There have been lots of news reports about the recent meeting of America’s Episcopal bishops and their reluctance to shift direction on the ordination of homosexuals in response to the appeals of the worldwide Anglican communion. (Click here for one analysis.) As a result, it’s still likely that a split is coming that will separate the US church from the the majority of Anglicans in the Global South.
Some have expressed concern about this possibility, given that the US church gives a disproportionate share of funding to the Anglican cause. But Peter Akinola, the Nigerian bishop who has become a leader for Anglican conservatives, has made it clear that lost dollars will not deter the church in beiong faithful to God’s Word. He has said:
“We in Africa are always on the receiving end. We have had human slavery, political slavery, economic slavery and now religious slavery. We in the church are saying no. We are prepared to live by what God says, not what you say. Man shall not sleep with man, woman shall not sleep with woman.
“We in Africa are always on the receiving end. We have had human slavery, political slavery, economic slavery and now religious slavery. We in the church are saying no. We are prepared to live by what God says, not what you say. Man shall not sleep with man, woman shall not sleep with woman.
“They are trying to make my God a liar. That I will not accept. If that’s the case, then better to be poor and loyal to God than to have all the money in the world. If we are faithful to God, we can meet all our needs.” (Peter J. Akinola, interview with Glenn McKenzie, AP, The State.com, November 27, 2003)