REVOLT: 85% of Anglican Leaders Reject Head Bishop of the 3rd-Largest Christian Denomination
How should Christians respond when LGBT activists demand they compromise the truth of Scripture by endorsing same-sex marriage and transgender identity?
A global gathering of Anglicans just provided an excellent example.
In February, Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, the head of the Church of England and the “first among equals” in the global Anglican Communion, the third-largest Christian denomination, defended blessings for same-sex couples while insisting that the move did not violate the church’s doctrine that marriage is between one man and one woman for life.
“For the first time, the Church of England will publicly, unreservedly and joyfully welcome same-sex couples in church,” Welby said in a joint statement with Archbishop of York Stephen Cottrell at the time.
Leaders at the Global Anglican Future Conference (GAFCON) wouldn’t stand for this. On Friday, they signed the Kigali Commitment, condemning Welby’s move as “blasphemy” and declaring that he and the Church of England had abdicated their leadership of the Anglican Communion.
“It grieves the Holy Spirit and us that the leadership of the Church of England is determined to bless sin,” GAFCON leaders wrote in the Kigali Commitment. “Since the Lord does not bless same-sex unions, it is pastorally deceptive and blasphemous to craft prayers that invoke blessing in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.”
GAFCON, which met last week in Kigali, Rwanda, declared Welby’s leadership “entirely indefensible.” The Kigali Commitment declares that the Church of England has “failed to maintain true communion based on the Word of God and shared faith in Christ,” therefore noting that GAFCON’s “communion with them remains broken.” That represents a kind of revolution and excommunication from below, in which the top leaders of Anglican churches—referred to as primates—brush away the historic head of the denomination.
“We consider that those who refuse to repent have abdicated their right to leadership within the Anglican Communion, and we commit ourselves to working with orthodox primates and other leaders to reset the Communion on its biblical foundations,” the commitment reads. The statement notes that GAFCON and the Global South Fellowship of Anglican Churches (which has also effectively excommunicated the Church of England) represent 85% of the primates in the Global Anglican Communion, the third-largest Christian denomination after the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches.
It remains unclear what will happen next for GAFCON and its ally, the Global South Fellowship. “The GAFCON primates are still finalizing the practicalities of the statement,” a spokeswoman for the conference told The Daily Signal on Tuesday.
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Jesus is the True and Faithful Gardener Who Cares for Your Soul
Adam was called to guard and keep the Garden. This certainly included his need to protect his bride from the temptations of the evil one. When Jesus entered into his sufferings on the cross, he did so with His bride—the church—with him there in the Garden. As Adam should have warned Eve to “watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation” (Matt. 26:41), so Jesus warns his bride—the Church—to do that very thing. There is a striking parallel between the events of the two Gardens—Eden and Gethsemane.
The Scriptures tell us that the Son of God began His sufferings in a Garden and brought them to a close in a Garden. That is an absolutely amazing display of God’s wisdom. After all, Jesus is the second Adam undoing what Adam did and doing what Adam failed to do (Rom. 5:12-21; 1 Cor. 15:47-49). He is the Heavenly Bridegroom, entering into his sufferings in a Garden for the redemption of his bride, the Church. He is the Heavenly Gardener, giving himself to the cultivation of the souls of his people through his atoning sacrifice and continual intercession.
When he hung on the cross, Jesus spoke of Glory under the name of “Paradise”—an evident allusion to the paradise in which our first parents dwelt and the paradise from which they fell. He is the second Adam who, by the shedding of his blood, secured the New Creation. As we consider the double entendres of the fourth Gospel, we come to those specifically concerning the biblical theology of the second Adam in the Garden. Consider the theological significance of the following two Garden settings in which Christ carried out the work of redemption.
