Leading up to this event, African Anglicans said the situation in the global church had gotten worse since 2003. “We have a new Archbishop of Canterbury who is born again and has a testimony,” said Uganda’s Archbishop Stanley Ntagali. “I have personally met him and I like him very much. But, the problems in the communion are still there, and they don’t change just because there is a new global leader. In fact, 10 years later, the crisis has deepened.”

Many African Anglican conservatives draw inspiration for reform from the renowned East Africa revival, which started in Rwanda in the 1930s. “We need to learn from our history,” said Kenya’s Archbishop Eliud Wabukala. “Divisions about the Bible had spread to some missionary organizations in East Africa after the First World War, but the leaders of the East African Revival knew that there could be no true evangelism and no true revival unless the scriptures are allowed to speak as what they really are, the inspired Word of God.”

Read it all.

The Archbishop of Canterbury has made a detour of more than 8,000 miles to visit Kenya – on his way to Iceland.

Archbishop Justin Welby, who arrived on Saturday night, gave sermons at All Saints Cathedral on Sunday morning.

He made the “last-minute” 24-hour trip to offer condolences after the Westgate centre attack, Lambeth Palace said.

He is also meeting conservative Church leaders who are in Nairobi for this week’s conference of the traditionalist Anglican group, Gafcon.

Read it all.

Nairobi conference confirms major realignment in Anglican Communion

Opening news conference, Monday 21st October 2013

The second Global Anglican Future Conference, which opens today in Nairobi, is confirmation that the churches involved in the GAFCON movement are committed to the Anglican Communion and modelling how the communion should operate in the 21st century.

Organisers say the movement has grown since the first conference in Jerusalem in 2008.

“We have exceeded the first GAFCON both in number and reach” said the General Secretary of the Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans, Dr Peter Jensen. “We have also surpassed all expectations here in Nairobi.”

Although initially expecting 1100, the final total is 1,352 Archbishops, Bishops, clergy and lay people, men and women, from almost 40 countries.
The number of bishops attending is 331, of whom 30 are Archbishops.

Read it all

Yet there are troubling signs that Roger Olson and his self-styled “post-conservative” Evangelicals approach Scripture and tradition in ways that are more modernist than orthodox. They refuse to let the Great Tradition (the Catholic-Protestant-Orthodox consensus which C.S. Lewis dubbed “mere Christianity”) ever trump an individual’s interpretation of Scripture. This is what can be called nuda scriptura””the idea that the Bible is self-interpreting, needing only the Christian individual to make sense of it. In contrast, Martin Luther’s sola scriptura used the great creeds to fight for the primacy of Scripture over late medieval tradition.

Olson asserts that the Great Tradition has been wrong in the past, which just goes to show that all tradition is “always . . . in need of correction and reform.” Evangelicals should reject any appeal to “what has always been believed by Christians generally” because tradition by nature protects vested interests. The creeds are simply “man-made statements.” They all need to be re-examined for possible “revisioning of doctrine” based on a fresh reading of scripture. Nothing is sacrosanct, everything is on the table. Only the Bible is finally authoritative. But even that is too often mistaken for revelation itself, which in reality consists more of the “acts of God” in history than the words of the Bible. Post-conservatives tend to reject the idea that the actual words of the Bible are inspired, and often prefer to speak of “dynamic inspiration,” in which the biblical authors but not their words are inspired.

Read it all from First Things.

This photo is just wonderful and made my morning brighter. It is on the front page top of the (London) Times Ipad edition–KSH.

For these two United Methodist men, the only thing missing from their love story is a holy ceremony officiated and blessed by a United Methodist pastor in the presence of their family and friends in Birmingham, Ala.

That day will come on Oct. 26, and retired United Methodist Bishop Melvin Talbert will officiate at their wedding.

[Joe] Openshaw, [Bobby] Prince and [Bishop Melvin] Talbert are publicly defying the denomination’s law book, which states marriage is only between a man and a woman and that no ordained United Methodist elder can officiate at a same-sex union.

They do this knowing the consequences.

Read it all.

More than 30 United Methodist pastors from Eastern Pennsylvania have agreed to jointly officiate a same-sex marriage next month, an unprecedented showing of solidarity for an embattled colleague that could lead to their ouster from the pulpit.

The colleague is the Rev. Frank Schaefer, who faces a Nov. 18 church trial in Chester County for officiating at the 2007 marriage between his son and another man.

Schaefer’s fellow pastors call that an act of love, not a prosecutable offense. They gathered Thursday at a Philadelphia church and, after more than two hours, agreed to preside as a group at a same-sex marriage, a step they hope jolts the larger church.

