04/24/2023
THE KIGALI STATEMENT -- 2023 - THE COMMUNION IS BROKEN
It is clear now that the future of Global Anglicanism has passed from Canterbury to GAFCON and the Global South. Most of the world's practicing Anglicans, some 85%, have cast a vote of no confidence in the Archbishop of Canterbury and declared themselves to be in broken communion with the Church of England. There is no question now that the Archbishop of Canterbury's role as Communion leader is over.
Today, a new future dawned for 1,300 Anglicans - laity, clergy and bishops - meeting in Rwanda. And they did so on behalf of 70 million fellow Anglicans from a multitude of tribes, languages, peoples, and nations.
"The Instruments of Communion have failed to maintain true communion based on the Word of God and shared faith in Christ"; the "leadership role" in the Anglican Communion of the Archbishop of Canterbury has been rendered "indefensible" by the failure of "successive" Archbishops of Canterbury "to guard the faith" by exercising appropriate discipline "compounded by" Justin Welby's "welcoming the provision of liturgical resources to bless practices contrary to Scripture," said the statement.
The tear in the Anglican Communion is irreparable and irreversible unless Archbishop Welby and those that follow him, repent. Thomas Cranmer would have understood and wept. Just as Cranmer challenged the Roman Catholic Church over some of its doctrinal stances, he would have cast his vote for GAFCON and moved on.
It took four days of writing, consultation and revision for delegates to the fourth Global Anglican Futures Conference (GAFCON IV) to approve by acclamation the final Conference Statement - The Kigali Commitment.
But from the time the fabric of the communion was torn in 2003 by the consecration of a non-celibate homosexual to the Episcopal Church's episcopacy, western Anglicanism has been on a downward slide -- morally, theologically, and demographically.
From the statement: The current divisions in the Anglican Communion have been caused by radical departures from the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. Some within the Communion have been taken captive by hollow and deceptive philosophies of this world (Colossians 2:8). Such a failure to hear and heed God's Word undermines the mission of the church as a whole.
Despite 25 years of persistent warnings by most Anglican Primates, repeated departures from the authority of God's Word have torn the fabric of the Communion. These warnings were blatantly and deliberately disregarded and now, without repentance, this tear cannot be mended.
The latest of these departures is the majority vote by the General Synod of the Church of England in February 2023 to welcome proposals by the bishops to enable same-sex couples to receive God's blessing. It grieves the Holy Spirit and us that the leadership of the Church of England is determined to bless sin.
We have no confidence that the Archbishop of Canterbury nor the other Instruments of Communion led by him (the Lambeth Conference, the Anglican Consultative Council and the Primates' Meetings) are able to provide a godly way forward that will be acceptable to those who are committed to the truthfulness, clarity, sufficiency and authority of Scripture. The Instruments of Communion have failed to maintain true communion based on the Word of God and shared faith in Christ.
Successive Archbishops of Canterbury have failed to guard the faith by inviting bishops to Lambeth who have embraced or promoted practices contrary to Scripture. This failure of church discipline has been compounded by the current Archbishop of Canterbury who has himself welcomed the provision of liturgical resources to bless these practices contrary to Scripture. This renders his leadership role in the Anglican Communion entirely indefensible.
We long for this repentance but until they repent, our communion with them remains broken. We consider that those who refuse to repent have abdicated their right to leadership within the Anglican Communion, and we commit ourselves to working with orthodox Primates and other leaders to reset the Communion on its biblical foundations.
At a press conference, GAFCON chairman Archbishop Foley Beach reiterated that the communion is broken because some parts have walked away. "It is on them," he opined. "Archbishop has broken with us; therefore, the brokenness is on them."
In view of the current crisis, we reiterate our support for those who are unable to remain in the Church of England because of the failure of its leadership. We rejoice in the growth of the ANiE and other GAFCON aligned networks. We also continue to stand with and pray for those faithful Anglicans who remain within the Church of England. We support their efforts to uphold biblical orthodoxy and to resist breaches of Resolution I.10.
Read more: https://virtueonline.org/kigali-statement-2023-communion-broken
