EXPRESSO_Faith >> By Steve Osuji
A confounding quagmire: Oh what a troubling time for Anglicanism! What a confounding guagmire for the second largest Christian denomination in the world!
The auguries are at once so ominous and dark, that no one can possibly conjecture the end of it.
Yes, Anglicanism was always a child born out of contradictions, and strife even; but its current predicament will try the souls of this 500 years old denomination and its over 85 million members worldwide. But true adherents say God is merely working out His purposes.
A WOMAN IN CANTERBURY CATHEDRAL: A few days ago, the Prime Minister of Britain, having secured the approval of the King, announced the nomination of Dame Sarah Elizabeth Mullally (nee Bowser) as the 106th Archbishop of Canterbury Cathedral, England.
By this gesture, Dame Sarah, who’s currently the Bishop of London, becomes the head of the Church of England, Anglican Communion and also the ceremonial head of all Anglicans world-wide.
A retired Chief Nursing Officer of England, it is remarkable that she’s the first woman to be so appointed in the annals of Anglicanism.
But the Anglican world is not rejoicing. In fact, her designation has brought widespread condemnation from Nigeria and a chunk of the Anglican family abbreviated as GAFCON.
Global Anglican Future Conference are the new Protestants, so to speak. They are the conservative Anglicans who insist on undiluted scriptures as held in the Bible. They uphold the true teachings of Christ and believe in the power of the holy spirit.
It is Gafcon members mainly in Africa, south America, Asia as well as a handful still left in North America and Western Europe who have risen in condemnation of the ascendance of 64 year-old Dame Sarah as archbishop of Canterbury.
In a statement a few days after the announcement of Dame Sarah, the Archbishop, Metropolitan and Primate of the Church of Nigeria, the Most Reverend Henry Chukwudum Ndukuba, described the decision to elevate Bishop Sarah as the Archbishop of Canterbury as “devastating”.
Ndukuba is probably the most influential Anglican leader in the world today overseeing a country of over 20 million worshippers, the single largest Anglican congregation worldwide.
Commenting further, Archbishop Ndukuba said: “This election is a further confirmation that the global Anglican world could no longer accept the leadership of the Church of England and that of the Archbishop of the Canterbury.
“As a member of the GAFCON family, the Church of Nigeria affirms the GAFCON position… and reaffirms our stance to uphold the authority of the Scriptures, our history, creeds, evangelism and holy Christian living, irrespective of the ongoing revisionist agenda, believing that our Lord Jesus Christ has built His church and “the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” (Matthew 16:18).
LIBERALS VERSUS CONSERVATIVES: The Church in Nigeria is distraught about this news and its Primate has voiced it most unequivocally. He thinks what happened in England is a “double jeopardy.”
First, in its insensitivity to the conviction of the majority of Anglicans who are unable to embrace the female headship of the Episcopate. And second, those who are disturbed that Bishop Mullally is a strong supporter of the same-sex marriage.
He recalled that in 2023, she voted to approve the blessing of homosexuals and she described the positive outcome of the process then as a moment of hope for the church.
From the Church of Uganda, headed by The Most Reverend Stephen Kaziimba Mugalu, a letter to the flocked, dated October 3rd states plaintively: ” I am writing to share the sad news that the Rt. Rev. Sarah Mullally, the Bishop of London, has been appointed as the next Archbishop of Canterbury.
The man in Uganda also spoke without equivocation about the stance of the Church in his country regarding this appointment:
“Make no mistake, this is a grievous decision at the highest levels of the Church of England to separate itself from the vast majority of global Anglican Communion,” Mugalu says in his letter.
BIRTH OF GAFCON:
From 2003, up to 2008, a deep gulf had opened in the world body of the Anglican Communion as headed by the Bishop of Canterbury when openly gay (homosexuals) were installed as bishops. Incrementally they were allowed to receive the holy sacraments and to be ordained as priests.
