAN FUTURE
Praise the LORD!
It is good to sing praises to our God; for he is gracious, and a song of praise is fitting.
The LORD builds up Jerusalem; he gathers the outcasts of Israel. (Psalm 147:1-2)
It is good to sing praises to our God; for he is gracious, and a song of praise is fitting.
The LORD builds up Jerusalem; he gathers the outcasts of Israel. (Psalm 147:1-2)
Brothers and Sisters in Christ: We, the
participants in the Global Anglican Future Conference, send you greetings from
Jerusalem!
Introduction
The Global Anglican Future Conference (GAFCON),
which was held in Jerusalem from 22-29 June 2008, is a spiritual movement to
preserve and promote the truth and power of the gospel of salvation in Jesus
Christ as we Anglicans have received it. The movement is global: it has
mobilised Anglicans from around the world. We are Anglican: 1148 lay and clergy
participants, including 291 bishops representing millions of faithful Anglican
Christians. We cherish our Anglican heritage and the Anglican Communion and
have no intention of departing from it. And 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 (Matthew 28:18-20; Ephesians 2:20).
GAFCON is not just a moment in time, but a movement
in the Spirit, and we hereby:
* launch the GAFCON movement as a fellowship
of confessing Anglicans
* publish the Jerusalem Declaration as the basis of the fellowship
* encourage GAFCON Primates to form a Council.
* publish the Jerusalem Declaration as the basis of the fellowship
* encourage GAFCON Primates to form a Council.
The Global Anglican
Context
The future of the Anglican Communion is but a piece
of the wider scenario of opportunities and challenges for the gospel in 21st
century global culture. We rejoice in the way God has opened doors for gospel
mission among many peoples, but we grieve for the spiritual decline in the most
economically developed nations, where the forces of militant secularism and
pluralism are eating away the fabric of society and churches are compromised
and enfeebled in their witness. The vacuum left by them is readily filled by
other faiths and deceptive cults. To meet these challenges will require Christians
to work together to understand and oppose these forces and to liberate those
under their sway. It will entail the planting of new churches among unreached
peoples and also committed action to restore authentic Christianity to
compromised churches.
The Anglican Communion, present in six continents,
is well positioned to address this challenge, but currently it is divided and
distracted. The Global Anglican Future Conference emerged in response to a
crisis within the Anglican Communion, a crisis involving three undeniable facts
concerning world Anglicanism.
The first fact is the acceptance and promotion
within the provinces of the Anglican Communion of a different ‘gospel’ (cf.
Galatians 1:6-8) which is contrary to the apostolic gospel. This false gospel
undermines the authority of God’s Word written and the uniqueness of Jesus
Christ as the author of salvation from sin, death and judgement. Many of its
proponents claim that all religions offer equal access to God and that Jesus is
only a way, not the way, the truth and the life. It promotes a variety of
sexual preferences and immoral behaviour as a universal human right. It claims
God’s blessing for same-sex unions over against the biblical teaching on holy
matrimony. In 2003 this false gospel led to the consecration of a bishop living
in a homosexual relationship.
The second fact is the declaration by provincial
bodies in the Global South that they are out of communion with bishops and
churches that promote this false gospel. These declarations have resulted in a
realignment whereby faithful Anglican Christians have left existing territorial
parishes, dioceses and provinces in certain Western churches and become members
of other dioceses and provinces, all within the Anglican Communion. These
actions have also led to the appointment of new Anglican bishops set over
geographic areas already occupied by other Anglican bishops. A major
realignment has occurred and will continue to unfold.
The third fact is the manifest failure of the
Communion Instruments to exercise discipline in the face of overt heterodoxy.
The Episcopal Church USA and the Anglican Church of Canada, in proclaiming this
false gospel, have consistently defied the 1998 Lambeth statement of biblical
moral principle (Resolution 1.10). Despite numerous meetings and reports to and
from the ‘Instruments of Unity,’ no effective action has been taken, and the
bishops of these unrepentant churches are welcomed to Lambeth 2008. To make
matters worse, there has been a failure to honour promises of discipline, the
authority of the Primates’ Meeting has been undermined and the Lambeth
Conference has been structured so as to avoid any hard decisions. We can only
come to the devastating conclusion that ‘we are a global Communion with a
colonial structure’.
Sadly, this crisis has torn the fabric of the
Communion in such a way that it cannot simply be patched back together. At the
same time, it has brought together many Anglicans across the globe into
personal and pastoral relationships in a fellowship which is faithful to
biblical teaching, more representative of the demographic distribution of
global Anglicanism today and stronger as an instrument of effective mission,
ministry and social involvement.
