Anglican Mainstream has KENYA: Bishop Says GAFCON not LAMBETH is Anglican Province’s Choice.
When the Rt. Rev. Dr. Eliud Wabukala, from Bungoma in Western Kenya, was asked why he was going to GAFCON, but not to the Lambeth Conference in July, he told a congregation of Kenyans in his diocese that you don’t go to a place where men marry men.
“For us it is not just a theological issue, it is a practical issue. We don’t go to a meeting where men marry each other. That is not the way of God. It is not the way of the Lord or Scripture. This is the Sensus Fidelium. It is what the people of God believe, accept, and reject.”
The bishop said it was a “hard agonizing decision to make choosing not to go to Lambeth. The question then was what do we do? It became clear to us that we had to go to GAFCON.
“GAFCON was never conceived as an alternative to Lambeth. We cannot go there (Lambeth) so what is the alternative then? We need to recover accountability in the church. We need to re-establish confidence in the church. While we believe dialogue has ended over sexuality issues not all the orthodox believe that dialogue with Lambeth has ended. Many believe it has ended and we are among them. Some orthodox want to continue to talk and dialogue. We are in a period of discernment for the orthodox, but we cannot do that by going to Lambeth, it would compromise us…
“We don’t go to a meeting where men marry each other.”
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Gee, and all along we’ve been hearing that this was about the “authority of Scripture.”
Guess we were right, then: it’s all about homosexuality. And specifically, about MALE homosexuality, and about how people don’t care for it.
Interesting….
It’s just a Sad situation, all around. In need of much prayer.
The notable phrase here is that ‘dialogue has endede’
Since when did churches like this one ever enter into dialogue? Since when are they capable, given their theology, of dialogue, when everything is right/wrong, black/white
The fact that the UK has civil partnership is a reality, and this shows more than ever that the real aim is to establish a communion which does not have Canterbury at its centre and would not have room for those who wish dialogue to continue.
So, on the agenda at Lambeth 2008: weddings. We could have a “Take your partners for the Bishops’ ball” Bishop Cyril Partnership and his close friend, Bishop Marion Art Thealtar.
Correct me if I’m wrong but I wasn’t aware that the Lambeth Conference had a wedding between men on its agenda.
Mind you, since the Rt. Rev. Dr. Eliud Wabukala clearly knows absolutely the mind of God then who can argue with him?
Same old, same old. You’d laugh it wasn’t so damned tragic.
There are some outstanding thinkers, and men of God, among Anglican bishops in Africa…
…and Rt. Rev. Dr. Eliud Wabukala ain’t one of ’em. 🙁
[“Dr.”? Are you kidding me? On the basis of his statement here, I don’t think he could pass one of TEC’s more rigorous *parish-based* Bible courses!]
Lord have mercy!
Now I understand it! This isn’t about religious values. This is all about cultural hangups regarding the alleged degradation of male primacy. No mention of lesbianism. Does this mean that women can have a same-sex marriage?
Perhaps he does need to clarify. I think that he was referring to ‘Lambeth’ as meaning ‘a meeting in the UK’ where civil partnership exists ( which is gay marriage by any other name, of course)
I can’t see what else that could mean because clearly Lambeth as an event isn’t supporting Gene Robinson’s presence.
‘The place where men marry men’ is the UK and this appears to me to be evidence that the real agenda is to establish a communion centred outside Canterbury, and outside the UK.
Another realignment campaign shot across the bow of the historic CoE/Canterbury call to function as a key sign of broad church Anglicanism. No doubt this will get loud play in some realignment quarters – we cannot afford to be soiled by committed citizens pledging lifelong love and care for one another. Indeed. At least this bishop does not cloud the issues – contamination, disgust, fear, and dislike. Oh BTW, the conversation has ended, by bishop’s fiat it would appear. So much for modernity (including the tetchy human sciences that are busy overturning out traditional boats), equal citizenship, global peace across… Read more »
drdanfee,
You are properly angry when others presume to speak for you, here you are with a tissue of misrepresentations speaking with dripping contempt for evangelicals (has little or nothing to do with any I know). Do you actually know any?
If you can get the apostle’s point in 1 Cor 5:6-12 you might get the point evangelicals are trying to make. Care and respect for another as a person does not equal approval of all that peerson stands for or does! Perhaps we can stop talking simply into the wind.
Ben W