Bishop Martyn Minns defends Archbishop Akinola at an opportune time.
The Truro Church website carried this item:
A Statement of Clarification
In a recent Washington Post article, Archbishop Peter J. Akinola was characterized as “an advocate of jailing gays.” That is not true.
Archbishop Akinola believes that all people “whatever their manner of life or sexual orientation” are made in the image of God and deserve to be treated with respect. “We are all broken and need the transforming love of God,” Archbishop Akinola said to me during a recent conversation.
Archbishop Akinola also said, “Jesus Christ is our example for this. He refused to condemn the woman caught in adultery instead he said. ‘Go now and sin no more.’ That is an essential part of the message of the Gospel and the teaching of our congregations.”
Your brother in Christ,Martyn
Bishop Martyn Minns may report as he wishes, and the Archbishop may say what he wants, but the Archbishop continues to support the proposed law in Nigeria. Changing Attitude has this to say about the current state of the proposed law and the Archbishop’s concerns:
“At home in Nigeria Archbishop Peter Akinola is confronted by further worries. He has started a new lobby in the National Assembly about the bill to ban same-sex marriage, his anxiety raised by the approval of same-sex marriage in South Africa.
The bill is presently on the table of the House of Representatives Committee on Human Rights. The new development in South Africa has made the Archbishop so worried that he is talking with top government officials who are Anglicans. He is asking them to do this one favour for God and the Church. Archbishop Akinola feels humiliated that the bill has still not passed even when the presidency has appeal to the law makers to favour the bill which originated with the president.”
It would appear that far from not wanting to jail gay folk and their advocates, the Archbishop is hard at the task of getting precisely such a bill passed.
Bishop Minns cannot be unaware of the charges raised by Changing Attitude. He must therefore be hoping that his assurance to his parish will keep them on the track of separating from the Episcopal Church and becoming part of the Province of Nigeria by way of CANA.
This assurance to Truro is highly suspect.
12/06/2006
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Mark, what part of "does not support jailing gays" do you not understand?
ReplyDeleteAnd here you are spreading rumors from a British gay activist lobby group that obviously doesn't have any agenda - do you think we're going to buy that? What a joke. Do you think we don't know what you're doing? And you are an elected official of the Episcopal Church! Good God!
You are quoting a lobbing activist group - I work in Washington, DC. This is the oldest game in the world and it doesn't work! Repeating rumors and innuendoes to smear an archbishop in the Anglican Communion (especially when you are an official of the Episcopal Church) is despicable and I wish you would stop it. You do no favors for TEC.
So much for supporting the MDGs. Is that just a publicity stunt for TEC as well? It sure is looking that way because if you actually supported the MDGs you would know better. Ask Bono if you don't believe me.
bb
Baby Blue,
ReplyDeleteI have read the proposed legislation. I have read Archbishop Akinola's Standing Committee's statements (which he signed.) The clear evidence from these primary sources is that Akinola supporta an up to five year prison sentence for anyone who advocates for, engages in, supports or celebrates same-sex marriage or "activity" -- not only those engaging in the "activity."
I fail to see what bringing up the MDGs does for your argument, other than to demonstrate another good Washington technique of obfuscation.
It seems clear to me, sir, that the Episcopal Church is supporting MDGs in an attempt to rehabilitate its public image. That TEC officials make public statements about Nigeria (and Anglican leaders in Nigeria) in the manner that you both have sadly appears to reveal a disturbing lack of insight mixed with an alarming amount of naivete, and, frankly, an inclination toward recklessness. Even the Prince of Wales recently toured Nigeria and saw for himself the situation on the ground, that - as Bono says, is dangerously close to becoming another Iran. If that is what you wish sir, please continue your outrageous statements. But they reveal a bankruptcy of understanding for anything that reaches outside the purview of your own comfy chair.
ReplyDeletebb
Dear Baby Blue --- the facts are clear - read the primary source material abou the legislation and its supporters. As to Episcopal MDGs and Nigeria - we have continually offered to support work there but Abp Akinola refuses our "tainted money." We stand ready and do work through other agencies when we can. It may be more blessed to give but there has to be a recipient.
ReplyDeleteSomeone has obviously recently become a fan of Bono...using that line all over the net today, aren't we?
ReplyDeleteWhat I want to know is if Bp. Minns is offering a retraction on the behalf of the Archbishop regarding his previous statements in support of the Nigerian legislation?
If not, then it is quite obvious that Abp. Akinola is still an advocate for jailing all gays, and Bp. Minns is making false statements in the hopes of wooing those in Virginia, who may be having second thoughts, back into his fold.
