The sleeping giant of evangelical Anglicans has been awakened to challenge the revisionists of the United States and the Anglican Communion.

Archbishop Peter Jensen (Australia), one of the leaders of the Global Anglican Future Conference meeting in Jerusalem, told international media at a news conference Friday that, “American revisionists committed an extraordinary strategic blunder in 2003 (when they consecrated an openly gay bishop). They did not think that there would be any consequences.

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“Now if they did not believe that there would be consequences, that are an arrogant thing, I have to say. But I don’t know them, so I really cannot say. The consequences have been unfolding over the last five years, now their church is divided; it looks as though there will be permanent division, one way or the other.“

“All around the world the sleeping giant that is evangelical Anglicanism and orthodox Anglicanism has been aroused by what happened in Canada and the United States of America. It was an act of folly.”

GAFCON has brought together 1,200 delegates from 29 countries, from all continents, to prayerfully seek the way forward for the Anglican Communion.

Archbishop Jensen also said that GAFCON would not give any ultimatum to the Lambeth Conference. “We shall not tell them that, ‘if you don’t do this, then that’. The sheer existence of GAFCON poses a challenge to others in the (Anglican) Communion.”

But Archbishop Greg Venables (Southern Cone), who will be at Lambeth, hopes that the issues raised by GAFCON will be handled. “I hope that they will deal with the immediate situation; the reality at this moment. It has not always been easy, but I hope they will learn to deal with today’s issues.”

On his decision to attend Lambeth, Venables said he thinks that there has not been enough dialogue. “I decided to go after consulting with a large number of people. I would have liked all (the bishops at GAFCON) to be there, but I respect what others have decided. We decided a long time ago that every individual makes their decision, which would be respected by others.”