Emmanuel Akli
30 July 2007
opinion
Takoradi — THE METROPOLITAN Archbishop of the Orthodox Anglican Church in the US State of North Carolina, the Most Rev. Dr. Scott E. McLaughlin says the failure of most American Bishops to condemn gay practice and lesbianism and the enthronement of gays as bishops in the Anglican Church does not mean that all Americans support this abominable practice.
He said because the American society had high respect for rights of individuals, it has not been easy for bishops who opposed the enthronement of gay bishops as being done by the Anglican church and the practice of gay and lesbianism itself to gain access to the major newspapers and other media houses to express their dissenting views.
Fortunately for Christian leaders in Africa, he said the media have been supportive of their cause of condemning this abominable behavior going on in the Anglican Church.
This, he continued, has created the impression that it was only bishops in Africa that were condemning the enthronement of gay bishops but it was not entirely true as most Americans are not in favour of the practice.
Most Rev. McLaughlin who was interacting with media men in Sekondi last week Friday said somewhere in 1964 a California Anglican Bishop called James Pike publicly denied the birth and death of Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit but despite the protestations from deacons and other leaders of the church, the head of the Anglican church refused to punish the bishop for such a blasphemous statement.
He said it was based on this that some members left the main Anglican Church to form the Orthodox Anglican church that believed in the birth, death of Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit.
He regretted that years after the bishop had made that statement leading to the separation of the church; the same Anglican had now started enthroning gays as bishops in the church, which is against the teachings of the bible.
According to the Metropolitan Archbishop there might be many Anglican bishops in African who are not happy with the enthronement of gay bishops which he repeatedly referred to as an "abominable act" but because they are funded by these Anglican churches in the US and other developed countries, it would be very difficult for them to go public to condemn the act.
He therefore called for prayers for Anglican followers in Africa to enable them take firm decision on the matter.
McLaughlin has meanwhile inaugurated the Orthodox Anglican of which he is the head in Ghana at a colourful ceremony in Sekondi last Saturday with the call on the church members to bear good fruits as espoused by the bible. He said his outfit would allow the church in Ghana to use their own methods of worship but the doctrine of the church would strictly be the same- believing in what the bible says.
The Vicar general of the Sekondi Orthodox Anglican Church of the Saints Peter and Paul, the apostle diocese, The Very Rev. Dr. Jacob Augustine Welbourne in his speech said the ecclesiastical despotism, deceit, and abuse of the fundamental provisions of the constitution of the Anglican Diocese of Sekondi contributed to their separation from the Sekondi Anglican church to affiliate with the Orthodox Anglican church. He said at a certain point in time the diocesan leadership of the Sekondi St. Andrew Anglican Church even had their hands in the jailing of some of them for contempt of court.
He said the new Orthodox Anglican church, which now has branches in Tarkwa, Effiakuma in Takoradi and Sekondi itself, has the vision to create a Christian community that moves together with a shared vision and common understanding. Plans are far advanced to establish branches in Accra and other parts of the country.
The Western Regional Minister, Mr. A. E. Amoah on his part recalled the efforts made by the regional co-coordinating council to amicably resolve the impasse in the Sekondi Anglican, which failed to work. He said the regional administration was even cited for contempt of court in the heat of the impasse. He assured the gathering that his administration would not side with any particular religious body but would work to ensure peace and unity in the region.
He congratulated the leadership of the church and hoped the inauguration of the Orthodox Anglican church would bring honour to the western region. The dispute over the election of Anglican Bishop for the Sekondi diocese led to over 80% of the members of the church breaking away to form The Orthodox Anglican Church in Sekondi on July 30th 2006.
Be the first to Write a Comment!
Copyright © 2007 Ghanaian Chronicle. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.
AllAfrica aggregates and indexes content from over 125 African news organizations, plus more than 200 other sources, who are responsible for their own reporting and views. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica.
