The American Anglican Council has taken and continues to take bold steps to “to build up and defend Great Commission Anglicans.” The majority of our work is done with Anglicans. However, we occasionally branch out to work with brothers and sisters from other denominations.

Yesterday, here in Washington DC, I met with leaders of the Common Ground Christian Network. The AAC helped launch this coalition of biblically faithful Anglicans, Methodists, Lutherans and Presbyterians several years ago both to stand together in the face of increasing secularism in North America, and to partner in Great Commission ministries. You can find our original theological manifesto, “Jesus Christ: Our Common Ground” here.

In a few weeks the Common Ground Christian Network will send a “Pastoral Letter” to all of its members—including Anglicans—telling about a recent report  by the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights. The report claims that faith groups are using religious freedom as a pretext for “discrimination, intolerance, racism, sexism, homophobia, Islamophobia, Christian supremacy or any other form of intolerance.”  Translated: if the government decides Christians are not being “politically correct” in their public speech and actions, our sincerely and freely held Biblically based beliefs can be deemed mere discrimination and punished accordingly. This represents a dangerous step in the aggressive secularization of North America. The goal of the CGCN’s letter will be to make our constituents more aware of growing threats to religious freedom and to encourage them to stand up for religious freedom for all. Know that the American Anglican Council, through its work in the Common Ground Christian Network, is leading this group and please pray for our efforts.

Last night I heard Dr. Albert Mohler (right) of the Southern Baptist Conference address this very issue of the increasingly aggressive secularization of American culture. He described the stages of secularization, the threat to the Church, and preached from Matthew 12:39 about the “signs of the darkening skies” to which Jesus calls us to pay attention. When skies are fair, leadership is easy. In these days of darkening skies in America, leadership and faithfully following Jesus is not as easy.  But we were made and called for such a time as this!  Dr. Mohler reminded us that we must not cave in to the fleshly values of pessimism or wishful optimism. Instead, we must embrace the biblical values of realism WITH HOPE. 

And hope has a name—Hope’s name is Jesus Christ, our once and present and future King who is LORD of all and has called and prepared you and me for such a time as this!

The Rev. Canon Phil Ashey is President & CEO of the American Anglican Council.