Read it all.

Bishop Robert Paterson says without an injection of public funds – or a massive donation from private sources – many of the 45 Anglican churches will become un-usable within 20-30 years.

Some need expensive structural repairs and the bishop says smaller congregations simply won’t be able to raise the funds needed to put things right.

Read and listen to it all.

First, I am an Anglican because it is biblical. I appreciate the great authority that Anglicanism gives to Scripture. Article 6 of the Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion states that the Bible is the ultimate and final authority in all matters of faith, and nothing should be taught as doctrine or necessary for salvation that is not clearly taught in Scripture. Moreover, I believe that Anglicanism rightly places Scripture at the very center of all its ministries (e.g., liturgy), devotion (e.g., Book of Common Prayer), and foundational documents. It wants to immerse God’s people in the Scriptures.

Second, I am an Anglican because it is historical. I appreciate Anglicanism’s respect for the history and tradition of the Church. While its official conception took place in the mid-16th century, it still identifies itself with the catholic Church of the centuries prior to the Reformation. It seeks unity with the historic Church. As such, it receives and affirms the Apostle’s, Nicene, and Athanasian creeds as authoritative summaries of what Scripture teaches and what the Church believes. Also, it follows the traditional church calendar and draws wisdom from many of the great theologians of the past (e.g., Article 29 mentions Saint Augustine).Read it all.

Iran’s positive attitude in its negotiations with the US, Britain, France, Germany, China and Russia over its nuclear programme marks a clear shift in policy.

This welcome development, seen during the past week in talks in Geneva, follows Tehran’s willingness to go along with the Russian-initiated deal on chemical weapons in Syria ”“ where Iran is backing the Assad regime. The Islamic Republic appears to be softening its longstanding policies in favour of a more conciliatory approach. The shift is caused by the country’s long-term decline in the Middle East ”“ and Tehran’s recognition that it must act on this decline. Iran’s stance will hold the key to a number of interlocking regional conflicts, so identifying its cause helps shape policy responses to it.Read it all.

You may find the video here.

Watch it all and form your own conclusions and make your own prayerful evaluations (a little over 27 minutes).

The one-way communication from pulpit to pew is not how Millennials experience faith. By nature of digital connectedness, Millennial life is interactive. For many of them, faith is interactive as well””whether their churches are ready for it or not. It’s an ongoing conversation, and it’s all happening on their computers, tablets and smart phones. What’s more, many of them bring their devices with them to church. Now with the ability to fact-check at their fingertips, Millennials aren’t taking the teaching of faith leaders for granted. In fact, 14% of Millennials say they search to verify something a faith leader has said. A striking 38% of practicing Christian Millennials say the same.

Beyond the congregation, technology is also changing how Millennials learn about and discuss their faith. This generation is accustomed to foraging in multiple digital places at any given time””from texting to Twitter to Instagram, from news feeds to blogs and more. This digital deluge naturally includes matters of faith and spirituality. For example, more than four out of 10 practicing Christian Millennials say they participate in online conversations about faith, and the same number say they blog or post comments on blogs about spiritual matters.

Read it all.

Among those beatified on Sunday were 24 brothers of the order of St John of God. This remarkable man had begun looking after the sick and poor in Granada in 1539, and that was the task of his followers 400 years later. One of those was Feliciano Martínez, who worked at a hospital in Valencia and was know for his big-heartedness and simplicity. He had fallen off a horse once, which left him with a limp, and he gained the nickname Cojito, “Hopalong”. On October 4 1936 he was taken to the shore and shot. He was 73.

Of those beatified, 74 were Brothers of Christian Schools, as they are known in Spain for their provision of education for the poor. In Britain they are called De la Salle Brothers, after their French founder (1651-1719).

Read it all.

O Lord and Father, to whom alone the debtors in ten thousand talents can come with hope of mercy: Have mercy upon us, O Lord, who have aught to repay; forgive us all the debt, forgive us all our sins, and make us merciful to others; for the sake of Jesus Christ our Lord.

Why am I in peril every hour? I protest, brethren, by my pride in you which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die every day! What do I gain if, humanly speaking, I fought with beasts at Ephesus? If the dead are not raised, “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.” Do not be deceived: “Bad company ruins good morals.” Come to your right mind, and sin no more. For some have no knowledge of God. I say this to your shame.