1. Jesus began His sufferings in a Garden in order to show that He came to undo what Adam had done.
In his soul-stirring book, Looking Unto Jesus, Isaac Ambrose explained the theological significance of the Garden motif in the Gospels—both with regard to the beginning of Christ’s sufferings in the Garden of Gethsemane and at the end of his sufferings in the Garden where his body was laid to rest in the tomb. Concerning the first of these symbolic gardens, Ambrose suggested:“Jesus went forth with his disciples over the brook Kidron, where there was a garden [John 18:1];” many mysteries are included in this word, and I believe it is not without reason that our Savior goes into a garden…Because a garden was the place wherein we fell, and therefore Christ made choice of a garden to begin there the greatest work of our redemption: in the first garden was the beginning of all evils; and in this garden was the beginning of our restitution from all evils; in the first garden, the first Adam was overthrown by Satan, and in this garden the second Adam overcame, and Satan himself was by him overcome; in the first garden sin was contracted; and we were indebted by our sins to God, and in this garden sin was paid for by that great and precious price of the blood of God: in the first garden man surfeited by eating the forbidden fruit, and in this garden Christ sweat it out wonderfully, even by a bloody sweat; in the first garden, death first made its entrance into the world; and in this garden life enters to restore us from death to life again; in the first garden Adam’s liberty to sin brought himself and all of us into bondage; and, in this garden, Christ being bound and fettered, we are thereby freed and restored to liberty. I might thus descant in respect of every circumstance, but this is the sum, in a garden first began our sin, and in this garden first began the passion, that great work and merit of our redemption.[1]
Since “a garden was the place wherein we fell…therefore Christ made choice of a garden to begin there the greatest work of our redemption,” Jesus is the second Adam. It is fitting, therefore, that his work of undoing all that Adam did should begin in a Garden. Charles Spurgeon drew out this same observation, stating:
May we not conceive that as in a garden Adam’s self-indulgence ruined us, so in another garden the agonies of the second Adam should restore us. Gethsemane supplies the medicine for the ills which followed upon the forbidden fruit of Eden. No flowers which bloomed upon the banks of the four-fold river were ever so precious to our race as the bitter herbs which grew hard by the black and sullen stream of Kedron.[2]
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How Shall We Then Live?: A Response to David Cassidy’s “Prayer and Work in the Face of Violence”
I humbly suggest that the problem is not “gun violence.” Gun violence is a symptom, not the problem. The problem is sin. This is not to minimize the results of violence; it is to diagnose the problem from a Biblical point of view.
I have heard from several quarters a similar refrain, “We need to do more than pray.” There is no doubt some truth to that. The sentiment can be, and is, applicable to an endless number of problems. Such a sentiment was expressed by TE David Cassidy in his article, “Prayer and Work in the Face of Violence,” to wit:
When a hurricane or earthquake strikes, we certainly pray for all those impacted by the disaster. But is that all we do? Never. We raise funds to help, send teams to assist with rescue and rebuilding, and provide food, water, and shelter for all those in need. We pray and work. We support the trained men and women who risk so much to help those most impacted. We also create new building standards that lead to safer dwellings, saving lives. We invest in early warning systems and deploy them to serve the public.
Gun violence needs to be tackled in the same way.
For whatever reason, TE Cassidy did not offer a specific recommendation detailing exactly what work needs to be done to combat gun violence. He suggests that politicians need to do more, but doesn’t say exactly what “more” is. We are left guessing whether or not he is recommending that we raise funds, send teams to assist, or offer material support to those in need. If we are to “support the trained men and women who risk so much to help those most impacted,” we are left to guess what that support might look like. Perhaps he is advocating for a political policy. If so, I came away puzzled as to what that policy might be or what the Biblical mandate for it is.
I appreciate TE Cassidy’s concern and passion, but having read his call to action I am left wondering to what action I am being called.
I recommend that before we rouse the troops to battle, we take a moment to reflect upon who the enemy is and take stock of the response that Christ expects from us.
So, what exactly is the problem? TE Cassidy thinks that it is “gun violence.” I respectfully disagree, and even if TE Cassidy is correct, he has failed to make a Biblical case for either diagnosing the problem or responding to it.
I humbly suggest that the problem is not “gun violence.” Gun violence is a symptom, not the problem. The problem is sin. This is not to minimize the results of violence; it is to diagnose the problem from a Biblical point of view.
Seeing the problem for what it is, elucidates at least two things. First, …we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places (Eph 6:12). That isn’t pious rhetoric; that is the reality of our situation.
Second, Christ has given the body of Christ a mission statement: Matt. 28:19-20, Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age. We are to go into a hostile world, preach the gospel of Christ and teach people to obey all of Christ’s commands.
In light of these two truths, I offer a couple of thoughts.
First, I find it remarkable how little the New Testament has to say about social ills. The Roman government of Jesus’ time was cruel, tyrannical and pagan, but Christ and the Apostles never made social policy or politics a priority. Christ came to save sinners and he did it one person at a time. Rather than launching a crusade to eliminate gladiatorial combat, the Disciples spent their time spreading the gospel. It took a few centuries, but eventually, gladiatorial combat was eliminated, along with many other symptoms of paganism. It is no exaggeration to say that the gospel redeemed the pagan culture.
