Dear Friends of the Anglican Realignment,
The crisis of the kidnaped and stolen school girls in Nigeria continues
to weigh on everyone's heart. Everyone who has an ounce of compassion in
their heart prays and cries with the parents of these young girls. The
Anglican Primate of Nigeria, the Most Reverend Nicholas Okoh has issued a
call to all of his churches to begin a week of prayer beginning Monday,
May 12 for the safe release of the Chibok schoolgirls, for the insecure
situation that has arisen in Nigeria, and for all of the victims of the
Boko Haram terrorism. I urge all of my readers to join in this prayer and
supplication for this next week, and to include these concerns in Sunday
prayers on the 11th.
The Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) is the largest Anglican
Province in the entire communion, and has the largest in church
attendance on Sundays. Their numbers have grown to over 20 million in
church - actual people you could find and meet - unlike the Church of
England which claims about 20 million members but has only 700-800
thousand who attend church services. In December of 2007 I was
consecrated a bishop by the Church of Nigeria, and although I am now in
retired status, I continue to assist occasionally in the U.S.A. as
requested.
In other news this week, we read that the former American Episcopal
Church bishop of New Hampshire, the Rt. Rev Gene Robinson, is divorcing
for the second time. His first divorce was from his wife and mother of
his children at the time when he first announced that he was homosexual.
As state laws changed, he married his same-sex partner, but now they are
divorcing. Some have suggested that his divorce underlines that marriage
is meant to be between a man and a woman, but I don't agree, since this
is after all his second divorce, his first being from a woman. No one
should rejoice that Gene Robinson and his partner have this pain and new
confusion in their lives, and if you feel disposed, pray for them both
that they might find a restoration of God's original plan for their
lives, and discover an order and coherence based firmly on God's Word.
The simple truth is that God established the lifelong relationship
between a man and a woman, wherein they leave behind their former primary
relationships and join together and are united in the eyes of God and the
community as husband and wife and this relationship is named marriage.
God did not establish, nor does he bless, couples of the same gender
living together as if they were married without making the commitment
that marriage entails, nor does he bless or establish marriage as being
possible between people of the same gender no matter who presides over
the service. It really is that plain and simple, no matter how much the
gay and lesbian community wants same-sex marriage to be accepted and
written into law. The only laws that endure are God's laws and they don't
change even if secular judges or legislators decide otherwise. The
same-sex attraction that some feel is a fundamental disordering of the
natural and intended pattern intended by God for humankind. Acting out
this fundamental disordering results in confusion and the desire to
remake theology and society to better reflect the disorder itself. We are
seeing the results of this disorder in church and society at all levels
and all parts of the world. May God have mercy on us all and restore us
to his desired order.
As we draw closer to the June meeting of the Anglican Church in North
America's College of Bishops' Conclave, when, God willing, a new
Archbishop will be chosen, I ask your prayers for the bishop electors,
for their discernment and openness to the Holy Spirit's guidance, for the
bishop who is chosen, and for all representatives and participants in the
meetings that will follow the election.
Blessings and Peace in Jesus Christ,
+David
The Rt. Rev. David C. Anderson
AAC President and Chairman of the Board
|
|
|
No comments:
Post a Comment