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Archbishop of Canterbury Appeals for all primates to attend ACC Meeting in Lusaka

Archbishop of Canterbury Appeals for all primates to attend ACC Meeting in Lusaka

By David W. Virtue DD
www.virtueonline.org
March 19, 2016

The Archbishop of Canterbury has made a special appeal to all the Primates of the Anglican Communion to attend next month's ACC meeting in Lusaka even though three African Archbishops have said they will not be going because fundamental issues dealing with the "brokenness" in the Communion have not been addressed or resolved.

In a private letter to the Primates, obtained by VOL, Justin Welby pled with all the primates to attend the meeting but then acknowledges that some won't. "I urge prayer because they will be electing a new Chairman and such a position should be someone who speaks the truth in love and seeks to unite the Communion in truth-filled service to Jesus Christ, and not to uphold any particular group at the expense of the Common Good, so long as we are within acceptable limits of diversity."

His appeal comes one day after the Primate of Nigeria, Nicholas Okoh said he would not attend next month's ACC meeting citing the Episcopal Church's well-prepared camp of recruitment, blackmail, indoctrination and toxic relationship. He called for a "special status" in the Communion for orthodox Anglican leaders.

He said the Episcopal Church is engaged in a campaign to walk orthodox Anglicans into "a well-rehearsed scheme to apply persuasion, subtle blackmail and coercion against those still standing with the Scriptures" on human sexuality.

He blasted the Episcopal Church and those who would "join the straight jacket of the revisionists and be politically correct," arguing that they are succeeding.

He ripped what happened at Canterbury where the Primates recently met, and said that those who held orthodox views on human sexuality were branded and denounced as "homophobic", leaving no one in doubt "that we were in the wrong place."

Okoh, the leader of the largest province in the Anglican Communion, said that patience was exercised only to enable the communion to bring scriptural-believers to gradually embrace the homosexual doctrine. "The Anglican Communion's journey is very uncertain for the orthodox."

In his letter, ABC Welby says that only those present will be able to make their voice heard and their votes effective.

The ABC cited the East African Revival which, he said, did not produce sinless people but that it taught sinners to walk in the light. "That meant they were to confess their sins, repent and acknowledge them."

However the Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church, Michael Curry, supported by HOD president Gay Jennings have made it clear that he will attend the ACC meeting and vote on all issues, arguing that the ACC has no authority to keep him out. His position has been supported by ACC chairman James Tengatenga.

He has stated that "the legal and ecclesial structures of the Anglican Communion did not permit the primates, or any other instrument of communion, to discipline a member church." He insisted TEC would continue its membership and participation of the ACC whatever the Primates thought they had decided.

Two other archbishops, Kenya Archbishops Eliud Wabukala and Uganda Archbishop Stanley Ntagali have cited similar concerns as to why they will not attend the ACC meeting next month.

Ntagali cited as his reasons the failure of the Anglican Communion to restore godly order, and the Episcopal Church's long history of apostate acts, starting in 2003, when the Episcopal Church ordained a known, non-celibate, homosexual to the episcopacy. He said the Anglican Communion must show itself capable of restoring godly order.

Wabukala said TEC's Presiding Bishop has made it clear that his Church will not think again about same sex 'marriage' and he expects his Church to play a full part in next month's Anglican Consultative Council (ACC) meeting. This defiance of the Primates' moral and spiritual authority has been supported by the Chairman of the ACC, Bishop Tengatenga, who has confirmed that TEC will participate fully.

"There can be no true walking together with those who persistently refuse to walk in accordance with God's Word and the Anglican Church of Kenya will not therefore be participating in the forthcoming meeting of the ACC in Lusaka."

Welby said the primates should work closely together because "individual provinces are autonomous but interdependent."

END

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