Reclaiming the future a historic moment

Today is the day that the child of the British Empire devoured its mother.

Former British colonies all over the world, places where churches were planted by British missionaries, rose up in a single gesture and reclaimed historic Anglicanism from the jaws of relativism, the peddlers of false gospels and the See of Canterbury.

When the Primate of Uganda, Archbishop Henry Orombi, finished reading the Statement on the Global Anglican Future, the room erupted. People leapt to their feet and clapped wildly.  Many people raised their hands and a spontaneous chorus began, as emotion moved like a barreling wave across the whole ballroom. It was a truly historic moment.

We then celebrated Holy Communion as our final, parting act of unity in the body of Christ. We repented, sang, praised God, heard from the Bible and remembered Christ’s death. For the sake of unity, most of us were prepared to overlook a touch of the ‘real presence’ as demonstrated by some of the clergy at the front table. This was not the time to be doctrinaire.

The main purpose of GAFCON had been achieved. The church globally created a coherent statement and a way forward. In the words of Archbishop Peter Jensen, ‘the chaos that has taken place in the Anglican Communion is about to receive a dose of order.’ How’s that for a restrained battle cry.

The last week has been a sharp lesson in how God works His purposes through history. We have reflected hard on the apostolic faith, the work of the early church and later Reformers, and witnessed how God has used empire in modern times to grow his church. As we all return home, it is too early to understand the impact of the GAFCON movement but we all feel that we have been part of something deeply historic. 

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