But some one will ask, “How are the dead raised? With what kind of body do they come?” You foolish man! What you sow does not come to life unless it dies. And what you sow is not the body which is to be, but a bare kernel, perhaps of wheat or of some other grain. But God gives it a body as he has chosen, and to each kind of seed its own body. For not all flesh is alike, but there is one kind for men, another for animals, another for birds, and another for fish. There are celestial bodies and there are terrestrial bodies; but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another. There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars; for star differs from star in glory

–1 Corinthians 15:30-41

The Primate of the Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion), Archbishop Nicholas Okoh, left Abuja Sunday as the head of Nigeria’s 470-man delegation to Kenya, to attend the second Global Anglican Future Conference (GAFCON), opening today.

Read it all.

Listen to Evensong from 13th October if you wish

The Archbishop of Canterbury offered his qualified personal endorsement to Gafcon today, telling the congregation of All Saints Cathedral in Nairobi his vision for the future of the Anglican Communion was of a Bible-based church dedicated to mission and evangelism ”“ goals shared by the Gafcon movement of the Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans (FCA).

While Archbishop Justin Welby stopped short of giving Gafcon his formal imprimatur, he conceded the existing instruments of communion were no longer fit for purpose in ordering the life of the Anglican world.

The archbishop also hinted the Communion may not be able to count upon the Church of England to hold the line on issues close to the heart of the Gafcon movement.

Read it all.

This post is sticky. Please look below for new entries. LAST UPDATED: 26 October 19:30 EDT / 23:30 GMT

The OFFICIAL GAFCON Website
GAFCON conference program

SOURCES FOR NEWS STORIES:
– Anglican Ink – with live reporting from Fr. George Conger (Gafcon stories) [Anglican Ink homepage (some GAFCON stories are at this link, not the other)]
– ACNA’s GAFCON page (click on the daily tabs for each day’s news & photos)
– Anglican Mainstream GAFCON category Note: some Anglican Mainstream posts about GAFCON may be posted under the “news” category, so perhaps it is better to click on this link which provides search results for all entries with the word GAFCON
– TitusOneNine GAFCON category

VIDEOS: Anglican TV:
Live Feed videocasts
Anglican TV – archived videos
*IMPORTANT*: There are several GAFCON videos on KevinKallsen’s YouTube page that are not yet archived at AnglicanTV.
GAFCON videos page (Vimeo)

TWITTER FEEDS:
#GAFCON2013 [Other variants: #GAFCON or #GAFCON13]
ACNA Twitter Feed page
Anglican Future @gafconference

PHOTOS:
GAFCON Facebook page
ACNA Facebook page
Photo album from the GAFCON site (with captions!)
[** NEW **] George Conger’s GAFCON II Photo Album at Flickr {see note on copyright here.)

BLOGS: (focusing on first-person blog entries by those attending the conference)
David Ould
Juicy Ecumenicism (IRD blog) – reporting by Jeff Walton & Faith McDonnell
21st Century Anglican
I am not the man (Nigel Fortescue, Australia)
Fr. George Conger’s blog (includes his stories for publications like the Church Times, etc.)
LRM (Laurel Moffatt, Sydney Australia) [*updated link*]
**Bishop Mark Lawrence’s blog
Restoration Anglican Church blog (Arlington, VA)
Does Anyone Read These Things? (St. Timothy’s Anglican, Burlington, VT)
Blog of St. John’s Working, UK
Jolly Monk blog
Rob Munro’s blog
The Beach Blog (Bishop Foley Beach)
[New]The Rev. Shari Hobby (Trinity Anglican, Thomasville Georgia) [Reports on church facebook page]
[New] Updates from John W Yates III (Holy Trinity Anglican, Raleigh NC)

PRAYER:
GAFCON Collect
Lent & Beyond GAFCON category
GAFCON Prayer Bulletins
GAFCON Prayer Points

***

GAFCON 2013 DAY by DAY: TRANSCRIPTS, VIDEOS, DAILY DIGESTS, BLOG ENTRIES, PHOTOS
**(signifies a featured entry)

Sunday Oct 20 – Opening Worship & Primates Meeting with ABC
** Video: Abp. Welby Addresses GAFCON (Oct. 20)
** Notes of Archbishop Justin’s sermon to GAFCON Primates in Nairobi
50 great pictures from Oct. 20th service at Cathedral (ACNA facebook page)
** TRANSCRIPT: Archbishop Jensen’s address to the archbishops’ luncheon with Justin Welby
** VIDEO: Archbishop Jensen’s address to the archbishops’ luncheon with Justin Welby [12:12]