Finally the church allowed same sex marriage. And eventually, the ordination of woman priest, appointment of woman bishop … and now, archbishop.
It led to the birth of GAFCON as the Church in Africa, led by Nigeria (headed then by Rt. Revd Peter Jasper Akinola, Archbishop and Primate) and others in the southern hemisphere opposed to the emerging non-theological teachings as something close to heresy.
In 2014, the church, led by Canterbury ratified not just the ordination of women as priests, but their installation as bishops.
Canterbury, and most of Western Europe and North America, insist all of these new developments are in aid of love as professed by Christ.
THE WORD IS PLAIN: They aver that as Christians we should not judge. At least not based on an individual’s sexual preferences.
But the Word, as embodied in the Holy Bible is plain enough for all to understand. Where there seems to be the slightest obfuscation, proverbs and anecdotal stories are deployed to shed light.
Perhaps we shall have to jettison the Bible first so we may live and spiritual conduct affairs according to our human understanding.
But the conservatives argue that if God wanted same-sex conjugation, he would have made another man (Steve) to pair Adam in Eden and they would lay eggs to procreate. Or He would enact procreation by propagation.
But in His omniscience, God made an OPPOSITE SEX EVE: beautiful and purpose-built for procreation and as help meet for Adam.
His work is plain and perfect.
If God wanted the female gender to robe and minister in the sanctorium it would have been exemplified in the Holy book.
But in fact, not all men are to be priests. There’s a reason some are set apart for this sacred duty. Why must Christianity succumb to gender politics or the whims of the world?
Why is Christianity yielding to the dictates of the world and not of the Word?
CARE AND CURE, NOT INDULGENT LOVE: Today’s man would fervently seek to pervert the perfect work of his creator.
Perversion is but an affliction. You show love to the afflicted by proferring care and cure not by indulgence and normalising depravity.
God abhors same-sex cohabitation. The Bible in Old and New Testaments is replete with condemnations of such a most unnatural act. Not in one instance in the Scriptures does God show compassion or a hint of understanding to what is clearly human failing and amoral living.
RETURN TO SODOM AND GOMORRAH: God indeed, settled the matter in the story of Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 19 …) giving a hint of what might become of humanity if such vile is allowed to linger in the human society and how man would be worse than animal and therefore, unworthy to live.
Men of Sodom, (young and old), had become so depraved they would seek to rape even angels of God (Gen. 19:5). This provoked God exceedingly that he invoked a final obliteration of Sodom and Gomorrah, deploying a raging inferno.
S and G was a sample of Armageddon, it was a divine statement on the matter of homosexuality unbridled evil.
The fume of sin and depravity wafted up from S and G to the point that the host of the heavens almost got choked. God had to act with precision and alacrity to cleanse His lost creation by fire.
This issue can’t be plainer than this. It’s either you believe or you don’t. It’s either you are in Sodom and Gomorrah or you are out.
It’s either you are a Christian or you are not. God is not complicated.
Why did God not show love to the people of Sodom and Gomorrah?
CAN GAFCON LEAD THE REVIVAL: Can the church under GAFCON stand firm, insist on the undiluted word of God and lead the revival?
Or would it cave in to a dying church in Canterbury.
The great Church of England, the bastion of Christianity, is already a shadow of itself.
According to reports, though baptismal records may show membership of over ten million, barely one million members are in church every Sunday.
As it stands, it seems only a matter of time before the C o E becomes extinct, a mere historical record. Unless of course there’s a major revival or reformation as it was known in the days of yore.
GAFCON must be poised to lead the revival. GAFCON, if led by the spirit, must boldly step up and, re-evangelise the West, reclaiming the abandoned churches, refreshing the lost souls and presenting the word in its pristine form, in truth and spirit and love.
Not indulging perversion and human depravity, but with love that promotes care and cure and comfort for the sick of the mind.#
Osuji was editor with The Guardian and THISDAY, among others. He is also a Knight of St. Christopher.
Feedback: steve.osuji@gmail.com
