An Advocacy group led by the National Chairman of the Voice of Laity Advocacy in Zimbabwe on Thursday staged an anti-homosexuality protest in Harare.
The group petitioned Bishop Nhiwatiwa and his delegates who voted for the upholding of LGBTQ rights in the church at the recently held General Conference held in the United States of America.
Chairman James Kawadza condemned recent changes made by the United Methodist Church (UMC) describing them as a violation of biblical teachings.
"What the delegates voted into church law violates the Bible at the just ended denomination's General Conference held in Charlotte, North Carolina, United States of America
"The Bible does not change to suit man's experiences but man must seek righteousness as guided by the Bible. The United Methodist Church has chosen to follow what pleases man instead of what pleases God", said Kawadza
Kawadza also accused the UMC leadership of attempting to "sanitize" changes to please the local churches while adhering to Zimbabwean laws that criminalize homosexuality.
"We are mindful of the attempts by the bishop to sanitize these matters to appease the local churches at the same time being in adherence to the Zimbabwean Laws through a Communique that was circulated in local churches.
"Homosexuality is unlawful in Zimbabwe and marriage is between a man and a woman. The church has aligned with the Rainbow Movement and this is also a threat to our African traditions and human existence at large.
"During the proceedings, the atmosphere clearly showed that Africans are not valued. This shows that the General Church only accommodates Africans to gain the legitimacy of a global church.
"The US wants to treat Africa as Mission Outposts where they leave some money and then have a holiday and go back feeling good about themselves. Homosexuality is not contextual; it is an abomination where Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed by fire and the emphasis was not to look back and when she did, Lot's wife was turned into a pillar of salt", said Kawadza.
The Voice of Laity Advocacy has called forward the Zimbabwe Episcopal Area Resident Bishop to convene a special session of the Annual Conference by June 30 to address the issues raised.
