The mysterious case of the Anglican Primates, Gafcon and Justin Welby
by David Baker, Christian Today:
There is a curious resemblance between the recently-completed meeting of Anglican Primates in Jordan and the hit TV show The Masked Singer.
In both cases, you see the pictures and get some words – but are left scratching your head as to what lies underneath. Perhaps best, though, not to start comparing the attire… Of course, let’s get real: the gathering of Anglican leaders in Amman has rather more serious ramifications than last week’s unveiling of Masked Singer contestant ‘Tree’ as England star soccer player Teddy Sheringham in the UK’s most recent episode.
Primates from 33 of the 40 Anglican provinces were at their meeting. Four of those gaps would have been filled but for vacancy, illness or other unspecified difficulty in getting there. Three Primates from some of the largest provinces – Nigeria, Rwanda, and Uganda – chose not to attend. That trio are Gafcon archbishops and oppose the liberal trends within Anglicanism. However, some Gafcon Primates were there. One of them, the Primate of South Sudan, Justin Badi, intriguingly described the meeting as ‘refreshing and very encouraging’, and said it was ‘held in a mature way’.
I understand that the communique issued at the end of the meeting had opportunity for input from all the primates, and that press officers and communications staff were not involved in its drafting. So it must be taken as representing the views of at least the majority of those present. Given this is the case, all sorts of genuine questions flow both from that statement and the fact of Gafcon’s representation.
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