GAFCON and Women's Ordination

[Matt Williams]

This isn't really a thread so much as a statement. There have been wilful misrepresentations of this in the press, particularly by some Melbourne Anglicans who remind me of 1 Timothy 1:7 - "they do not understand the things about which they make assertions". I think we should be 100% clear.

The facts:

GAFCON is not a movement against women's ordination (or I certainly wouldn't have joined it).
GAFCON is not a movement pushing for women's ordination either.
GAFCON does not have a position on women's ordination, for it unites people in the truth of the gospel with all sorts of views on that subject.
GAFCON did not mention women's ordination in the Jerusalem declaration or statement, nor was it discussed in any of the sessions I attended.
It evidently is believed to come under the category of 'secondary matters'.

Ordained women were present at GAFCON. The main provinces involved in GAFCON are not even mostly opponents of women's ordination! Four of the seven primates on the new GAFCON council - a majority! - represent provinces that ordain women to the priesthood (Uganda; Kenya; Rwanda; West Africa). One ordains women as deacons (Southern Cone, and obviously this is where Sydney Diocese falls as well), and two do not ordain women at all (Nigeria & Tanzania).

I really hope we don't hear any more about this.

Matt

[Matt Williams]

And, for good measure, the Ugandan church's position as articulated by Henry Orombi on the GAFCON website. Uganda is the second largest province involved in GAFCON (and in the Anglican communion), it claims to have over 10 million Anglicans in its churches.
http://www.gafcon.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=42&Itemid=12

What is the Church of Uganda's position on the ordination of women?

The Bible is very clear that homosexual practice is sin. But, nowhere in the Bible is being a woman described as a sin. The ordination of women and the ordination of practicing homosexuals cannot be compared. They are not the same issue. People of equally strong evangelical conviction come to different conclusions about the ordination of women, but we in Uganda have understood the Bible to teach that God created men and women in His image and both can be ordained to serve God in His Church.

[Rachel L]

Thanks Matt,

This is a great clarification!

I've also heard people bring up women's ministry in relation to GAFCon - people are definitely confused on this issue. It seems to me that because Sydney's Archbishop, Peter Jensen, was one of the organisers of GAFCon, many people assume, therefore, that GAFCon has the same views on women's ministry as most Sydney Anglicans.

In fact, I was pleased that Archbishop Jensen clearly said it was a secondary matter:

Peter Jensen: "We [Sydney Anglicans] do not ordain women — that is well known. The ordination of women is a different order of things from the presenting issue. Scripture never suggests an ordained woman is in danger of losing her salvation. The continual practice of greed or immorality is clearly a matter of being inside or outside the kingdom of God. People at GAFCON had different views. The Jerusalem Statement in paragraph 12 speaks of secondary matters and seeking the mind of Christ on issues that divide us. It is time to rethink this matter under the word of God, yet again. We may be wrong, but we need to bring this prayerfully with each other and to reconsider it. Similarly, we may rethink on divorce and remarriage." (http://www.anglican-mainstream.net/2008/07/01/post-gafcon-at-all-souls-panel-discussion/)

Point 12 of the Jerusalem Declaration:

"We celebrate the God-given diversity among us which enriches our global fellowship, and we acknowledge freedom in secondary matters. We pledge to work together to seek the mind of Christ on issues that divide us."