The Church of Nigeria – The Martyr Church of the Anglican Communion in the 21st Century
[Ed. Note: We conservatives and orthodox in the US moan and lament the General Convention and the way the Episcopal Church has "gone to the liberals." The Church in Nigeria, which suffered another massacre on Christmas Day of 12 more people, should teach us that we are very fortunate. No one hates us enough to burn down our buildings and murder our people coming out of church. It is difficult to be irrelevant - which is what the General Convention has declared us - but we are not being killed. As the new year approaches, let us contemplate how many would be left standing in our ranks if we were being killed. Pray for Nigeria and the Boko Haram whose hatred leads them to murder. Cheryl M. Wetzel]
http://www.anglican-mainstream.net/2012/12/28/the-church-of-nigeria-the-martyr-church-of-the-anglican-communion-in-the-21st-century/
December 28th, 2012
Evangelicals Now – January 2012
By the Rev. Canon Chris Sugden, Anglican Mainstream, Oxford, England
The Nigerian Anglican Church is the fastest growing Church in the Anglican Communion. Ninety seven new dioceses were created since the Anglican Decade of Evangelism was launched in 1988. It numbers today over 20 million churchgoing members. Many of those dioceses were in the Muslim north of the country. Cathedrals, churches and Christian communities in those areas have been targeted by the militant group Boko Haram.
5000 Anglicans gathered in the Ecumenical Christian Centre from November 5-9, 2012 for the second Divine Commonwealth Conference. The organization was superb, the security tight. The welcome and hospitality given to the eleven invited guests from UK, Kenya, Pakistan and USA could not have been warmer or more generous.
The Rev Omunwa Daniel, the priest of St Peter’s Kaduna told me he was sitting in the church office on the Monday of Holy Week 2012. The church was burnt to the ground that morning. The sexton’s house was destroyed and the sexton lost everything but escaped with his life. The congregation of 70 found it impossible to remain in that area. They moved to an area south of the city with a heavy heart , since they could not fulfil their mission to that community.
In his presidential address, the Primate of Nigeria, Archbishop Nicholas Okoh said “The Christian Faith is seriously under attack in Nigeria from two directions. From without, we are concerned about violent expressions of Islam represented by Boko Haram. In some parts of the North, the Christian faith is an endangered species: Boko Haram is not just against Christians, but has stated emphatically that it wants the Christian Faith rooted out of the North. As a result of the violence, many Christians have become intimidated and have to relocate to safer places. Our dioceses in Maiduguri, Damaturu, Kano, Bauchi, Yola, Zaria, Jos, etc are now drastically depreciated.”
He noted that African Traditional Religion is a threat in two ways: outright violent confrontations and presenting paganism as culture and tradition, with many ignorant Christians swallowing it thus promoting a syncretistic faith.
He continued that “the threat from within in is disunity among Christians. There is scarcely a common understanding of how to begin to approach the advance of violent Islam – some canvas fire for fire approach; others believe that good Christians must continue praying and even try to preach to the Muslims to change them; meanwhile the killing and the Muslim advance continue unchecked. In between the two extremes are those who believe in dialogue and seminars. Unfortunately Boko Haram is a faceless mafia, which makes this proposition merely academic, and non-effectual”
He concluded that “this makes the admonition of Jude very apt – contend earnestly for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints or compromise it and let it be distorted and ruined . Our generation must not fail.”
Dr Patrick Sookhdeo International Director of the Barnabas Fund, warned that the “Arab Spring” started by an unemployed Tunisian youth in early 2011 who set fire to himself could become a storm that would impact Nigeria in the near future.
“Boko Haram will not be subjugated easily”, he said. The lesson being learned around the world is that killing terrorists only causes the cancer to continue. The strategy must be to contain them, address the grievances which they exploit in the dispossessed and engage Government in taking the initiative.
He told the conference that In the near future the USA may well deploy troops in the region of Mali and Chad and the terrorists there will spread into Nigeria and cause chaos. The church must be prepared for the coming storm and create security plans and security support. They must decide where the lines to be defended should be drawn and what areas could not currently be held.
He reminded them of the important difference between a Christian man in the military defending people and an individual. Only the civilian military security authority has the monopoly of violence. The current chaos is due to the fact that Boko Haram has been allowed to be armed and active. If matters are left to individuals to defend themselves chaos will increase. Where the civil authority has failed, the church must co-ordinate civil defence initiatives to enable people to defend themselves under an appropriate authority.
