There is a report in The Monitor (Kampala) by Tabu Butagira headlined Church of Uganda Steps Farther Away Over Gays (via AllAfrica.com)
…By Wednesday last week, at least 108 Ugandans had signed up to attend the June 22-29 symposium in Jerusalem that is expected to attract 1,000 people from 17 provinces of the Anglican Communion in the global south, representing about 35 million active followers.
The Communion has 38 provinces plus related churches representing some 80 million people across the world. Each province is led by a primate.
Forty two Ugandan bishops plus their spouses will be among those who will also visit sacred sites in Jerusalem such as the Mount of Olives, the Garden of Gethsemane and the Ophel Gardens and Temple steps where it is believed the first Pentecostal, Apostle Peter, preached…
The Rev. Canon Aaron Mwesigye said the upcoming conference will reinforce the faith and remove growing anxiety over the homosexuality and same-sex marriage debate that has pitted the liberal wing of the church against the conservative one.
“The Anglicans in Uganda want to remain steadfast in faith [but] when they begin to hear about things like homosexuality penetrating the Anglican Communion, they get worried that the future of Anglicans is uncertain,” said Canon Mwesigye, the spokesman/provincial secretary of the Church of Uganda.
This says 42 bishops, cf. Church Times report earlier, mentioning 31 bishops.
“representing about 35 million active followers” So the GAFCON organizers *claim*. “Temple steps where it is believed the first Pentecostal, Apostle Peter, preached…” First Pentecostal?! Say wha? [Or perhaps that’s just a typo, for “the first Pentecost”—which would, itself, be questionable, for it wasn’t the first *Jewish* feast of Pentecost, of course. Just the first where the Holy Spirit did Her flamey, tongue’d thing!] “The Rev. Canon Aaron Mwesigye said the upcoming conference will reinforce the faith and remove growing anxiety over the homosexuality and same-sex marriage debate . . . “The Anglicans in Uganda want to remain steadfast in… Read more »
But what about the Gafcon liberals split on divorce, womens ordination and the very meaning of the Gospel?
Hmm, it seems actually difficult to say what real word global critical steps GAFCONers think will be taken – since they intentionally are leaving out two of the large groups that are supposed to be powerfully affected, all over the planet, by whatever steps GAFCON thinks it is taking. The two groups intentionally left out are: (1)anybody round the planet who is not already a dyed in the wool religious conservative as GAFCON defines those limited terms, plus (2)the target groups whose daily lives are supposed to be most negatively affected by whatever negative things GAFCON manages to proclaim about… Read more »
“… homosexuality penetrating the Anglican Communion”?
“… will reinforce the faith…” ???!!!
“… and remove growing anxiety over the homosexuality and same-sex marriage debate that has pitted the liberal wing of the church against the conservative one”.
Surely it’s the other way around: “that has pitted the conservative wing of the church against the liberal one”? GAFfe CON is a traditionalist, not a “librul” take-over.
I know, JCF, the “first pentecostal” thing took me aback as well. Is it a typo? I don’t know, but I have to say I doubt it. Nigerian Anglicanism is very Evangelical, after all, and we have even had on this list someone purporting to be from Nigeria claiming quite vociferously that s/he had far more in common with the Pentecostals than with the rest of us. That might be isolated, but it is a feeling that IS out there. My attitude towards that is “No wonder we’re in the state we’re in.” It also gives me a lot to… Read more »
Apparently we now have an agenda to this very much a conference in Jerusalem:
http://pluralistspeaks.blogspot.com/2008/05/gafcon-agenda-conference.html
And that led me to speculate on the coming future:
http://pluralistspeaks.blogspot.com/2008/05/so-whats-latest-betting.html
which I had done before too, based on other material coming along about numbers:
http://pluralistspeaks.blogspot.com/2008/05/crystal-ball.html
The daftest thing, however, is the recent argument for a Covenant from the ACI – that instead of a division coming to the Communion, there should be a Covenant that organises – because so many Churches reject it – division, so that there are those who accept the Covenant and those who don’t.
http://pluralistspeaks.blogspot.com/2008/05/covenants-new-purpose-division.html
Well…
Good luck, is all I say ; = )
“…when [Anglicans in Uganda] begin to hear about…homosexuality penetrating the Anglican Communion, they get worried …”
Canon Mwesigye’s (unintentionally?) amusing comment probably does reveal a lot about what is involved here for many on a psychosexual level.
I too had a puerile giggle at the use of the word ‘penetrating’, Christopher, but look at what it reveals about their attitudes towards gay people. We are not IN the Church, we are forcing our way in, as though the thousands of faithful gay Anglicans, even millions, simply do not exist. They have the image of the Church of the pure being attacked by outside forces. Look at how often here conservatives display this idea that the Church is under attack by the gays and the faithless. If they acknowledge the presence of gays in the Church, and that… Read more »