These are the toughest and harshest words to date to come from any primate of the Anglican Communion and it bodes ill for the titular head of the Anglican Communion, Dr. Rowan Williams. They also carry special weight because of the size of the African province - 18 million strong and climbing with aggressive evangelistic efforts expected to double the church in three years.

Only the Archbishop of Sydney, Dr. Peter Jensen, Australia's leading orthodox Anglican has been as strong and outspoken as the African Primate. Following Dr. Williams' statement that the Anglican Communion may be a two-tier structure, Archbishop Jensen pronounced that the Anglican communion had, to all intents and purposes, broken apart. "To use an analogy, partners have separated although they have not divorced," Dr. Jensen said.

Dr Jensen said the statement by Dr Williams was late recognition of an irreconcilable split that had begun with the US church's ordination of the openly gay bishop Gene Robinson in 2003. He also doubted the workability of the covenant model recommended by the archbishop and the Anglican Consultative Council. He said the Australian church would find it hard to sign a covenant that could force it to give up its hard-won autonomy.

But it is the African Primate that has been most critical of Canterbury. Said one Cambridge theologian; "they are playing Anglican Poker and have raised the stakes so high that the Archbishop may have to fold his hand."

The Nigerians indicated that total exclusion of the Episcopal Church is the only way forward.

The statement depicted the Williams plan as a "novel" design that's "elastic enough to accommodate all the extremes of preferred modes of expression of the same faith." Instead, it said, Williams should urge churches that chose to "walk apart" to return to authentic Anglicanism.

But in a later communique put out by the Episcopal Synod of the Church of Nigeria, Primate Akinola indicated that things could be much worse for Dr. Williams. After sessions by the synod, they said the "moral justification for the proposed Lambeth Conference of 2008 is questionable". TRANSLATION: We won't come if Gene Robinson is invited.

"The Lambeth Conference which is one of the accepted organs of unity in the Anglican Communion is due for another meeting in 2008. The Synod, after reviewing some recent major events in the Communion, especially the effects of the 'revisionists' theology', which is now making waves in America, Canada and England, observed with dismay the inability of the Church in the afore­mentioned areas to see reason for repentance from the harm and stress they have caused this communion since 1988 culminating in the consecration of Gene Robinson, a practicing homosexual in 2003 as a bishop in ECUSA," said the Nigerian synod of bishops.

The Synod also regretted the inability of the See of Canterbury to prevent further impairment of the unity of the Church. "It therefore, believes strongly that the moral justification for the proposed Lambeth Conference of 2008 is questionable in view of the fact that by promoting teachings and practices that are alien and inimical to the historic formularies of the Church, the Bishops of ECUSA, Canada and parts of Britain have abandoned the Biblical faith of our fathers."

They then proposed a Global South Conference of their own in 2008!

"We therefore call on the leadership of the Global South and Council of Anglican Provinces in Africa (CAPA) to do everything necessary to put in place a Conference of all Anglican Bishops to hold in 2008 should all efforts to get the apostles of 'revisionist agenda' to repent and retrace their steps fail."

If in fact the African provinces decide not to attend Lambeth and have their own "Lambeth" on African soil, it will be the end of the Anglican Communion as we know it.

The Anglican poker game will be over. The Africans have written their obituary-in-waiting, it is only a matter of time before they act on it.

The African Anglican Church will simply not compromise on Biblical faith and morals and neither will those who remain faithful to Scripture do the same either in North America or anywhere else. The CAPA bishops have fired the final warning shot across the bows of the Anglican Communion, the next shot they fire will be fatal.

END

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The Nigerian statement: www.anglican-nig.org/response_abc_june06.htm

Archbishop Rowan Williams' reflections:
www.anglicancommunion.org/acns/articles/41/50/acns4161.cfm

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ENGLAND: CHURCH SOCIETY SUPPORTS NIGERIAN BISHOPS

July 4, 2006

The Council of Church Society meeting recently noted with gratitude the recent statement from the House of Bishops of the Church of Nigeria. The Bishops were responding to a recent reflection sent out by the Archbishop of Canterbury.

They particularly called attention to the apparent underlying assumption made by the Archbishop that unity is more important than truth. It is clear from such statements as the historic creeds and the Thirty-nine Articles of Religion (part of the Œformularies¹) that the Church of England and the Anglican Communion assume that there are boundaries to what is and is not authentic Christianity and to the legitimate interpretation of the Bible.

The theological divisions now affecting the Anglican Communion are a result of people and churches trying to distort plain biblical teaching. The Bishops¹ analysis of this as a Œcancerous lump¹ which will kill the body is entirely correct.

It is our fervent hope that over the coming months orthodox leaders within the Anglican Communion will work to ensure that our world-wide fellowship of churches is not destroyed by false teaching, immorality, inaction and indifference.

For further information please contact:
Revd David Phillips, General Secretary
(01923-235111, mobile 07801-265049)
Revd George Curry, Chairman (0191-273-4680)

The Church Society exists to uphold biblical teaching and to promote and defend the character of the Church of England as a reformed and national Church.

Church Society pages on the divisions in the Communion www.churchsociety.org/issues_new/church/communion/iss_church_communion_division.asp