The Anglican Network in Canada is part of the Anglican Church in North America which was formed following our first Global Anglican Future Conference in 2008. Such steps of radical faith demonstrate our trust in the Advent hope of the ultimate triumph of the gospel. For the New Testament writers, the expectation of Christ’s return was an encouragement not to waver from sound doctrine or godly living, but on crucial issues such as sexual morality and the uniqueness of Jesus as Saviour and Son of God we are in a Communion where there is no longer a common mind.
Some say this does not matter. For instance, the ”˜Bishops in Dialogue’ group after their Coventry meeting earlier this year claimed that we must maintain visible unity despite everything because ”˜now we see through a glass, darkly’ (1 Corinthians 13:12). In other words, things will only become clear in heaven. This is a bad mistake. It is true that there is much about our future state that we do not yet understand, but God has given us the inspired Scriptures as a lamp to our feet and a light to our path (Ps.119:105). Our future hope cannot be turned into an excuse for compromise or silence when Scripture is clear. For Anglicans the collegial mind of the Communion on sexuality and Scripture remains the orthodox position as strongly reaffirmed by the 1998 Lambeth Conference which continues to call us to obedience and pastoral responsibility. Dialogue is no substitute for doctrine.
See also Archbishop of Canterbury’s Presidential Address to the CofE General Synod
Through the past 10 years, as one/many struggled to cope with satan’s pressures upon the Anglican Communion, one has slowly begun to become aware of the magnificent strength of Africa’s Anglican prelates…always excluding those mired down in apostasy.
As demonstrated initially by ++Peter Akinola, prior to, but especially at and following GAFCON 1, this strength makes up a huge quantity of what has and does sustain us in Christ.
Not always easy for many of us to understand when hearing them, they have expressed themselves very clearly in their pastoral writing.
God is good…all the time.
There may not be much news in this Advent letter, but there is much that is heartening and inspiring. I love the line near the end, “[i]And where the gospel is there will be life.[/i]”
As +Duncan has said many times, “Courage breeds courage.”
David Handy+