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Two recent developments from Africa show that African Christian churches are prepared to make a stand for their faith. Rather than allow the world to change the Christian faith to suit the current agenda, they aim to protect Christian values – to guard and proclaim the unchanging truth in a changing world.

The first is a statement from the fourth Global Anglican Future Conference (“GAFCON”) held in Rwanda from 17 – 21 April.  The message from the Global South is clear and strong: The Anglican Communion no longer recognises the Archbishop of Canterbury as first among equals and calls on him and other leaders in the Church of England to repent and return to the Biblical teachings of Christ.

The second is a challenge brought by Kenyan bishops to a Supreme Court ruling to allow LGBTQ groups to form and register associations in Kenya to push for their interests.  “We [ ] call for a constitutional amendment to strengthen our cultural and religious values on marriage and family which are to be protected by the supreme law of the land,” the bishops said.

GAFCON IV – The Kigali Commitment

The Kigali Commitment 2023 was read out at the conference on 21 April to resounding applause from the delegates. It commented on eight separate topics, including the current crisis, the failure of the Archbishop of Canterbury and resetting the Communion.  Calvin Robinson provided a commentary on the statement, which you can read in full HERE.

In February, the General Synod of the Church of England passed a motion to allow the blessing of same-sex unions, a motion that directly opposes the Scriptures, thus dragging the Church into apostasy. “The Church of England has chosen to impair her relationship with the orthodox provinces in the Communion,” GAFCON said.

The GAFCON and Global South delegates who represent ±85% of Anglicans worldwide made it abundantly clear that they are not leaving the Anglican Communion, or even creating a new Communion, but that it is the Church of England which has moved away from the Communion. GAFCON and the Global South will now in essence eject the heretical Church of England until they repent and return to the Gospel.

The GAFCON Primates extended the Anglican Communion by recognising new orthodox jurisdictions for faithful Anglicans, such as the Anglican Church in North America (ACNA), the Anglican Church in Brazil, the Anglican Network in Europe (ANiE), the Church of Confessing Anglicans Aotearoa New Zealand, and the Diocese of the Southern Cross.

GAFCON set out a plan for the future but the primary and most immediate objective must be to elect a new first among equals and replace the Archbishop of Canterbury as the figurehead of the Anglican Communion.

Resetting the Communion is an urgent matter. It needs an adequate and robust foundation that addresses the legal and constitutional complexities in various Provinces. The goal is that orthodox Anglicans worldwide will have a clear identity, a global ‘spiritual home’ of which they can be proud, and a strong leadership structure that gives them stability and direction as Global Anglicans. We therefore commit to pray that God will guide this process of resetting, and that GAFCON and GSFA will keep in step with the Spirit.

Conference Statement, GAFCON, 21 April 2023, pg.4

Together in Christ, the Anglican Communion will better aim to serve the wider Anglican world. There was talk of persecuted Christians around the world who are in need of support both pastoral and practical.

Kenyan bishops demand constitutional protection of “cultural values” from LGBT activism

The Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops (“KCCB”) has called for a constitutional amendment to override the Supreme Court ruling on the official recognition of the LGBT movement in their country.

During a press conference on 20 April, KCCB Chair Archbishop Martin Musonde Kivuva called on the government to revise the constitution rather than petition the recent ruling.

“Dear Kenyans, as you are all aware, we challenged the ruling of the Supreme Court of Kenya on 24th February 2023 allowing Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transsexual, and Queer (LGBTQ) people the right to form and register associations in Kenya to push for their interests,” the statement said.

The Catholic bishops repeated their view that the Supreme Court ruling was based on an erroneous interpretation of the clauses on the freedom of association (Art. 36,1) which affects the sacred values of marriage and family as enshrined in the Constitution. “We, therefore, call for a constitutional amendment to strengthen our cultural and religious values on marriage and family which are to be protected by the supreme law of the land,” the bishops said in the statement read by Archbishop Kivuva.