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Compromise Over Homosexuality at Your Peril, African Anglican Leaders Warned
Monday, August 11, 2003
Nairobi, Kenya (CNSNews.com) - Membership of the Anglican (Episcopalian) Church and appreciation for Christianity in Africa could be affected by the recent election of a homosexual as an Episcopal bishop in the U.S.
Religious analysts here have warned that any decision by African church leaders to compromise over the homosexuality issue could trigger mass defections from Anglicanism to Africa-instituted denominations, seen to conform more closely to "African Christian values."
They said the differences within the Anglican Church over New Hampshire Bishop Gene Robinson's appointment would likely affect its ministry in sub-Saharan Africa.
"It will not be a surprise" if the Anglican Church breaks from the Church of England and other allied Western institutions, said religious scholar Ernest Ngigi of the University of Nairobi.
He noted that this has happened to other churches in the past. Differences between African and Western Christian churches arising during the colonization of Africa early in the last century had given way to the establishment of indigenous churches here.
If African church leaders reach a compromise to recognize the election of a homosexual bishop, said Ngigi, "we are likely to see this kind of break-up" again.
"Because African values are very specific on homosexuality, the Anglican Church here may suffer its largest backlash from the conservative rural folks, who are more religious - and form the bigger membership - than their urban counterparts in Africa."
Some here have warned that the Anglican Church in Africa cannot afford to lose the financial support of the Church of England in the event of a breakaway.
But James Thuku of Nairobi-based Trinity College - a theology training school - dismissed this fear.
Even if the African church cuts ties with the mother church, he said, the loss of financial support from the West, though significant, "will not mean much."
"We are already paying our church leaders with the monies given by our own people," Thuku said. "In any case, money cannot be used as a string attachment to justify acts against Christianity."
Theologians say the Anglican Church in Africa is well positioned to successfully handle church development, including training needs.
Concerns have been voiced, though, that the crisis may affect Christian ministry and slow down the spread of Christianity in sub-Saharan Africa.
Thuku disagreed, saying Africa now had "enough people who will rightly go on with ministering to the people."
The titular head of the worldwide Anglican Communion, Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, has called for a special meeting to discuss the Robinson issue, which will be held in London in October.
Analyst Solomon Kirimi said here there would be "no case for negotiation," however.
African church leaders would be walking a tight rope if any compromise were reached to recognize the appointment, he said.
Doing so would amount to legitimizing evil "to suit the needs of the Big Brother church," he said.
Kirimi predicted that the church in Africa would likely see support for a breakaway from Anglican churches elsewhere in the world, especially in Asia.
The provost of the All Saints Anglican Cathedral in Nairobi, Peter Karanja, said the church in Africa would lobby the world Anglican Communion leaders to reverse the Robinson decision.
"We will not accept intimidation in order to support the infamous appointment, [simply] so as to continue receiving financial assistance from the U.S. affiliates," he said.
"We are ready to mobilize enough support to get the decision reversed since it never received the support of all the Anglican faithful in America."
Suggestions of a possible breakaway have been voiced by the head of the Anglican Church in Nigeria - home to the largest Anglican congregation outside of Britain - and Kenya.
But other church leaders, like South Africa's former Anglican Archbishop Desmond Tutu, who said he did not see what "all the fuss" was about, do not share them. Tutu urged homosexual clergy to remain celibate.
Tutu's successor, Archbishop Njongonkulu Ndungane of Cape Town, has also said the decision to elect Robinson should be respected.
Out of some 77 million Anglicans worldwide, about 38 million are Africans.
See Earlier Story:
Anglican Leader Calls Meeting to Discuss Homosexual Bishop (Aug. 8, 2003)
Send a Letter to the Editor about this article.
Religious analysts here have warned that any decision by African church leaders to compromise over the homosexuality issue could trigger mass defections from Anglicanism to Africa-instituted denominations, seen to conform more closely to "African Christian values."
They said the differences within the Anglican Church over New Hampshire Bishop Gene Robinson's appointment would likely affect its ministry in sub-Saharan Africa.
"It will not be a surprise" if the Anglican Church breaks from the Church of England and other allied Western institutions, said religious scholar Ernest Ngigi of the University of Nairobi.
He noted that this has happened to other churches in the past. Differences between African and Western Christian churches arising during the colonization of Africa early in the last century had given way to the establishment of indigenous churches here.
If African church leaders reach a compromise to recognize the election of a homosexual bishop, said Ngigi, "we are likely to see this kind of break-up" again.
"Because African values are very specific on homosexuality, the Anglican Church here may suffer its largest backlash from the conservative rural folks, who are more religious - and form the bigger membership - than their urban counterparts in Africa."
Some here have warned that the Anglican Church in Africa cannot afford to lose the financial support of the Church of England in the event of a breakaway.
But James Thuku of Nairobi-based Trinity College - a theology training school - dismissed this fear.
Even if the African church cuts ties with the mother church, he said, the loss of financial support from the West, though significant, "will not mean much."
"We are already paying our church leaders with the monies given by our own people," Thuku said. "In any case, money cannot be used as a string attachment to justify acts against Christianity."
Theologians say the Anglican Church in Africa is well positioned to successfully handle church development, including training needs.
Concerns have been voiced, though, that the crisis may affect Christian ministry and slow down the spread of Christianity in sub-Saharan Africa.
Thuku disagreed, saying Africa now had "enough people who will rightly go on with ministering to the people."
The titular head of the worldwide Anglican Communion, Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, has called for a special meeting to discuss the Robinson issue, which will be held in London in October.
Analyst Solomon Kirimi said here there would be "no case for negotiation," however.
African church leaders would be walking a tight rope if any compromise were reached to recognize the appointment, he said.
Doing so would amount to legitimizing evil "to suit the needs of the Big Brother church," he said.
Kirimi predicted that the church in Africa would likely see support for a breakaway from Anglican churches elsewhere in the world, especially in Asia.
The provost of the All Saints Anglican Cathedral in Nairobi, Peter Karanja, said the church in Africa would lobby the world Anglican Communion leaders to reverse the Robinson decision.
"We will not accept intimidation in order to support the infamous appointment, [simply] so as to continue receiving financial assistance from the U.S. affiliates," he said.
"We are ready to mobilize enough support to get the decision reversed since it never received the support of all the Anglican faithful in America."
Suggestions of a possible breakaway have been voiced by the head of the Anglican Church in Nigeria - home to the largest Anglican congregation outside of Britain - and Kenya.
But other church leaders, like South Africa's former Anglican Archbishop Desmond Tutu, who said he did not see what "all the fuss" was about, do not share them. Tutu urged homosexual clergy to remain celibate.
Tutu's successor, Archbishop Njongonkulu Ndungane of Cape Town, has also said the decision to elect Robinson should be respected.
Out of some 77 million Anglicans worldwide, about 38 million are Africans.
See Earlier Story:
Anglican Leader Calls Meeting to Discuss Homosexual Bishop (Aug. 8, 2003)
Send a Letter to the Editor about this article.
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