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GAFCON Chairman Unloads on Justin Welby in New Years' Letter

GAFCON Chairman Unloads on Justin Welby in New Years' Letter
Mother Church unable to uphold apostolic faith and order, says Okoh

By David W. Virtue, DD
www.virtueonline.org
January 4, 2018

GAFCON Chairman Nicholas Okoh unloaded on the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, blasting him for redefining the Anglican Communion to mean whatever Churches are recognized by him.

"There are worrying signs that the Mother Church of the Communion is itself unable to clearly and unambiguously uphold apostolic faith and order, judging by the words of some of its leaders," said the Anglican Primate of All Nigeria, the largest province in the Anglican Communion.

"Ten years ago, at our first gathering in Jerusalem, we dedicated ourselves to the service of this gospel. We described ourselves as 'confessing Anglicans' in contrast to those who were embracing a false gospel, yet had not been called to account by the traditional leadership of the Communion."

Time has shown how necessary that commitment has been, he said. "Some Anglican Churches have now adopted teaching and practice which puts them beyond the boundaries of what can be recognized as apostolic Christianity, but apparently they remain officially within the boundaries of the Anglican Communion.

"At the same time, the Anglican Church in North America, with which GAFCON and Anglican Global South Provinces are in full communion, remains institutionally unrecognized."

GAFCON, which is recognized by more than 75% of the Anglican Communion is at odds with the Archbishop of Canterbury and is increasingly distancing itself from the Church of England as they see it moving further away from Biblical faith over same-sex marriage and the ordination of women bishops. Many see a split within the C of E likely, as Evangelicals and Anglo-Catholics become increasingly marginalized in a denomination that moves further to the left and away from the 'faith once for all delivered to the saints.'

Okoh said the third Global Anglican Future Conference in Jerusalem to be held in June, will have as its conference theme, 'Proclaiming Christ Faithfully to the Nations'.

GAFCON 2018 will take another step along the road of renewing the Anglican Communion so that it is fit for the purposes of the gospel in every culture and nation, he said.

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