New Conservative Anglican Intiative Receives Unofficial Support of Queen Elizabeth

From England- (Her Majesty is always good for good hat picture)

Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II has twice written to support an emergent group of conservative Anglicans that rejects the ultra-liberal and sexually permissive direction of the Church of England. The Queen recently wrote to the Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans (FCA) that she "understood their concerns" and "understands the commitment to the Anglican Church" and that she wished them well on the day of their official launch on Monday.

FCA leaders had written to the Queen to assure her of their loyalty to the Church of England. Palace spokesmen said that the letters did not constitute an official endorsement of the FCA. The FCA is an alliance of evangelical and Anglo-Catholic parishes in Britain and Ireland whose formation was precipitated in part by the acceptance of homosexuality by segments of the Anglican leadership in the developed world.

Unlike the US and Canada, Britain's official church is tightly intertwined with the civil constitution of the country. The Queen is not only head of state, but in her capacity of Supreme Governor of the Church of England she also formally appoints bishops on the advice of the Prime Minister. She has had little public input in the crisis that has enveloped the Worldwide Anglican Communion since the consecration in 2003 of openly active homosexual Gene Robinson as a bishop of New Hampshire.

Among the five bishops supporting the FCA, one of the most prominent is the bishop of Rochester, Dr. Michael Nazir-Ali, who has stirred controversy on many occasions with his vocal defence of Christian moral teaching and the traditional Christian cultural foundations of British society.

More here-

http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2009/jul/09070706.html

Bishop of Lewes: Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans formed to counter 'heartache'

From the London Telegraph-

The Bishop of Lewes, the Rt Rev Wallace Benn, denied that the movement was splitting away from the Anglican Communion over contentious issues such as women bishops and homosexual clergy.

He said the Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans, an alliance of Anglo-Catholics and conservative evangelicals, simply wanted to restore the authority of the Bible and hold to its traditional teachings.

Speaking at the group's launch event in London, attended by an estimated 1,600 people from 300 parishes across the UK and Ireland, Bishop Benn said: "Parts of the Church of England don't believe it, they are moving away from the historic Biblical Christianity.
"It's very important to understand that when novelty is introduced into the church, as the New Testament says, there are divisions.

"We're trying to move back to the core of our Christian faith. Sadly some in the British isles are moving away and where bishops do that, there is particular unhappiness in some dioceses and it causes real problems and real heartaches for people and for churches.
"We want to stand with people and support them and say you don't have to go away, we will support you and stand with you."

As The Daily Telegraph disclosed, the Queen has written twice to leaders of the FCA, saying that she "understands the commitment to the Anglican Church" that they show, and wishing them well for a "successful and memorable event" .

More here-

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/religion/5760407/Bishop-of-Lewes-Fellowship-of-Confessing-Anglicans-formed-to-counter-heartache.html

Orthodox Anglicans see greater unity in new fellowship

From Christian Today-

The Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans was launched in Westminster in opposition to liberal shifts in parts of the wider Anglican Communion away from the authority of Scripture and the uniqueness of Christ seen in the embrace of homosexuality by the US Episcopal Church and the consecration in some places of women bishops.

The Bishop of Chichester, the Rt Rev John Hind, told the gathering: “The source of our present crisis is to be found in attempts to minimise the uniqueness of Jesus.

“If a new reformation is in the offing or even already underway it will be important to return to Jesus, the high priest and pioneer of our faith, and place ourselves under the judgement of His teaching and word.

“What is at stake after all is not religious opinion but the saving truth of the Gospel.”

The Bishop of Lewes, the Rt Rev Wallace Benn, said the FCA wanted to stop the Church from being divided “by moving back to the core of our faith, the historic Christian faith”.

“We are a movement for the renewal and reformation and renewed mission focus of our church. We love our Church ... we're not going anywhere," he said.

He warned that where parts of the Anglican Communion like the British Isles and Ireland were “moving away” from that faith, they were causing “real problems and real heartaches” for Anglicans.

"We are trying to pull back together people whose Anglican identity has been made difficult or who find that it is threatened,” he said.

“We want to stand with people and support them and say you don’t have to go away, we will support you and stand with you.”

The new Fellowship has its roots in the GAFCON meeting of orthodox Anglicans held in June last year and the subsequent Jerusalem Declaration, in which it committed to defending orthodox Anglicanism against the “false gospel” of homosexuality.

The FCA’s launch brought together more than 1,600 Anglicans from 320 parishes, including the Bishop of Rochester, the Rt Rev Michael Nazir-Ali, and the Bishop of Fulham, the Rt Rev John Broadhurst.

A letter from the Queen, the Supreme Governor of the Church of England, was read out to the gathering in which she said she “understands the commitment to the Anglican Church that prompted you and your brethren to write as you did” and sent her “good wishes to all concerned for a successful and memorable event”.

More here-

http://www.christiantoday.com/article/orthodox.anglicans.see.greater.unity.in.new.fellowship/23751.htm

Church group 'not planning split'

From the BBC

A traditionalist Anglican group has insisted at its launch conference that it is not poised to break away from the Church of England.

The Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans of UK and Ireland will campaign against active homosexuality in the Church.

Its leaders told the conference in London that liberal moves had brought "heartache" and "real problems".

Bishop of Lewes the Rt Rev Wallace Benn said he wanted "to pull people back" rather than breaking away.

Standing by

Addressing the conference, he said: "We are trying to pull back together people whose Anglican identity has been made difficult or who find that it is threatened."

He added: "We are trying to stop the Church from being divided by moving back to the core of our faith, the historic Christian faith.

"Sadly in the western world...the British Isles and Ireland are moving away and where bishops do that, there is particular unhappiness in some dioceses and it causes real problems and real heartaches for people and for churches.

"We want to stand with people and support them and say you don't have to go away, we will support you and stand with you."

The rest-

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/8137366.stm