A Fellowship of
Confessing Anglicans
We, the participants in the Global Anglican Future
Conference, are a fellowship of confessing Anglicans for the benefit of the
Church and the furtherance of its mission. We are a fellowship of people united
in the communion (koinonia) of the one Spirit and committed to work and pray
together in the common mission of Christ. It is a confessing fellowship in that
its members confess the faith of Christ crucified, stand firm for the gospel in
the global and Anglican context, and affirm a contemporary rule, the Jerusalem
Declaration, to guide the movement for the future. We are a fellowship of
Anglicans, including provinces, dioceses, churches, missionary jurisdictions,
para-church organisations and individual Anglican Christians whose goal is to
reform, heal and revitalise the Anglican Communion and expand its mission to
the world.
Our fellowship is not breaking away from the
Anglican Communion. We, together with many other faithful Anglicans throughout
the world, believe the doctrinal foundation of Anglicanism, which defines our core
identity as Anglicans, is expressed in these words: The doctrine of the Church
is grounded in the Holy Scriptures and in such teachings of the ancient Fathers
and Councils of the Church as are agreeable to the said Scriptures. In
particular, such doctrine is to be found in the Thirty-nine Articles of
Religion, the Book of Common Prayer and the Ordinal. We intend to remain
faithful to this standard, and we call on others in the Communion to reaffirm
and return to it. While acknowledging the nature of Canterbury as an historic
see, we do not accept that Anglican identity is determined necessarily through
recognition by the Archbishop of Canterbury. Building on the above doctrinal
foundation of Anglican identity, we hereby publish the Jerusalem Declaration as
the basis of our fellowship.
The Jerusalem
Declaration
In the name of God the Father, God the Son
and God the Holy Spirit:
We, the participants in the Global Anglican
Future Conference, have met in the land of Jesus’ birth. We express our loyalty
as disciples to the King of kings, the Lord Jesus. We joyfully embrace his
command to proclaim the reality of his kingdom which he first announced in this
land. The gospel of the kingdom is the good news of salvation, liberation and
transformation for all. In light of the above, we agree to chart a way forward
together that promotes and protects the biblical gospel and mission to the
world, solemnly declaring the following tenets of orthodoxy which underpin our
Anglican identity.
1. We rejoice in the gospel of God
through which we have been saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ by the
power of the Holy Spirit. Because God first loved us, we love him and as
believers bring forth fruits of love, ongoing repentance, lively hope and
thanksgiving to God in all things.
2. We believe the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments to be the Word of God written and to contain all things necessary for salvation. The Bible is to be translated, read, preached, taught and obeyed in its plain and canonical sense, respectful of the church’s historic and consensual reading.
3. We uphold the four Ecumenical Councils and the three historic Creeds as expressing the rule of faith of the one holy catholic and apostolic Church.
4. We uphold the Thirty-nine Articles as containing the true doctrine of the Church agreeing with God’s Word and as authoritative for Anglicans today.
5. We gladly proclaim and submit to the unique and universal Lordship of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, humanity’s only Saviour from sin, judgement and hell, who lived the life we could not live and died the death that we deserve. By his atoning death and glorious resurrection, he secured the redemption of all who come to him in repentance and faith.
6. We rejoice in our Anglican sacramental and liturgical heritage as an expression of the gospel, and we uphold the 1662 Book of Common Prayer as a true and authoritative standard of worship and prayer, to be translated and locally adapted for each culture.
7. We recognise that God has called and gifted bishops, priests and deacons in historic succession to equip all the people of God for their ministry in the world. We uphold the classic Anglican Ordinal as an authoritative standard of clerical orders.
8. We acknowledge God’s creation of humankind as male and female and the unchangeable standard of Christian marriage between one man and one woman as the proper place for sexual intimacy and the basis of the family. We repent of our failures to maintain this standard and call for a renewed commitment to lifelong fidelity in marriage and abstinence for those who are not married.
9. We gladly accept the Great Commission of the risen Lord to make disciples of all nations, to seek those who do not know Christ and to baptise, teach and bring new believers to maturity.
10. We are mindful of our responsibility to be good stewards of God’s creation, to uphold and advocate justice in society, and to seek relief and empowerment of the poor and needy.
11. We are committed to the unity of all those who know and love Christ and to building authentic ecumenical relationships. We recognise the orders and jurisdiction of those Anglicans who uphold orthodox faith and practice, and we encourage them to join us in this declaration.
12. We celebrate the God-given diversity among us which enriches our global fellowship, and we acknowledge freedom in secondary matters. We pledge to work together to seek the mind of Christ on issues that divide us.
13. We reject the authority of those churches and leaders who have denied the orthodox faith in word or deed. We pray for them and call on them to repent and return to the Lord.
14. We rejoice at the prospect of Jesus’ coming again in glory, and while we await this final event of history, we praise him for the way he builds up his church through his Spirit by miraculously changing lives.
2. We believe the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments to be the Word of God written and to contain all things necessary for salvation. The Bible is to be translated, read, preached, taught and obeyed in its plain and canonical sense, respectful of the church’s historic and consensual reading.
3. We uphold the four Ecumenical Councils and the three historic Creeds as expressing the rule of faith of the one holy catholic and apostolic Church.
