https://www.gafcon.org/news/joint-primate-statement-from-abp-foley-beach-abp-henry-ndukuba Joint Primate Statement from Abp. Foley Beach & Abp. Henry Ndukuba Now, having deliberated together we acknowledge • Both the Anglican Church in North America and the Church of Nigeria are committed to Lambeth 1998 resolution 1.10 • Both churches are committed to the Jerusalem Declaration (2008) • Both churches uphold the teachings of the Bible on Human Sexuality and Marriage • Both churches are committed to honouring and blessing each other
I don't see how there was any genuine cause for tension, and I'm glad the groups talked it out and came to realize that fact. Communication carries the day...
Yeah the issue was that the ACNA bishops acknowledged that gay Christians exist (and only that), but that was just a tad close to embracing them from the Nigerian standpoint. The latter became very fearful that it was the road similar to the one the Episcopal Church took, and fireworks erupted. I’m glad it’s being healed now. Actually the ACNA statement caused a huge kerfuffle among progressive ACNA people also (believe it or not we also have those). Some dozens of priests and theologians and 1-2 bishops opposed it from the progressive end, as not being accommodating enough. Those priests and bishops should be ejected from the ACNA as soon as possible.
I notice that ACNA is making some changes to the Provincial canons which are, I suspect, a way to head off problems of this kind going forward -- or at least to provide some more robust mechanisms for chastising Bishops who stray off the orthodox path.
It's amazing to me that the "progressive Christianity" poison has managed to infiltrate ACNA, given the whole reason for ACNA's founding. I supsect much of this is due to people like Todd Hunter, who seems to think that a certain amount of "accommodation" on the homosexuality issue is required to pull in Millennials and Zoomers. It's a dangerous kind of theological rot that has run riot through the Lutheran, Episcopal, Methodist and Presbyterian churches. This rot has been going on long enough now that we can say with authority: "progressive Christianity" is a rocket-sled ride to ruin for a church. "Progressive Christian" churches are dying because they serve no purpose -- young people can take liberal dogma pure from the culture; they don't need a watered down Jesus-flavored version coming out of the Church. To become Christian is to become a new person. That's the true meaning of being "born again". You slough off your old self -- your sins, your worldly habits and concerns --- and become a new being alive in Christ. We conform ourselves to God through his son Jesus Christ; God does not conform His Church to us. God commands. He does not wheedle or cajole, or cut deals. We accept his undeserved grace and do our best to live by His Word as laid out in the Holy Bible, for to deny him is to be lost to our sin.
It’s actually a quintessentially Boomer mindset of his. That’s what his generation has done since the 1970s! Back when he was young himself, but the party line was the same, “let’s alter the church to fit in young people.” So how has that been working out, with “the young people”, hmm? Meanwhile they altered the church almost beyond recognition. If there was a concerted agenda behind the dissolution of all Churches from 1961 to 2021, I’d say it’s worked out amazingly well.