The Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans (Southern Africa) was born after the GAFCON 1 meeting in Jerusalem in 2008, with the aim of standing for biblical orthodoxy. FCA has two constituent parties, members of the Church of England in South Africa (CESA) and members of the Anglican Church of Southern Africa (ACSA).
Among the Dioceses of the ACSA, Port Elizabeth Diocese, the Diocese of St. Mark the Evangelist, Zululand and Niassa Dioceses would count themselves as evangelical. So are clusters of parishes in Kwazulu Natal. In the Western Cape about 4-5 parishes, including the very big St. John’s Wynberg, a conglomerate of seven churches, are evangelical and charismatic in varying degrees. A good strong parish within the diocese of Cape Town is St. Martin’s Bergvliet. In Johannesburg there are 4-5 strongly evangelical parishes, generally the larger ones.
The situation at present
In Southern Africa the narratives of liberation and reconciliation have been effective bases from which to engage the idol of apartheid and with the challenge of social reconstruction. However they have proven totally inadequate to cope with new idols and false gospels currently threatening the church in Africa. Gnostic anthropology reinforced by narcissistic Western individualism is brought by American and Canadian bishops and missionaries coming into our midst who are welcomed at conferences. This is in stark contrast to the Anglican churches of East and West Africa who have recognised the threat of a false gospel and the power it has to deconstruct the institutions of family and church and to unravel the very fabric of African community.
