On Sunday, the Global Anglican Future Conference (GAFCON) concluded with the launch of a new missionary movement within the Anglican Communion. There is no split, say the organisers, though they question the importance of the Archbishop of Canterbury as the arbiter of who is an Anglican.<\/p>\n
There are three components in the GAFCON final communiqu\u00c3\u00a9, which was formally released after final ratification by participants at a signing session on Sunday morning: the designation of GAFCON as a \u201cfellowship of confessing Anglicans\u201d\u009d; a 14-point Jerusalem Declaration described as \u201cthe basis of that fellowship\u201d\u009d; and a newly formed Primates\u2019 Council, which is likely to meet in the next two months.<\/p>\n
Each of the three suggestions is radical. The transformation from a conference to a fellowship makes GAFCON an enduring element in the Anglican Church. The 14-point Declaration is largely doctrinal, though it contains a section on sexuality, and another on relations with more liberal dioceses. On sexuality, the document does not name homosexuality, and instead speaks of \u201cmarriage between one man and one woman as the proper place for sexual intimacy\u201d\u009d, and it calls for \u201ca renewed commitment to lifelong fidelity in marriage and abstinence for those who are not married\u201d\u009d.<\/p>\n