DAY 1: Monday Oct 21:
Day 1 Press Release: Nairobi conference confirms major realignment in Anglican Communion
Monday Oct 21 Daily Digest (ACNA)
GAFCON 2: Monday 21st October (Andrew Symes, Anglican Mainstream)
October 21 photos – ACNA facebook page
** Video: Monday highlights (Gafcon)
** Video: Opening Press Conference (Oct 21) [There is also a short 3 minute compilation of excerpts from the Day 1 Press Conference – watch it here.]
** David Ould: Gafcon Day 1- The Church Gathered and a Firm Word for Abp Welby
Laurel Moffatt: GAFCON Day One in Living Colour
Bishop Mark Lawrence: Jottings from GAFCONII
**GAFCON Feature Article: Legacy of East African Revival Frames GAFCON Opening Night
** Video: Abp. Wabukala welcomes delegates to Kenya [7:41]
** Video: Abp Jensen Opens the GAFCON Conference (including roll call of nations) [22 minutes]
GAFCON DAY 1: Seeds of Revival? (Rob Munro’s blog)
** TRANSCRIPT: Presentation on the East African Revival by the Rev. Dr. John Senyonyi, (Vice-Chancellor of Uganda Christian University)
Selected Tweets: GAFCON Day 1
** [NEW] Fr. George Conger’s Summary of Day 1 at GAFCON: Revival and the Anglican Way
** [NEW] VIDEO: Presentation on the East Africa Revival by the Rev. Dr. John Senyonyi (Vice-Chancellor of Uganda Christian University) [48 minutes]

DAY 2: Tuesday Oct 22:
**TRANSCRIPT: Chairman’s Address GAFCON 2013 Plenary 22nd October
Tuesday Oct 22 Photos (ACNA)
** David Ould: GAFCON Day 2 – A Clear Challenge to Welby and Much More
GAFCON Diary Day 2 (Anglican Mainstream)
GAfCON Day Two (Nigel Fortescue’s blog)
**GAFCON Feature Article: Churches tempted to ”˜change Christian faith’ for culture
ACNA Tuesday GAFCON Daily Digest
Tuesday Highlights Video [under 3 minutes]
Video: Apb, Jensen interviews Andrea Minichiello Williams on Christian Persecution in the UK [2:30] [this was part of the “You are not alone” series]
VIDEO: The Rev. Paul Perkin: What is happening in the Church of England [18 minutes]
VIDEO: The Lonely Church [13 minutes]
** Rob Munro: GAFCON Day 2: Who’s Changing Whom?
*** TRANSCRIPT: The Grace of God OR the world of the West? The Rev Dr Michael Ovey (President, Oak Hill College) [highly recommended!] [PDF File is here]
You Are Not Alone – brief summary of several of the testimonies from those persecuted for their faith (AAC website)
Selected Tweets: GAFCON Day 2
**[NEW] VIDEO: Bishop Michael Nazir-Ali: Global Challenge [12 minutes]
**[NEW] VIDEO: Dr. Mike Ovey’s presentation on The Grace of God or the World of the West [50 minutes]
**[NEW] TRANSCRIPT: The Rev. Paul Perkin: Battle for the Soul of Britain – what;s happening in the CoE
***[NEW] Fr. George Conger’s Summary of Day 2 at GAFCON – A Suffering and Lonely Church (VERY HELPFUL – includes embedded links to various videos)

DAY 3: Wednesday Oct. 23:
Archbishop Justin Welby’s video message to GAFCON
GAFCON Delegates Share Across Cultures as Mini-Conferences Begin
VIDEO: Participants reflect on the mini-conferences taking place at GAFCON [2:30]
David Ould: Day 3: Welby and Jensen – Ambiguity of Context and Clarity of Scripture
** Nigel Fortescue: GAFCON Day 3
** GAFCON Report Day 3 (Anglican Mainstream)
Rob Munro: GAFCON Day 3: What marks a movement of the Holy Spirit?
Photos: Day 3 (ACNA facebook page)
Selected Tweets from GAFCON II – Day 3 October 23, 2013
ACNA Daily Digest – Wednesday
** Laurel Moffatt: GAFCON Many Voices One Song
** Restoration Anglican: Nairobi #2

