Source: Anglican Mainstream
July 31st 2007
"They had us as human slaves, political slaves and economic slaves. They
want to come for spiritual slaves. Now we won't accept it."
The Primate of the Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion), Most Rev.
Peter Akinola has manifested as a lone voice in the crusade against the
attempt to re-write the scripture by some Anglicans in Europe and South
America, with the admission of people who practise homosexuals as
priests and even bishops in the church.
This has caused a wide division within the church. However, next year,
the once- in-10 years Lambeth Conference of all Anglican Bishops from
all over the world will hold in August at the Lambeth Palace, residence
of the Archbishop of Canterbury and spiritual head of the estimated 78
million Anglicans world-wide Dr. Rowan Williams.
The meeting will provide a platform to assess the impact of this
division. Nigerian bishops, the largest in the communion, have
threatened to boycott the meeting except an invitation is extended to
Rt. Rev. Martyn Minns, the bishop of the Convocation of Anglicans in
North America (CANA), created by the Nigerian bishops, to cater for the
interest of their members, who are opposed to the churches with
homosexual priests in America. Akinola has written to the Lambeth Palace
to protest the development; and in his office in Abuja recently, he
spoke to DICKSON ADEYANJU of the Guardian in Nigeria on this issue and
how much damage the same sex crisis has done to the Anglican Church,
which broke away from the Catholic Church in the 16th century and became
the official church of England since then.
Excerpt: There have been so much crises with regard to the next year
Lambeth Conference and it is almost certain now that Nigerian Bishops
are not going to participate in it. What are the issues at stake?
As you probably know, the Lambeth Conference is the gathering of
Anglican Bishops, once in 10 years. Essentially, it is not a parliament;
it is not a legislative body, it doesn't have any constitutional power,
it does not have power to take decision for anybody. But they come
together to pray together, think together, to study the word of God
together. Decisions reach during the meeting may have some moral
influence on some part of the church. So the meeting is consultative and
advisory.
However, in the last few decades, because the Anglican Communion has
emerged as an association of independent sovereign provinces around the
world, the Lambeth Conference began to tackle more and more, issues in
the church that have impact upon the Anglican church around the world.
For instance, in 1988, the issue of polygamy featured prominently during
the meeting. Very few Anglican Primates and Bishops from Africa were
there and they couldn't do much to register the African perspective. But
by 1998, we began to say, yes polygamy they are there in Africa quite
all right, but they are not given official recognition and so, you could
baptise a man who is polygamous, provided the Christian community there
agree to it that the man would not add more wives. So, you can see that
recommendation was made by Lambeth Conference and churches in Africa
took advantage of the recommendation. Lambeth Conference did not say you
must do this you must not do that. I have to give this explanation, so
people will understand the nature of the Lambeth Conference.
By 1998, the whole issue of human sexuality came out to dominate the
agenda of the conference and a group looked at that topic. The sub-group
came up with a recommendation to the plenary. The plenary was a much
bigger body than the sub-group. By this time, the largest group of
people in the plenary happened to be Africans and South Asians; the
group we call the South-South today, who disagreed with the
recommendations and views of the sub-group. Quite unexpectedly, we
pushed for a vote on the issue and an overwhelming majority of the
people in the plenary - 598 I think out of about 800 - voted in favour
of the African position that we cannot accept the same sex union, that
it is unscriptural, unbiblical. By the time we left the conference, it
was like we went away divided. Those who came with a usual, typical
Anglican way of doing things, thought they would have their way and so,
the Americans went away disappointed. That was the beginning of the
current problem. But we have said if they would not accept what the
majority of the people have said, then too bad; we will not take their
position as well because that position is for us un-African, inhuman,
unscriptural; and so, we won't accept it.