Second, if we understand that the problem is sin, then we will recognize that the cure lies not in raising funds, sending in teams to assist, offering material support to those in need, or advocating for a social policy. Supporting the trained men and women who risk so much to help those most impacted, however helpful that may be, will fall short of a cure. The cure for sin is the gospel; there is no plan B.
Finally, Christ has given the church the mission of fighting spiritual warfare. The tools that he has given us, the sacraments, prayer and the preaching of the Word are never to be thought of us “insufficient.” James 1:16-17, Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers. 17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. Any success that we might have combatting any problem will not be the result of the work of our hands, but the blessing of God.
This is not to say that Christians are not to have a role in civic or political enterprises; it is to say that if we are faithful in proclaiming the gospel and making disciples, God will pour out his blessings. It is foolhardy to think that the body of Christ can think like the world and adopt the methods of the world and remain a faithful witness to the Light of the World. If the church makes social policy its mission, it will preach a social gospel. It might be possible to martial the resources of the church to combat a social ill (be it gun violence, the drug problem, abortion, etc.), but not while remaining true to what Christ has called us to do. There is a difference between the mission of the church and the mission of other civic or political organizations. Individual Christians ought to take part in civic and political organizations if God calls them to that ministry. But, if the church carries out its God given mandate faithfully, God will remedy our social problems.
Do we really believe that the gospel is transformative? Do we believe in the power of the Holy Spirit in regeneration? If we did, our impassioned call to arms would not be to combat gun violence, abortion or whatever the sin du jour; it would be to spread the gospel and make disciples of Christ.
Roy Phillips is a sinner saved by grace, a retired Marine, and serves as a Ruling Elder at New Hope Presbyterian Church in Abbeville, SC.
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South Florida Presbytery, 50th Anniversary of PCA
The new presbytery held its first meeting June 26, 1973 with Rev. Ross Bair moderator and Rev. Donald Esty stated clerk. The churches included: Covenant in Ft. Lauderdale, Coral Springs (Now First Church) in Coral Springs, Spanish River in Boca Raton, Seacrest Boulevard in Delray Beach, Lake Osborne in Lake Worth, Faith Church in Wauchula, and in the Miami area were Granada, Kendall, Trinity, LeJeune, Pinelands, and Shenandoah. The total communicant membership of the presbytery was nearly 6,000 with Granada the largest congregation having 1,413.
The Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) has its origin predominately in the southern states. You cannot get any farther south than Key West, Florida, but anyone that has driven down the peninsula knows life in the lower state is different from that in the panhandle and the central region. South Florida is a haven for retirees from colder climates as well as a multi-ethnic mix of peoples from Central and South America and the Caribbean islands. Not only does one hear English, but also Spanish, Portuguese, and Creole (language of Haitian immigrants). What is likely not known is the importance of the churches of South Florida Presbytery to the PCA and particularly the influence of one church in Miami.
In September 2019 the building on Southwest 8th Street in Miami, Florida, formerly used by Shenandoah Presbyterian Church, had been sold and was razed to make room for new high rise buildings. The congregation had been organized in 1927 but was dissolved by South Florida Presbytery of the PCA in 1998. Dissolution resulted from difficulty adapting to ministry in the dramatically changed parish because over the years Spanish speakers moved into what became the Calle Ocho community. Shenandoah was organized under the ministry of Rev. Daniel Iverson as Miami was rebuilding following a devastating hurricane in 1926 that killed 372, injured over 6,000, and made portions of the rapidly growing city rubble. Times of death and destruction can be used by the Holy Spirit to show individuals the frailty of life, lead them to question its meaning, and direct them to comprehend the effects of sin and the fall not only in the creation with its whirlwinds but also within themselves.
It was a prime time for Pastor Iverson to begin a congregation in a rented facility that grew to fill in later years the impressive property that was razed (an earlier church burned down). He retired from Shenandoah in 1951 but it appears he continued ministry as a presbytery evangelist.
