The leader of a powerful bloc of traditionalists representing the majority of the world's Anglicans said the CofE has crossed a "line" in recent decisions on homosexuality.

The Most Rev Nicholas Okoh, the Archbishop of Nigeria, said many traditionalists now view the British branches of Anglicanism in a similar light to The Episcopal Church (TEC) in the US.

The latter has been accused of "heresy" for ordaining openly gay bishops and endorsing same-sex marriage.

Archbishop Okoh was recently elected as chairman of the influential "Gafcon" (Global Anglican Future Conference) group of clerics.

Continue reading

The Global Anglican Futures Conference in the London this week was expected to discuss divisions in the worldwide Anglican Communion over women's ordination and homosexuality.

Gafcon was launched at a meeting in Jerusalem in 2008 as part of the long-running struggle by conservatives to cater to those opposed to the more liberal direction of the western Anglican church.

According to an article in Christian Today, Gafcon's primates have already told the Anglican Mission in England to operate outside the structures of the Church of England as a missionary society, where necessary.

A parallel structure, the Anglican Church in North America, already exists in the United States.

In an Easter pastoral letter to supporters, Archbishop Eliud Wabukala, primate of Kenya and chairman of the Gafcon primates' council, said: "We shall take counsel together so that our movement can grow strongly and be equipped to fulfil the vision of restoring the Anglican Communion's commitment to biblical truth."

He called for Christians to remain strong.

"If we look just on the surface of things, it is easy to be discouraged.

"While in Africa and the Middle East, Christian communities are being destroyed and intimidated by Islamic radicalism, in the West we are seeing the faith for which these believers are dying being betrayed by compromise with an increasingly intolerant secular culture."

He singled out for particular criticism the process set up by the former Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, at the 2008 Lambeth Conference as part of his attempt to maintain Anglican unity.

"We need an outward looking unity in diversity that serves the truth of the Gospel, not the inward looking unity in diversity of projects like 'Continuing Indaba' that open the doors of the Church to a false gospel."

Sources

• Christian Today
• Image: Christian Today