Archbishop Writes - Will we support them in their hour of need?

I hope we will be as generous to Global South Christians as they have been in standing for biblical truth.

by Archbishop Peter Jensen

In October, as your Archbishop, I had the special privilege of attending the Anglican Global South Conference in Egypt. This was the third in a series of such meetings, the previous ones being held in 1991 and 1997.

‘Global South’ is not so much geographic as a cultural and theological expression. It includes the churches founded as a result of the great missionary movements of the 19th century. Thus there were delegates from Africa, Asia, South America and Central America. I was one of the few invited guests.

The Encounter took as its theme the church, ‘one, holy, catholic and apostolic’. Fine papers were delivered on these topics, and the Archbishop of Canterbury, who was present for about a day, spoke on the whole theme. 

Leading members of the Conference included Archbishop Yong Ping Chung of Sabah, Archbishop Greg Venables of the Southern Cone, Archbishop Peter Akinola of Nigeria and Archbishop Drexel Gomez of the West Indies.

Since many of the participants have been very active in the affairs of the Anglican Communion during the last few years, it was suggested by some that the conference was designed to signal the break up of the Communion.

This was never the case, although the Communiqué makes it perfectly clear that the delegates are deeply concerned about the unbiblical practices of many of the churches of the West.

They wish to continue to offer support to Western Christians who are making a stand for biblical truth.

What impressed me most was the firm determination of the participants from all over the world to seek the meaning of Scripture and to live under its authority. The mood of the Encounter was biblical.

Not surprisingly, this meant that the lax morals of the West caused pain and led to criticism. These brothers and sisters often live with real disadvantages and even dangers as a result of their fidelity to scripture. I am so grateful for their example.

The Global South Christians are more than ever determined to make their own way and also to become mission-sending churches. Obviously, however, there are many ways in which we can contribute to their lives, as they do to ours. There is a famine in Malawi which we could help with, for example, and donations to the Archbishop’s Overseas Relief and Aid Fund (ORAF) for this purpose will be directed to the fund established by Archbishop Bernard Malango of Central Africa. He uses such money to buy maize for those who are starving. I commend this appeal to you.

I am persuaded that in years to come these links will become more and more important as we receive spiritual blessing from our association with these Christian people. For our part, one of our strongest contributions at the moment is in the area of a theological education which is biblical. The churches have identified this as one of their greatest needs, and we are well-placed to assist. I hope that we will be as generous in this assistance as they have been strong in their stand for Christ. 

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