4. We uphold the Thirty-nine Articles as containing the true doctrine of the Church agreeing with God’s Word and as authoritative for Anglicans today.
5. We gladly proclaim and submit to the unique and universal Lordship of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, humanity’s only Saviour from sin, judgement and hell, who lived the life we could not live and died the death that we deserve. By his atoning death and glorious resurrection, he secured the redemption of all who come to him in repentance and faith.
6. We rejoice in our Anglican sacramental and liturgical heritage as an expression of the gospel, and we uphold the 1662 Book of Common Prayer as a true and authoritative standard of worship and prayer, to be translated and locally adapted for each culture.
7. We recognise that God has called and gifted bishops, priests and deacons in historic succession to equip all the people of God for their ministry in the world. We uphold the classic Anglican Ordinal as an authoritative standard of clerical orders.
8. We acknowledge God’s creation of humankind as male and female and the unchangeable standard of Christian marriage between one man and one woman as the proper place for sexual intimacy and the basis of the family. We repent of our failures to maintain this standard and call for a renewed commitment to lifelong fidelity in marriage and abstinence for those who are not married.
9. We gladly accept the Great Commission of the risen Lord to make disciples of all nations, to seek those who do not know Christ and to baptise, teach and bring new believers to maturity.
10. We are mindful of our responsibility to be good stewards of God’s creation, to uphold and advocate justice in society, and to seek relief and empowerment of the poor and needy.
11. We are committed to the unity of all those who know and love Christ and to building authentic ecumenical relationships. We recognise the orders and jurisdiction of those Anglicans who uphold orthodox faith and practice, and we encourage them to join us in this declaration.
12. We celebrate the God-given diversity among us which enriches our global fellowship, and we acknowledge freedom in secondary matters. We pledge to work together to seek the mind of Christ on issues that divide us.
13. We reject the authority of those churches and leaders who have denied the orthodox faith in word or deed. We pray for them and call on them to repent and return to the Lord.
14. We rejoice at the prospect of Jesus’ coming again in glory, and while we await this final event of history, we praise him for the way he builds up his church through his Spirit by miraculously changing lives.
The Road Ahead
We believe the Holy Spirit has led us during this
week in Jerusalem to begin a new work. There are many important decisions for
the development of this fellowship which will take more time, prayer and
deliberation. Among other matters, we shall seek to expand participation in
this fellowship beyond those who have come to Jerusalem, including cooperation
with the Global South and the Council of Anglican Provinces in Africa. We can,
however, discern certain milestones on the road ahead.
Primates’ Council
We, the participants in the Global Anglican Future
Conference, do hereby acknowledge the participating Primates of GAFCON who have
called us together, and encourage them to form the initial Council of the
GAFCON movement. We look forward to the enlargement of the Council and entreat
the Primates to organise and expand the fellowship of confessing Anglicans.
We urge the Primates’ Council to authenticate and
recognise confessing Anglican jurisdictions, clergy and congregations and to
encourage all Anglicans to promote the gospel and defend the faith.
We recognise the desirability of territorial
jurisdiction for provinces and dioceses of the Anglican Communion, except in
those areas where churches and leaders are denying the orthodox faith or are
preventing its spread, and in a few areas for which overlapping jurisdictions
are beneficial for historical or cultural reasons.
We thank God for the courageous actions of those
Primates and provinces who have offered orthodox oversight to churches under
false leadership, especially in North and South America. The actions of these
Primates have been a positive response to pastoral necessities and mission opportunities.
We believe that such actions will continue to be necessary and we support them
in offering help around the world.
We believe this is a critical moment when the
Primates’ Council will need to put in place structures to lead and support the
church. In particular, we believe the time is now ripe for the formation of a
province in North America for the federation currently known as Common Cause
Partnership to be recognised by the Primates’ Council.
Conclusion: Message from
Jerusalem
We, the participants in the Global Anglican Future
Conference, were summoned by the Primates’ leadership team to Jerusalem in June
2008 to deliberate on the crisis that has divided the Anglican Communion for
the past decade and to seek direction for the future. We have visited holy
sites, prayed together, listened to God’s Word preached and expounded, learned
from various speakers and teachers, and shared our thoughts and hopes with each
other.
The meeting in Jerusalem this week was called in a
sense of urgency that a false gospel has so paralysed the Anglican Communion
that this crisis must be addressed. The chief threat of this dispute involves
the compromising of the integrity of the church’s worldwide mission. The
primary reason we have come to Jerusalem and issued this declaration is to free
our churches to give clear and certain witness to Jesus Christ.
It is our hope that this Statement on the Global
Anglican Future will be received with comfort and joy by many Anglicans around
the world who have been distressed about the direction of the Communion. We
believe the Anglican Communion should and will be reformed around the biblical
gospel and mandate to go into all the world and present Christ to the nations.
Jerusalem
Feast of St Peter and St Paul
29 June 2008
Feast of St Peter and St Paul
29 June 2008
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