“Order! Order!”: Reflections on The Jesmond Consecration
by Andrew Goddard, Fulcrum:
As evangelicals we have, generally, been strong on the crucial task of defending the faith but less careful and serious about articulating and upholding order. However, faith and order, though distinct, cannot be separated. Disregard for good order is a serious matter in the church as the apostolic witness of the New Testament makes clear. Recent events raise a host of important questions in relation to evangelicals and godly order.
What has happened?
(For a fuller summary of details in the public domain and background information on various matters see appendix below).
It has been clear for a while that it was probably only a matter of time before conservative Anglicans elsewhere in the world intervened in response to concerns of those in England, particularly those already outside CofE structures, for some form of Anglican episcopal oversight.
On 29th April, the GAFCON Primates announced that (in a meeting involving at least 4 clergy and bishops from the CofE) they had “decided to consecrate a missionary bishop who will be tasked with providing episcopal leadership for those who are outside the structures of any Anglican province, especially in Europe”. Just over a week later, on 8th May, news broke that a bishop had already been consecrated but not by, or with the formal approval of GAFCON, GAFCON UK, AMiE (though the person consecrated is on the AMiE Exec) or any Communion province.
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