Like a joke, they thought that as Africans, we don't know what we are
doing; particularly, the Americans and you know they always have their
ways politically and economically. So, we have been dragging it since
1998 and Africans and some of our other colleagues in America, England
and South Asian, we have maintained our stand that we will not continue
with any of our church that ignore what the bible says. We have had
several conferences and several meetings, attended several commissions
to see how we could reconcile the western people with the so-called
conservatives, all to no avail. In fact when America tried to ordain a
practising homosexual as bishop, many conservatives broke communion with
them. So today, we are in a state of a broken communion in the Anglican
Church wordwide. This is critical and fundamental because when we say we
are in a state of a broken communion, it means that the other group has
been ex-communicated as it were or orstracised and you are not in
fellowship with them anymore until that communion is restored.
As I said, we have made several efforts in Lambeth Palace, and other
places, at reconciliation, but it hasn't work so far and we in Africa
are saying that until we resolve the issue and until we restore
communion we can't come together. What is the point of coming together?
Let me give you a clear illustration of what I'm saying:
In Lambeth Palace, we met as Primates, we could not share in the Lord's
Supper. It is as that bad. As Primates and Archbishops, we could not
share in the Lord's Supper - the highest and most important service in
our church. So, what is left of the church then? It happened in two
other places like that again and again, because the faith once delivered
to the saints has been abandoned as far as we are concerned. All we are
saying is that, look you don't have a monopoly of homosexuals in your
community. They are in Africa, they are in Abuja here and everywhere,
but we don't celebrate it for God's sake. Our duty is to counsel people
that are involve in it. To pray with them guide and advise them until
they will come back to their senses. Many who have this problem have
been healed world over. It is an acquired syndrome. But they say no, it
is not an acquired syndrome, it is the way they are made. But we say no
to that. God did not make a mistake in creation. God did not make a
mistake in creating a man and a woman and they cannot re-create what God
has already created.
So, when our brother, Rowan Williams, a man I admire so much, a man I
respect so much for his intellectual ability, spirituality - and he
knows that I love and respect him a great deal- but when it comes to
this, his position is baffling and we cannot sweep it under the carpet.
Communion must be restored first. We cannot go to Lambeth Conference to
go and restore communion. We must do this before we can meet at the
Lord's table.
So, that is where we are and when we heard that they have given
invitation to Lambeth Conference and one of our brothers was not
invited, I had to write to them on behalf of our bishops to say that
'not to invite one of our brother, is not to invite all the bishops in
Nigeria. Because the man they refused to invite did not just make
himself a bishop; we elected him, his election was confirmed by us and
we gathered as the Church of Nigeria to consecrate him'. So what is his
offence?
As soon as I did this, I called a meeting of our brother archbishops to
tell them what happened - and on their behalf, what I had done; and my
position was ratified by the archbishops, because I must carry them
along with me in all this matter. I am now required by my brother
archbishops to write a letter to Dr. Rowan Williams to tell him that
whatever is going to threaten our unity as Nigerian bishops, we will not
accept it. Because, not to invite one of us is to try to sow seed of
discord among us and we won't accept it.
Then, again - which is very important - the leader of the church in
Africa- CAPA- (Conference of Anglican Provinces of Africa) which I had
the privilege and honour of chairing, some time ago, we commissioned a
paper titled: The Road To Lambeth. That paper looked into the entire
Lambeth Conference history, and other things; and made some
recommendations among which are, we too in Africa have our problems,
which need to be address. For instance, poverty, HIV/AIDS, the insurgent
of Islam and all that. How do we contain all these? I have asked the
committee to go and see how we can tackle these problems. But also, the
papers say that until and unless those with whom we have a broken
communion repent and communion is restored, the church in Africa may not
go to the Lambeth Conference. This document was commended to all the
provinces for further studies last year. So, when we met in
Dar-el-Salam, Tanzania last February, eight of the provinces re-affirmed
that they would abide by the position of the paper as far as the Lambeth
Conference is concerned. Uganda, Kenya, West Africa, Nigeria have all
endorsed it. So, this not a mere threat. We are simply saying that we
cannot keep fire under our roof and go to bed. A problem such as this
cannot be swept under the carpet.
What are the challenges and implications of this broken communion as it
were?