Shenandoah started mission churches during Iverson’s ministry. He conducted a home Bible Study that seeded First Church, Miami Springs, with him participating in founding LeJeune Presbyterian Church and another church in Alta Vista. He was the organizing pastor of Key Biscayne Presbyterian Church beginning services in a restaurant called the Jamaica Inn with organization taking place June 19, 1955. Daniel Iverson died at the age of 86 on January 3, 1977 in Hendersonville, North Carolina.The process for founding the PCA’s Gold Coast Presbytery (now South Florida Presbytery) began Sunday, June 3, 1973. In an interview reported the next day in The Miami News article, “Presbyterian Churches Here Vote to Quit,” Pastor Robert Ostenson of Granada Church in Coral Gables said that the first five churches had decided to leave and form a new denomination with his own congregation garnering a unanimous vote of 737 communicant members in attendance. Religion editor Bob Wilcox went on to comment that of particular concern for the departing churches was the “liberal-conservative rift” with the liberals wanting to “temper” the teaching of the Westminster Confession of Faith regarding “the absolute sovereignty of God” and its affirmation of “the infallible word of God.” Up for consideration at the impending General Assembly of the PCUS (the denomination from which the churches were separating) were revisions that would weaken the system of doctrine in the Confession. Note here that events leading to the founding of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church in 1936 had included concerns about revising the Confession by the PCUSA.
As other churches in South Florida voted to leave, the tally was ten by June 5. In December when the National Presbyterian Church (renamed PCA the next year) met for its First General Assembly two other churches had been added with twelve making up what became South Florida Presbytery. The new presbytery held its first meeting June 26, 1973 with Rev. Ross Bair moderator and Rev. Donald Esty stated clerk. The churches included: Covenant in Ft. Lauderdale, Coral Springs (Now First Church) in Coral Springs, Spanish River in Boca Raton, Seacrest Boulevard in Delray Beach, Lake Osborne in Lake Worth, Faith Church in Wauchula, and in the Miami area were Granada, Kendall, Trinity, LeJeune, Pinelands, and Shenandoah. The total communicant membership of the presbytery was nearly 6,000 with Granada the largest congregation having 1,413. Other churches were interested in leaving the PCUS but in some cases could not do so because they had loans from the denomination that would come due if they left.
The Miami Herald, June 23, 1973, provided information about the churches separation from the PCUS in a three part article. The first summarized events thus far and presented the theological and economic aspects of the division. The second section provided four reasons for remaining with the PCUS as expressed by Rev. John Huffman, and the third section stated four reasons for leaving. Representing the argument for leaving was Ruling Elder Kenneth Keyes of Shenandoah Church.
The first reason to leave included theological topics such as ministers being ordained that denied the virgin birth. This theological reason may be familiar for some readers since J. Gresham Machen wrote a book on the virgin birth as he faced similar circumstances with the PCUSA in the 1920s. Another issue addressed by Keyes was ministers holding to universal salvation and denying the necessity of redemption through Christ. He also criticized “Ethical humanism and biblical higher criticism which minimize the authority of the Word of God.”
The second reason was an economic one. Keyes was concerned that if churches wanting to leave the denomination waited too long they might not be able to keep their property because of a proposed merger between the PCUS and the UPCUSA (PCUSA). If this union was accomplished Keyes and others believed church properties would be held by the denomination and not the congregation because it was the policy of the UPCUSA.
Keyes does not mention the spirituality of the church as he expressed the third reason, but it is the appropriate category. He was concerned about “pronouncements and social action [that] presents serious questions of constitutionality.” That is, the work of the church is concerned with spiritual issues, and he was troubled that increasing involvement of the denomination in political and social issues would detract from gospel ministry.
The fourth reason for separation was his belief that educational materials published by the denomination presented nonbiblical concepts on sex, marital fidelity, abortion, divorce, remarriage, and drugs. He believed that “at the grass-roots level” the PCUS was committed to “historic Christianity,” but contended that those in control of the denomination were out of touch with the majority of church members. How often do church members and citizens of nations express concern that their leaders are out of touch with the people? For Elder Keyes, the only alternative was a new church.
In this semi-centennial year of the PCA it is good to remember those who worked to establish a confessional denomination dedicated to the infallible Word and the Great Commission. Of the original churches in South Florida Presbytery, Covenant withdrew from the PCA; Trinity and Shenandoah were dissolved; and LeJeune merged with Granada. The other churches continue in South Florida Presbytery except for Spanish River which is in Palm Beach County within the bounds of Gulfstream Presbytery, organized 2005. Even though Shenandoah Church is gone, the legacy of its leaders like Teaching Elder Daniel Iverson and Ruling Elder Kenneth Keyes continues in the PCA.
Dr. Barry Waugh attends Fellowship PCA in Greer, SC. This article is used with permission.
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