Day 4: Thursday Oct 24
We elves have not been slacking off, but today is a slow news day at GAFCON. Much of the afternoon and evening was free for a visit to a national park and a cultural evening, so there are likely to be few materials available for today.
** Summary GAFCON II Day 4 (Andrew Symes, Anglican Mainstream)
** Nigel Fortescue: GAFCON Day 4
** Rob Munro: GAFCON Day 4: Widening Horizons
** Bishop Foley Beach: The Suffering Church
Photos Day 4 (ACNA facebook page – mostly pictures from this afternoon’s trip to Nairobi National Park
** David Ould: GAFCON Day 4: Global Anglicanism in its Natural State
GAFCON Day 4 (St. John’s Working UK blog)
Shari Hobby: GAFCON Reoprt Day 4
VIDEO: GAFCON Thursday Highlights
ACNA GAFCON Daily Digest Thursday
Video on Women’s mini-conference [3:00]
*** [NEW] ** Bishop Mark Lawrence: Jottings from GAFCON II – Take 2 (summarizes Days 2 – 4)

GAFCON Day 5: Friday Oct 25
**VIDEO: GAFCON Friday Press Conference
David Ould: BREAKING: GAFCON Movement Bishops Vote to Expand – Across Boundaries
** Friday October 25 Press Release: GAFCON Votes to Expand
** Anglican Mainstream: GAFCON 2 Report Friday October 25
** Nigel Fortescue: GAFCON Day 5
** St. John’s Working UK blog: GAFCON Friday, Day 5
** Rob Munro: GAFCON Day 5 – Discerning the call of God for the Future
** Bishop Foley Beach: GAFCON the East Africa Revival (this is a bit of a general overview, not as specifically about Day 5, but it is very good)
Selected Tweets GAFCON Day 5
VIDEO: Canon Phil Ashey of AAC – Anglican Perspective Commentary on GAFCON as an Ecclesial movement [2 minutes]
ACNA Daily Digest – Friday
Friday Photos – ACNA facebook page
[NEW] Jeff Walton: GAFCON Leaders Point to “Strong Foundation of the Bible” at Second Press Gathering
[NEW] Friday Highlights Video
** [NEW] Snippets of African Worship “Afayo [He is Lord] via Instagram here and here

GAFCON DAY 6: Saturday October 26

** [NEW] ** FINAL Nairobi Communique and Commitment PDF Version is here
Feature Article: GAFCON ends with commitment in Nairobi
Chris Sugden (Christian Today): GAFCON offers itself as ‘important and effective instrument of Communion’
**[NEW] Laurel Moffatt: GAFCON – Strands of Loving Kindness
**[NEW] Rob Munro: GAFCON Day 6 – Discovering the Real Meaning of the Anglican Communion
[NEW] Some Final Tweets from GAFCON Day 6
**[NEW] Restoration Anglican: GAFCON Day 6
**[NEW] St John’s Working UK: GAFCON Day 6
**[NEW] Lent & Beyond: The Faces of GAFCON – Part 2 (30 awesome pictures)

***
We will update this list as we find more links. We would love to know of anyone blogging about the conference, or any other good links you find for following the conference. Please leave a comment with any links you recommend. – the elves.

Thousands packed multiple services at Nairobi’s All Saints Cathedral on the eve of the Global Anglican Future Conference (Sunday 20th October).

Leading the joyous congregants was the Primate of Kenya and chairman of GAFCON, Eliud Wabukala, along with members of the GAFCON Primates Council and the Archbishop of Canterbury.

Archbishop Justin Welby joined Archbishop Robert Duncan, Primate of the Anglican Church in North America, Presiding Bishop Tito Zavala of the Southern Cone, Archbishop Daniel Deng Bul of Sudan, Archbishop Nicholas Okoh of Nigeria and Archbishop Henri Isingoma of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Archbishops Duncan and Bishop Zavala joined in celebrating communion while Archbishop Welby preached, in a truly international event.

Read it all and there is a link to pictures

Early Thursday morning at a Jewish high school here, Elan Kainen donned the prayer shawl that had been a gift from his maternal grandfather and recited the prayers of the Shacharit service. Nine hours later, he went through another ritual, one involving pads, cleats and a helmet, as he suited up for what might be the final game of his high school football career.

The Hurricanes of Scheck Hillel Community School were going up against a conference rival, the Berean Christian School Bulldogs, with a spot in the postseason playoffs hanging in the balance. For Elan and his teammates, who attend one of the only Jewish religious schools in the nation to play varsity football, Friday evening is for Shabbat dinner. Their gridiron action takes place under Thursday night lights.

For Scheck Hillel’s team, the fall football schedule bends in deference to the string of holidays that run from Rosh Hashana to Simchat Torah. Before getting the usual locker-room exhortation from their coach, players hear a d’var Torah, a sermon about the week’s Torah portion, from a rabbi. At home games, the Israeli national anthem, “Hatikvah,” is played over the stadium loudspeaker.

Read it all.