As evangelicals in the Church of England are asking searching questions about strategies for continued participation in the denomination, it is more important than ever that those who hold to the authority of Scripture and seek to be obedient to Christ look in informed and honest ways about the pros and cons of being Anglican.
Problems with Anglicanism?
We can begin by hearing and answering criticisms from evangelicals outside Anglicanism: that there is too much attachment to, and dependence on, inherited resources such as buildings, and central investments funding ministry salaries and pensions. Historic close association with the ruling establishment means that it is difficult to challenge contemporary values and trends of the culture. Liberal theology has taken deep root over decades, so that evangelicals are in a minority, and Anglicanism is generally believed to be broad and tolerant, able to incorporate a wide variety of viewpoints, sometimes inherently contradictory.
When the first GAFCON gathering was held in 2008 in Jerusalem, the delegates agreed that this historic conference, bringing together Bible -believing Anglicans from around the world, should not just be a moment, but a movement, wonderfully diverse, with a vision to bring together the faithful from this historic denomination to proclaim Christ to the nations.
And so the Global Anglican Future Conference, GAFCON, has been held every five years, most recently in Kigali, Rwanda, where I was privileged to attend along with around 140 others from Britain, Ireland and mainland Europe in a total gathering of 1,300. The GAFCON movement has been growing and developing since its inception. What are some of its chief characteristics which distinguish it from several of our familiar UK-based evangelical networks and mission organisations?
Hearing criticisms from evangelical non-Anglicans
As evangelicals in the Church of England are asking searching questions about strategies for continued participation in the denomination, it is more important than ever that those who hold to the authority of Scripture and seek to be obedient to Christ look in informed and honest ways about the pros and cons of being Anglican.
Problems with Anglicanism?
We can begin by hearing and answering criticisms from evangelicals outside Anglicanism: that there is too much attachment to, and dependence on, inherited resources such as buildings, and central investments funding ministry salaries and pensions. Historic close association with the ruling establishment means that it is difficult to challenge contemporary values and trends of the culture. Liberal theology has taken deep root over decades, so that evangelicals are in a minority, and Anglicanism is generally believed to be broad and tolerant, able to incorporate a wide variety of viewpoints, sometimes inherently contradictory.