The challenges are immense. When bishops gather in our church and they
cannot share the Holy Communion, in the Lord's Supper, that is dreadful
and indeed painful. It is agonising but if that is what we have to do to
address the fact that we are in a broken communion over this matter, we
have to do it. It is painful, and unfortunate for me not to be able to
receive a communion from my fellow bishop. But we told the American
church in October 2003, that if they go ahead to ordain the same sex man
as bishop, that action would tear sacred of our communion. It has to be
like that; maybe because the Lambeth Conference used to be leisurely
gathering where they just discuss and go away, where decisions are never
bidding.
If Nigeria had not taken this position and had allowed it to go like
that what would have happened to our faith in this country? What would
our Christian brothers say to us as Anglicans? I tell you, we would have
closed our church in Nigeria in shame. We cannot say that we are in a
communion and allow whatever they say to just go like that. Let me also
say this: that in our human existence in this world, there was a time
Africans were slaves; but we came out of it. But what again followed?
Political slavery, under colonial administration. Somehow, we came out
of it. Then economic slavery: World Bank, IMF would tell you what to do
with your money and your own resources. Now, it is spiritual slavery and
we have to resist this. They had us as human slaves, political slaves
and economic slaves. They want to come for spiritual slaves. Now we
won't accept it.
South Africa appears to have a different approach to this. They are
supporting the same sex thing in the church. Why do you think they are
taking an opposing view against the general African position?
You also need to know the history of South Africa. They came out of
apartheid regime. There is a lot of talk about social injustice, human
right abuses and so on during the old regime. For many of them in that
country, it is a question of human right. That if a man wants to marry a
man; so what? The parliament in South Africa, you must know, has passed
a bill to legalise the same sex union - to say it is lawful for a man to
marry a man and for a woman to marry a woman. So, this has put the
church in a corner so to say. Even in England, the parliament passed the
bill, which they called Civil Partnership and the church supported it by
saying that as long as they maintain celibacy and I said: 'look are you
going to put camera in their bedroom to monitor what they would be doing
when they are alone?' They are urging us to think more of our poverty,
HIV/AIDS and other problems and forget this matter. But Jesus told his
disciples that 'you will always have the poor with you'. But we are
talking souls, eternity and kingdom of God and you cannot equate it with
anything. HIV/AIDS will come and go; poverty will come and go. But the
matter of faith is eternity. They are not the same levels. So, South
Africa is part of Africa and they have taken their own decision. That is
why I said earlier that only eight have endorsed our position paper. I
have not heard from others provinces yet. At that meeting, Sudan did not
come and there was no delegate, South Africa, Burundi and maybe three
others remaining that have not responded.
But out of the eight that responded, Nigeria Uganda and Kenya in terms
of strength, we already represent more that half of the entire Anglicans
in the world. We are talking of about 20 million Anglicans in Nigeria
alone and nearly 10 million in Uganda.
Are you looking forward to a situation where the American church will
reverse what they have done?
That is our prayer and our hope. The word of God has never changed so if
they can look back and change, that is the desire of the church. So, our
people whether in England or in America, who have shifted the word and
abandoned the teachings of God, they are the ones to repent. I will be
the first to restore communion with them if they do so. But until that
happens... Lambeth Conference is not a place where you go to determine
the policy or the doctrine of the church. I've told my friend Rowan
Williams that the road to God's kingdom does not pass through Lambeth
Palace or Canterbury. Look, England is our mother church but when they
begin to do the kind of thing they are doing and the church looks
elsewhere, as if it doesn't matter, I have to say it matters.
Why are parts of the western world looking at the scripture in this way
now?
No, the scripture is not dead. What is happening is that the tone of the
modern culture is very strong in the western world and the church is
becoming a minority voice. So, there is this tendency to have a new way
of looking at things there - in a way to accommodate this modern
pressure; and they will want to look at the scripture from this
perspective too. But the way we were taught is; what is God saying? To
whom is He saying this? In what context is this said? How is this
applied to my context? How does the scripture challenge my situation?
And we end up by saying whatever in my situation that God's word cannot
challenge and evangelise, too bad.
For instance, there used to be human sacrifice in our community in
Africa. But the gospel came and addressed that and we stopped it. So, to
them what is God saying today through modern practice? Instead of
bringing out God's word to address the situation, they want to see it
the other way. They read into the scripture what they think the
scripture is saying; and that is wrong. So, essentially, it is an
attempt by them to superimpose the European cultural values on the
scripture.