Well, after reading a good many comments on the proposed Nigerian legislation, I can say that a fair proportion of BabyBlue's cohort aren't worried about this law for one simple reason: They have no problem with jailing gay and lesbian people and their supporters. In fact, they'd like to see a version of the Nigerian law instituted here.
ReplyDeleteSee the comments on: http://www.standfirminfaith.com/index.php/site/article/1599/
including the following statement by Fr. Matt Kennedy: "There is nothing objectionable about the law itself." These are representative of a good many threads.
BabyBlue posted on the thread I have linked to. She has every reason to know what her fellow reasserters actually think about the Nigerian laws. Why the dissembling?
BabyBlue,
ReplyDeleteYour comment appears to bear no relationship to the matter under discussion, which is Martyn Minn's misrepresentation of Archbishop Akinola. I am well aware of the situation in Nigeria, as about 10-20 percent of my regularly attending parishioners are native-born Nigerians, and I hear what they have to say about the various situations there, including their great embarrassment at Archbishop Akinola.
Your diversionary tactic might work with a jury, but it will have no influence on the Judge, who has made it clear He has little patience with false witnesses.
It seems to me that you are continuing to make the case that the officials of The Episcopal Church are attempting to use the MDVs as a way of rehabilitating is own image (after being suspended - and still suspended - from the Anglican Consultative Council and for not fulfilling the requests of the Windsor Report).
ReplyDeleteI am going to say it again, for I know this personally. Archbishop Akinola DOES NOT favor jailing gays. Period. It is outrageous and if you had any idea of anything else beyond our American domain, you would get it. Bono gets it - why don't you?
I see - by your total lack or grasp of the reality on the ground in Nigeria, as well as what appears to be your lack of compassion for your brothers and sisters Anglicans in Nigeria that you care more about yourselves then you do gay Nigerians. You clearly have no idea what it is like to be in Nigeria nor the risk the Nigerian Church takes by being associated with ANY Americans (liberal or conservative - the Islamic militants don't care - they don't just jail Christians (gay or straight), they kill them, as they did in Iran). My suggestion to you is that you get yourself on a plane and go explore Nigeria and see the reality on the ground there, then come back and explain to us how you would implement then MDGs in Nigeria. I'll be all ears.
I don't suppose you can hear yourselves, but believe me, those who are working very hard to implement the eight MDGs need our help - all of them, including the Archbishop of Nigeria and the Chairman of CAPA.
bb
BabyBlue, here are some political facts on the ground that are also relevant, and are a little closer to home.
ReplyDeleteNamely, an underlying issue I would like to address, though it is difficult to do so in a respectful way. I will try –
Truro Church and Falls Church both have attracted a number of parishioners who are powerful figures in the Washington Republican Establishment. I have seen the following names mentioned here and on Stand Firm! (corrections welcomed): U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzalez, Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, and journalist Fred Barnes.
One of the main power sources for this Republican Establishment is Vice President Cheney, whose daughter Mary is Lesbian. She and her life partner have just announced that they are expecting a baby. The Vice President and Mrs. Chaney have issued a statement welcoming the baby as their sixth grandchild.
Clearly, this puts a number of Truro and Falls Church parishioners in an awkward political position, just at the moment when they must vote on whether to join Archbishop Akinola’s CANA or remain with the Episcopal Church. (Most of you will remember that the Cheneys are also Episcopalian.)
For example, it would be politically inconvenient for these members of the Republican Establishment openly to favor jailing the Vice President’s daughter for her “Lesbian conduct,” or (as the proposed Nigerian laws favored by Archbishop Akinola would allow) jailing the Vice President and Mrs. Cheney for their supportive statements.
This is not just a Nigerian issue, as I said earlier. A number of BabyBlue's cohort have favored similar American laws, or otherwise gone on record in favor of jail terms for gay and lesbian persons. (Of course, I will provide more quotations on request.)
So BB,
ReplyDeleteAre you saying that Akinola didn't really mean it when he pressed, twice, for the passage of the Nigerian Bill? That, perhaps, he was only saying it to provide a good appearance to the Muslim extremists? That this is just a matter of political expediency?
You claim to know Akinola's personal opinion. That must be based on something he has said to you, privately, I suppose, since it is clearly not in keeping with his public statements -- or can you direct me to one? But doesn't it seem likely that his private comment to you may just as much be a ploy to calm an American supporter, and the public statements made in the Standing Committee represent his real view? How do you tell when someone who lies (for reasons of expediency) is telling the truth?
I refuse to be drawn into your non-sequitur Red Herring concerning the MDGs -- which have been far more damaged by Akinola and Orombi's declarations of impaired communion than by any US action.