Nazir-Ali shifts focus at GAFCON

In a much more conciliatory tone, the Rt. Rev. Dr. Michael Nazir-Ali spoke to the Global Anglican Futures Conference (GAFCON) of conservatives about the dangers of militant secularism. Stressing the importance of “translatability” of Christianity, he praised the enculturation of the Gospel while warning of the dangers of becoming one with culture. The conference seems to be shifting from one gathered around a single issue to a broader focus as it becomes apparent that the original focus is losing support.

Ruth Gledhill reporting from Jerusalem writes:

The Bishop of Rochester, Dr Michael Nazir-Ali, has just delivered a strong address to Gafcon where he managed to shift the focus of the conference from defensiveness one of a positive and combative engagement with ‘militant secularism’. He was surprisingly moderate in talking about how doctrine should develop in terms of the local culture.

From Bishop Nazir-Ali’s speech:

‘When we consider the Anglican situation, the translation of the Bible by William Tyndale into English is a landmark not only in the story of the English church but of the English nation and of the English language. It is impossible to think of a Shakespeare or a Donne without a Tyndale. And the translation the rendering into the vernacular of the liturgy of the BCP of worship in a language understood by the people is all part of this process of translation. This is wealth that we cannot easily give up. Translatability belongs to the very nature of Anglicanism. In the preface of the BCP and the Articles of Religion, every church has a responsibility to render the good news in terms of its culture.

Read more here

Matthew Davies of Episcopal Life reports “Conservative Anglicans meeting in Jerusalem struggle to find a united voice.”

Acknowledging that the conservatives at GAFCON are struggling to find their voice, Orombi recognized that “some are staying; some are tired; some are walking. It’s important for people here to define their needs.”

Archbishop Peter Akinola of Nigeria states that GAFCON is not going to break away from the Anglican Communion. “We have no other place to go, nor is it our intention to start another church,” he said.

Bishop Bruce MacPherson of the Diocese of Western Louisiana, who said he is attending GAFCON “to see how all of this will influence the work of the Lambeth Conference,” emphasized that he is committed to the Episcopal Church remaining a constituent member of the Anglican Communion.

An Episcopal priest, who asked not to be named, said he never had and never would consider leaving the Episcopal Church. “I am here for the duration,” he said, “even if I disagree with recent events that have strained relationships.”

Read more here.

UPDATE from Church Times blog on the possible outcome of GAFCON as foreseen by the Rt. Rev. Bill Atwood in the Tuesday press conference”

“It doesn’t mean that all old associations need to be terminated. It doesn’t mean that there have to be battles and break-ups and separations at every turn.

“Those voluntary associations will rise out of principles, leading to a shared purpose and vision, and ultimately they will lead to shared structural mechanisms.

“So it’s not as if there was no structural impact of what’s happening [at GAFCON] but . . . the idea is that things are emerging, and that things are being discerned, and relationships are growing and building, and as those principles are discerned, they give more and more clarity. . .

“We’ll try and provide, if you will, some points of light, that will be like stars in a constellation, that can be used to navigate the way into the future.”

So, according to Bishop Atwood, who is on the GAFCON leadership team, we might expect some principles, which will lead to what he describes as “a higher level of commitment”, and ultimately something structural. As he said on Tuesday, “It’s not that there is a constitution in the wings waiting to be posted that people can sign on or line up or not, it’s more that it has to grow out of relationships.”

It is all much vaguer than people had come to expect, and participants will want to see something that is a significant advance on what exists at the moment, especially with the Lambeth Conference coming up.

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