The Voice of Hassocks/Wiki Commons – St Mark’s Church, Tunbridge Wells, where Rev Peter Sanlon has warned against the Church of England “watering down” teaching on issues such as homosexuality.
The Global Anglican Future Conference, Gafcon, has welcomed the initiative by nearly a dozen churches in the Church of England to align with the conservative coalition in opposition to gay marriage.
A statement from Gafcon welcoming the move comes in response to a Telegraph report which revealed that about 12 parishes from three counties in the south of England are meeting this week to show support for the Jerusalem Statement, the statement of faith drawn up by Gafcon.
The meeting, which has sparked fresh debate about whether the Church of England is to split on the issue, will be hosted by Rev Peter Sanlon, Vicar of St Mark’s, Tunbridge Wells in the Rochester diocese.
It will discuss the possibility of a new Anglican synod to be set up if the Church of England moves towards formalising same-sex blessings.
“Gafcon UK warmly commends the initiative of Rev Dr Peter Sanlon and others from a number of parishes in the Home Counties to set up a ‘shadow synod’,” Gafcon’s statement reads.
“This is a grass-roots initiative by local congregations which is representative of the views of many across the country, and is in line with the concerns of Anglicans from the Gafcon movement worldwide as expressed in the Jerusalem Declaration of 2008 and subsequently. The message being clearly conveyed is that: there are Church of England churches that hold to the unchanging truths of the gospel and the formularies of the Church of England; these churches oppose the relentless slide towards revisionism in the Church of England structures; these churches are prepared to take action to protect their congregations.”
The statement added: “Gafcon UK exists to promote faithfulness to the gospel and provide fellowship for those who share this commitment, and it is for these reasons that we warmly commend this initiative.”
At the weekend, Sanlon told the Telegraph: “If senior leaders of the Church of England water down the teaching of the Church of England on key issues like homosexuality, then this synod could easily evolve in to a new Anglican jurisdiction in England. The Archbishop of Canterbury has signalled that he is aware of the possibility that a significant proportion of the church will not accept a change in the church’s teaching. This could be the beginning of that playing out.”
He went on: “I am not leaving the Church of England – but in order to stay, I need new partnerships and structures to discharge the mission of the Church of England, which is to bring the message of Christ to every postcode in England.”
News of the move came as Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury, told the Greenbelt Christian festival that he was “constantly consumed with horror” at how gay people have been treated by the Church.
