Evangelical Bishop Stands Against GAFCON

N.T. Wright, Bishop of Durham, is known throughout the world as a leading Evangelical scholar and Anglican Theologian. He did not, however, participate in the Global Anglican Future Conference or sign the "The Jerusalem Declaration," which he has since categorically condemned in print and on a public broadcast.

WASHINGTON (Catholic Online) - N.T. Wright, as his readers know him, or Bishop Tom Wright, ordinary of the Diocese of Durham, has long been a leading figure among Evangelical Anglicans. A prolific writer on theology, Bishop Tom, as his diocese knows him, has found himself standing against many of his greatest supporters who recently signed the "Jerusalem Declaration."

In a piece, "After GAFCON, Reflections by the Bishop of Durham," Bishop Wright describes his own concerns with the activities and final declaration of the Global Anglican Futures Conference, which he did not attend. The bishop began, however, by celebrating the areas of common heart with the attendees, including "the same gospel, the same God, the same love and power of Jesus, the same dynamic and life-changing message through the work of the Spirit..."

Wright's assessment accurately summarizes the fact that North American Anglicans were especially excited to the see the declaration come into being. He stated, "I know how warmly the proposals have already been welcomed by many in America whose situation has been truly dire.

"But I also know from my own situation the dangerous ambiguities that will result from the suggestion that there should be a new 'territorial jurisdiction for provinces and dioceses of the Anglican Communion, in those areas where churches and leaders are denying the orthodox faith or are preventing its spread.' Sadly, as I suspect many at GAFCON simply didn't realise, that kind of language has been used, in my personal experience, to attempt to justify various kinds of high-handed activity.

Much of Bishop Wright's concerns are linked to the possibility of using the declaration as a springboard for disobedience through language that was hastily crafted. "It offers a blank cheque to anyone who wants to defy a bishop for whatever reasons, even if the bishop in question is scrupulously orthodox, and then to claim the right to alternative jurisdictional oversight.

"This cannot be the way forward; nor do I think most of those at GAFCON intended such a thing. That, of course, is the risk when documents are drafted at speed."

In appearing on the BBC's "World at One" program, the Bishop stated that GAFCON was "taking a global sledge hammer to crack the American nut."

He also offered caution about the alliances that were formed in Jerusalem from quite diverse groups in Anglicanism. "The coalition of GAFCON is a very odd combination of hard-line evangelicals, who would never use incense in a communion service, who would never wear Eucharistic vestments, along with Anglo-Catholics from America for whom those things are absolutely de rigueur.

"You've also got people who are totally and passionately opposed to the ordination of women, and others who are not only happy with it, but promoting it. That's not a coalition that's going to last very long, to be honest."

While strong support for the Jerusalem declaration exists in Africa, Asia and North America, Bishop Wright did not see support coming from like-hearted bishops in England and that they were quite worried about the Jerusalem gathering.

"For me this is particularly frustrating. I spend 90 to 100 hours a week doing the work of the gospel and the kingdom of God in my diocese and around the place and to be told that I now need to be authorized or validated by a group of primates somewhere else who come in and tell me which doctrines I should sign up to is not only ridiculous it's deeply offensive.

"The idea that they have a monopoly on Biblical truth simply won't do and we must stand up to this, it's a kind of bullying. [They are saying,] 'We're the true gospel people, therefore you must listen to us'."

"When one finds people coming high-handedly, who don't actually know what's going on, and say, 'We've now drawn up this list of 14 points and you've got to sign up to them and then we'll authorize you and you can be part of our club, and if you don't then we're going to sweep you aside'... anyone has a right to feel angry when faced with that kind of thing."

Much more will certainly be known pertaining to the future of the "Jerusalem Declaration" and the future of the Anglican Communion following the Lambeth Conference which begins in a little over a week.

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