Editor’s Note: This is the fifteenth in a series of articles by Dr. Stephen Noll, titled “The Jerusalem Declaration: A Personal Commentary.” Dr. Noll draws on decades of experience in the GAFCON movement, especially his role as Secretary of the Statement group that drafted the Jerusalem Declaration and its accompanying Statement. If clause 8 on…
Marriage and Mankind (Jerusalem Declaration 8.2)
By linking the “unchangeable standard of Christian marriage” to the creation of humankind as male and female, clause 8 opens a doorway to consider a cluster of related issues concerning human nature.
Marriage and Sexual Intimacy (Jerusalem Declaration 8.1)
Many outside the Gafcon movement, and some within it, have asked: “Why are you hung up on sex?” My reply has two parts. First, I will exposit this clause literally, focusing on the meaning of marriage as expressed in the Bible and Prayer Book.
The Governance of a Global Communion (Jerusalem Declaration 7.2)
When the Gafcon Primates announced a Global Anglican Communion of churches committed to the Jerusalem Declaration, it naturally followed that they would order it with the threefold ministry of bishops, priests, and deacons.
The Standard of Prayer Book Worship (Jerusalem Declaration 6)
We rejoice in our Anglican sacramental and liturgical heritage as an expression of the gospel, and we uphold the 1662 Book of Common Prayer as a true and authoritative standard of worship and prayer, to be translated and locally adapted for each culture.
Discipleship: Submission to Christ the Lord (Jerusalem Declaration 5)
The phrase “we gladly proclaim and submit” is the retrospective boast of a person—and a church—that has come to know and follow Jesus as the Holy One of God.
Confessing the Faith: Protestant Articles of Religion (Jerusalem Declaration 4)
In the previous essay, I examined the development of doctrine, especially as it pertains to the Councils and Creeds of the first five centuries.
Explaining Abuja: What Is the Global Anglican Communion?
On March 7, 2026, Gafcon’s G26 Conference concluded with the release of The Abuja Affirmation. This lengthy communiqué declared the failure of the Anglican Communion’s existing instruments of unity and outlined a proposed remedy.
The Bible: Walking in God’s Word (Jerusalem Declaration 2.2)
The Jerusalem Declaration offers a set of principles to guide us in our Christian walk, as outlined in the second sentence of Clause 2: “The Bible is to be translated, read, preached, taught and obeyed in its plain and canonical sense, respectful of the church’s historic and consensual reading.”
The Bible: Believing God’s Word Written (Jerusalem Declaration 2.1)
Clause 2 has two sentences. Taken together, they capture the twofold dynamic of the Bible, moving from God’s gracious self-revelation to our thankful response.
The Jerusalem Declaration: A Personal Commentary
By this time, it is clear that the Jerusalem Declaration has become the doctrinal standard of the global Anglican realignment.
Do the Work of an Evangelist: An African Perspective (Jerusalem Declaration 9.2)
I am including here, as a supplement to this commentary, an interview with the Rev. Canon Dr. John Senyonyi, my friend, colleague, and successor as Vice Chancellor of Uganda Christian University.