To be among the swirling crowds, passionate and diverse worship, and Bible-centred preaching and earnest discussion at the Global Anglican Futures Conference in Kigali is to experience the emerging Anglican Communion, no longer led by Canterbury.
Day three of the Gafcon gathering of conservative Anglicans in Kigali, Rwanda, demonstrated that leadership from England is no longer tenable. Two live issues will be addressed by the conference in its final statement.
• A rejection of the behaviour of the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby.
• How can Gafcon and the overlapping Global South Fellowship of Anglicans work better together? Strong calls have been for them to work towards a merger, “to speak with one voice.”
The day’s discussion is summed up in a passionate panel discussion. It demonstrates how the themes of joyfully following Christ and the impassioned calls for change are part of a vibrant mix here in Kigali.
In a strongly worded criticism of the Archbishop of Canterbury’s habit of saying one thing to a northern audience and a contradictory thing to the Global South, James Wong, Archbishop of the Indian Ocean, indicated that that behaviour has undermined trust in Justin Welby. He described Welby as saying he had nothing to do with Homosexuality and then in London backing prayers of blessing for same-sex marriage.
In another critical interview, Archbishop of South Sudan Justin Badi Arama, the chair of the Global South Fellowship of Anglicans and a Gafcon Primate, said the two organisations should become one. ” We are dreaming of that” (The Other Cheek covers this topic in more detail here.