(ACNS) Three new videos from the Edinburgh 2010 world missionary conference are available here.
Anglicans attending the World Missionary Conference in Edinburgh say it is set to be a crucial moment for global Christianity.
The Rt Revd Mark McDonald, Canada’s first National Indigenous Bishop, said the conference was giving people a real sense of the trajectory of God’s future for the church. “I expect a Christian identity to emerge out of this conference that will transcend what we’ve been before. This is really about building the relationships that will carry the worldwide church to a new level.”
This conference was sponsored by the Church of Scotland — “The Kirk” which is essentially Presbyterian and at this point pretty much liberal. The design group, however, was drawn from many denominations and many different countries “with a bias to the South.”
The final statement includes predictable phrases referencing “social “justice and “green” issues, however it also includes clear references to: “the uniqueness of Christ,” “Biblical foundations,” “salvation… forgiveness of sin,” “evangelization,” and the “witness of the Apostles and martyrs.”
The Anglican delegates were from Canada, South Africa, Brazil, Hong Kong, and Zambia.
I wonder how one gets to be chosen to be a delegate to such a conference? It looks pretty heavily weighted toward the liberal end of the AC.
It would be a good thing, however, if these actually folks caught a real sense of what Christian evangelization really means.
Their organizer got removed from his position and fumed about it – few picked up the news outside of Episcopalian circles – he apparently had been asked to invite a bishop for a keynote speech who he considered to be “homophobic” and refrained from inviting the bishop, finding that his act very fortunately “saved” the conference. He charged “harassment” and “intimidation” at the hands of missionaries. One does sort of wonder why such a guy is given the role of organizing a conference like this, he certainly has his own set of phobias.
http://edinburghnews.scotsman.com/news/African-church-row-minister-suspended.6341187.jp
It also got picked up by ENS and EpiscopalCafé, always ready to decry the horrid injustices of missionary harassment and intimidation and homophobic bishops being allowed to give keynote speeches. Few others though paid any notice