How have you been able to ward off pressure from them to soft - pedal on
this situation?
Well, of course, many of our friends in the western world believe that
it is a matter of money; and that any African leader, there is a price
tag on their forehead; and that if they dangle carrot and money on them
they will keep quiet. That temptation was very real. But thanks be to
God that there is no price tag on Akinola's forehead and I'm happy to
say that what we are fighting is not about money but about God's
kingdom, His authority and His word. So, that is clear. But the truth is
that there are lots of attempts here and there and I must say that a few
of our leaders are falling into that trap in Africa and that is
unfortunate. I was into poverty and I grew in it, so I have no problem
dealing with poverty. But some of our people in Africa are falling into
the temptation because of the poverty level among them and so, they will
not be able to oppose America. We have fail to fall into the temptation
of taking their money. We are cutting our coat according to available
materials.
Again in terms of personal risk, the Lord is my shelperd I shall not
want. There are threats at all levels, in my journeys, in hotels, but
the good Lord has always seen me through. For me, whether I live or I
die, it does not matter. If I die, hallelujah death for me will become a
gateway to eternity. I know where I'm going; that is the important
thing. But the most damaging of all the attack is the media. They use
the media to demonise me. They call me all sorts of names. They attack
me from all the angles; what I say, what I don't say, what I meant what
I don't mean... they heap all that upon me. But again, it doesn't
matter. But that is the character of all human beings. If there is rain
they blame God, if there is no rain, they blame God; if there is
sunshine they blame God and if there is none, they blame God. So, who am
I? That they found me worthy of this media attack, I celebrate and
rejoice that I'm counted worthy of being demonised by the world. Peter,
Paul and all other greater men of God suffered this. It is a big price
to pay.
THE church in Africa has really not spoken against the genocide in
Darfur, southern Sudan, where essentially, Christians are facing
persecution. Why is this so?
We have a huge problem in this area. The question is how much can we
really do from outside? Very little to say the truth. Let me say this
much that we are not unaware of the problem in southern Sudan. But for
Africa to have a voice, we are now processing to EU (European Union) to
be recognised as an observer. We have a brilliant lawyer in Kenya who is
working on that for us - as you know that headquarters of CAPA is in
Kenya. So, once we have a recognition, that will give us a platform on
which we can begin to do something. But as an outsider, there is just
little impact that we ca make as our voice will have no effect. But in
our resolutions at synods, we often condemn the genocide there and in
our letters. But we are praying that before long we will get this status
of recognition and we would be able to take more decisive actions.
How is your church in America doing?
Let me start by saying that Bishop Minns has been a foremost leader in
his own right among the evangelical group in America. He is one of the
most powerful preachers of the wholesome word of God and we have been
working together for a long time at various levels. So, when the
question arose as to who should we elect as the first bishop of CANA, we
were looking for someone who can take on this challenge, who has the
courage, the stamina, but above all, someone who loves Jesus, who can
stand the temptation and trials of this issue. So, he was nominated and
he happened to be the sole candidate and so, he secured all the votes
and we followed all the constitutional requirements and he was
consecrated.
How is CANA doing?
Fantastic. Even as at last week, five huge parishes voted to join CANA.
This is meant to provide a spiritual haven for those who could not
continue to be under the church in America. Now, people are coming out
in large numbers to say they want to be members of CANA. It is doing
very well even though it is also undergoing a very huge legal battle
with ECUSA (the Episcopal Church in America). One of their leaders said
they have set aside over eight billion dollars to fight us and I said
that is very good, because I don't even have eight naira to fight them.
But I know it is God's own battle and we will overcome. But we also
continue to salute the courage of the people in America, who have seen
that their spirituality is hampered by continuing to be part of ECUSA
and they have decided to be part of CANA. These people are not just
ordinary Americans; they are leaders and well recognised people - who is
who in Washington DC. So, we are encouraged and strengthened by what we
see.
Read here: http://tinyurl.com/2rz4c7
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