You are here
GAFCON Leader Exposes Bankruptcy of 'Good Disagreement' Strategy
By Julian Mann
Special to Virtueonline
www.virtueonline.org
November 29, 2014
In his latest pastoral letter, the chairman of the GAFCON Primates' Council, Archbishop Eliud Wabukala, has clearly exposed the spiritual and moral bankruptcy of the 'good disagreement' bid to maintain institutional unity in the Anglican Communion.
Writing to members of the Global Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans, the Primate of Kenya demonstrates that lack of agreement on primary biblical issues should never be perceived positively by professing Christians. Striking an Advent theme, he said:
"For the New Testament writers, the expectation of Christ's return was an encouragement not to waver from sound doctrine or godly living, but on crucial issues such as sexual morality and the uniqueness of Jesus as Saviour and Son of God we are in a Communion where there is no longer a common mind."
Archbishop Wabukala then contrasted this spiritual reality to the approach taken by the Consultation of Anglican Bishops in Dialogue which met in Coventry, UK, in May:
"Some say this does not matter. For instance, the 'Bishops in Dialogue' group after their Coventry meeting earlier this year claimed that we must maintain visible unity despite everything because 'now we see through a glass, darkly' (1 Corinthians 13:12). In other words, things will only become clear in heaven. This is a bad mistake. It is true that there is much about our future state that we do not yet understand, but God has given us the inspired Scriptures as a lamp to our feet and a light to our path (Ps.119:105). Our future hope cannot be turned into an excuse for compromise or silence when Scripture is clear."
In a summary that is faithful to the biblical approach and the historic Anglican formularies as they reflect the doctrinal clarity of Scripture, Archbishop Wabukala said: "Dialogue is no substitute for doctrine."
Such a confessing Anglican approach is manifestly antithetical to the current 'good disagreement' strategy, which relies on a highly managerial treatment of people in theological disagreement. The proponents of 'good disagreement' insist on a 'safe space' for the deniers of primary biblical truth.
In the 'facilitated conversation', safe space practically translates to a virtual refutation-free zone in which spiritual and moral errors will not be challenged with the doctrinal robustness of the New Testament and the historic Anglican formularies. The 'good disagreement' managers are in fact now becoming increasingly hostile towards the clear 'truth-error' categories of the Bible and historic Anglicanism.
Imagine the Apostle Paul in a facilitated conversion where the deniers of primary matters of apostolic truth were being offered a refutation-free zone. He certainly refused to offer the errant Corinthians such a 'you're-not-allowed-to-upset-me' space in a comfy dialogue lounge:
"In the following directives I have no praise for you, for your meetings do more harm than good. In the first place, I hear that when you come together as a church, there are divisions among you, and to some extent I believe it" and here's the rub for the facilitated conversation: "No doubt there have to be differences among you to show which of you have God's approval' (1 Corinthians 11v17-19 - NIV).
In these confusing times when error and evil are being spun by slippery language into sounding good, those of us who belong to local Anglican churches should be greatly thankful to God for the clear breath of spiritual fresh air in Archbishop Wabukala's pastoral letter, reflecting as it is does the love of the Lord Jesus towards His precious flock.
Julian Mann is vicar of the Parish Church of the Ascension, Oughtibridge, South Yorkshire, UK - www.oughtibridgechurch.org.uk . He blogs as Cranmer's Curate - www.cranmercurate.blogspot.co.uk