Bishop Justin Welby has visited Nigeria over fifty times. He raised understanding of the Church of Nigeria in the Church of England by leading a debate in General Synod on Nigeria in February 2012. It is to be hoped this will continue when he is Archbishop of Canterbury.
Chris Sugden is a canon of St Luke’s Cathedral Jos, Nigeria
http://www.anglican-mainstream.net/2012/12/28/the-church-of-nigeria-the-martyr-church-of-the-anglican-communion-in-the-21st-century/
December 28th, 2012
Evangelicals Now – January 2012
By the Rev. Canon Chris Sugden, Anglican Mainstream, Oxford, England
The Nigerian Anglican Church is the fastest growing Church in the Anglican Communion. Ninety seven new dioceses were created since the Anglican Decade of Evangelism was launched in 1988. It numbers today over 20 million churchgoing members. Many of those dioceses were in the Muslim north of the country. Cathedrals, churches and Christian communities in those areas have been targeted by the militant group Boko Haram.
5000 Anglicans gathered in the Ecumenical Christian Centre from November 5-9, 2012 for the second Divine Commonwealth Conference. The organization was superb, the security tight. The welcome and hospitality given to the eleven invited guests from UK, Kenya, Pakistan and USA could not have been warmer or more generous.
The Rev Omunwa Daniel, the priest of St Peter’s Kaduna told me he was sitting in the church office on the Monday of Holy Week 2012. The church was burnt to the ground that morning. The sexton’s house was destroyed and the sexton lost everything but escaped with his life. The congregation of 70 found it impossible to remain in that area. They moved to an area south of the city with a heavy heart , since they could not fulfil their mission to that community.
In his presidential address, the Primate of Nigeria, Archbishop Nicholas Okoh said “The Christian Faith is seriously under attack in Nigeria from two directions. From without, we are concerned about violent expressions of Islam represented by Boko Haram. In some parts of the North, the Christian faith is an endangered species: Boko Haram is not just against Christians, but has stated emphatically that it wants the Christian Faith rooted out of the North. As a result of the violence, many Christians have become intimidated and have to relocate to safer places. Our dioceses in Maiduguri, Damaturu, Kano, Bauchi, Yola, Zaria, Jos, etc are now drastically depreciated.”
He noted that African Traditional Religion is a threat in two ways: outright violent confrontations and presenting paganism as culture and tradition, with many ignorant Christians swallowing it thus promoting a syncretistic faith.
He continued that “the threat from within in is disunity among Christians. There is scarcely a common understanding of how to begin to approach the advance of violent Islam – some canvas fire for fire approach; others believe that good Christians must continue praying and even try to preach to the Muslims to change them; meanwhile the killing and the Muslim advance continue unchecked. In between the two extremes are those who believe in dialogue and seminars. Unfortunately Boko Haram is a faceless mafia, which makes this proposition merely academic, and non-effectual”
He concluded that “this makes the admonition of Jude very apt – contend earnestly for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints or compromise it and let it be distorted and ruined . Our generation must not fail.”
Dr Patrick Sookhdeo International Director of the Barnabas Fund, warned that the “Arab Spring” started by an unemployed Tunisian youth in early 2011 who set fire to himself could become a storm that would impact Nigeria in the near future.
“Boko Haram will not be subjugated easily”, he said. The lesson being learned around the world is that killing terrorists only causes the cancer to continue. The strategy must be to contain them, address the grievances which they exploit in the dispossessed and engage Government in taking the initiative.
He told the conference that In the near future the USA may well deploy troops in the region of Mali and Chad and the terrorists there will spread into Nigeria and cause chaos. The church must be prepared for the coming storm and create security plans and security support. They must decide where the lines to be defended should be drawn and what areas could not currently be held.
He reminded them of the important difference between a Christian man in the military defending people and an individual. Only the civilian military security authority has the monopoly of violence. The current chaos is due to the fact that Boko Haram has been allowed to be armed and active. If matters are left to individuals to defend themselves chaos will increase. Where the civil authority has failed, the church must co-ordinate civil defence initiatives to enable people to defend themselves under an appropriate authority.
Bishop Justin Welby has visited Nigeria over fifty times. He raised understanding of the Church of Nigeria in the Church of England by leading a debate in General Synod on Nigeria in February 2012. It is to be hoped this will continue when he is Archbishop of Canterbury.
Chris Sugden is a canon of St Luke’s Cathedral Jos, Nigeria
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