2/25/2009

The Church of Nigeria cranks up the war talk, sounding remarkably unspiritual.

The Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) - but who knows for how long? - has been busy cranking up the war talk against the wretched West.

In an article on a service in a "Standup for Jesus Festival" held in Abuja, the Church of Nigeria continues to make it clear that the CofN is at war with what it considers evil "isms" and against same sex marriage. This rather short report on a the conference is a clear indication that bashing the decadent Western church (read The Episcopal Church) is a fine way to rally support for the Archbishop of Nigeria.

TEC has become a "straw man" for war talk. The TEC of the Archbishop's imagination becomes the focus for great festivals of hate, making it no longer necessary or even interesting to tend to matters closer to home.

So how much longer does the Archbishop have? Well, supposedly he is out in 2010. Perhaps he is having too much fun to leave, or is preparing to leave with the wreckage of his tenure unnoticed. Or perhaps, just perhaps, he is preparing the CofN for the possibility of a new improved Anglican Communion #2 with himself as chairman of the board. After all, if the west is as decadent as all that it is time to regroup around new leadership, from a new purer place, like say Nigeria. No, no, he is to humble for that. But Alexandria might be a nice place to consider. We shall see.


Meanwhile, here are some excerpts from the War report:

The service "..brought to the fore the war against homosexualism, lesbianism and same sex marriage being waged by the church lead by the primate of all Nigeria Anglican communion Most Rev Peter Akinola, At the service the fight against union of same sex received a boost following a unanimous support pledged by the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and well meaning Nigerians."

The "fight against same sex" was nicely tied in to the charge that "some" believe Jesus not to be the only way, truth, light. No question as to who is doing the addressing. The Episcopal Church and the Presiding Bishop have been vilified enough to make it unnecessary to name them. The preacher Archbishop Nicholas Okoh made sure to bring in "pluralized society", "liberal stand of the west" just to make sure we all know who he is talking about.

"... it is ironical that Jesus is being addressed today as away, a truth instead of the old faith that accepts Jesus as the way,the truth and the life. The cleric said the pluralized society and liberal stand of the west has led to a spiritual decline where the forces are eating away the fabrics of the society and churches are compromised in their witness."

There was then the obligatory cheer for Archbisop Akinola:

"... whereas some church leaders looked the other way when some clerics and some Bishop are giving to homosexuality and failed to stop them but God has raised Most Rev Peter Akinola to arrest and to rescue the situation, which has given birth to Global Anglican Future Conference(GAFCON). He called on all GAFCON leaders to stand firm and save Anglican church from failing."

"The servant of God therefore urged Christian faithfuls to pragmatically build, reform, heal and revitalize the Anglican Communion and expand its mission to the world. He reiterated that they should not be ashamed of the scriptures but live a Christo Centric (Christ centered) life."

The sermon was given at the close of the conference, which was co-sponsored by something called the Fellowship of Christian Patriots. Its president" Senator Ike Nwachukwu said "FCP believes that the formation of GAFCON will resist and reverse the declining moral trendin the church and that is why they are celebrating the ideals of GAFCON."

The Program "
started with a lecture on”Homosexuality and Religion” delivered by Professor Oyewale Tomori."

Doesn't this just make one sorry not to have been there?

Be alert, when people talk of war, assume they mean it.

9 comments:

  1. "Be alert, when people talk of war, assume they mean it."

    Except the 'Shakara' tribe (I apologize - I do not know the accurate spelling. I am reporting this as it was spoken to me from a Nigerian), one of 12 or so major tribes in Nigeria. My Nigerian friends say most of the people of African descent in America are from Ibo Tribe - sold into slavery, they tell me, by Shakara to the Western Europeans. As I understand it, the Ibo are the negotiators and strategists. For example, most Nigerians I know claim Sojourner Truth as one of their tribe.

    The 'Shakara' on the other hand, roar and threaten, and shake their spears to frighten off their enemy or scare someone into submission.

    Or, as one member of my congregation who was a member of Akinola's cathedral once said to me, when I asked her about Peter Akinola: "In my country there is a saying: Sometimes the lion roars because he is hungry. And sometimes the lion roars because he likes to hear himself roar."

    Well, and there it its, then.

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  2. You talking about the Peter Akinola that Rowan Williams welcomes warmly as his equal in the Primates Meeting?

    You mean the Archbishop Peter that Rowan desperately wants to be in the AC?

    Rowan wants to please Peter so much that he will come to your GC09 to extract another BO33 compromise from TEC(USA)....and you TEC(USA) give it principles can pay for being in Rowan's club (just like BO33)

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  3. Try again Elizabeth Kaeton. There is no Shakara tribe. Peter Akinola is a Yoruban. "Shakara" is a Yoruban work meaning bluffing. And your Nigerian friend is Louie Crew whose website contains this story. Other than that - most enlightening!

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  4. There is no Shakara? I find that most disappointing, because I really love her music.

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  5. Well, Dan, might it just be possible that there is more than one Nigerian who is talking to more than one American about Akinola? You wouldn't be calling me a liar or a fraud, would you?

    I didn't 'get the story from Louie'. I got the story from one of my parishioners who is Nigerian (I have two Nigerian couples from Lagos in my congregation) and a member of Akinola's cathedral in Lagos. I reported it as I heard it. But, thanks for the tip on Louie's web page. I'll have to go look it up and check it out and see if he also has the story of the lion as illustration. In any event, the two stories seem to confirm that not all Nigerians are snookered by their Primate.

    The word verification is: unmembir

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  6. Back to the topic :-) Nigeria et al actually do see the issue of male dominance (ooops, I mean sexual immoralit (oops, I mean Scriptural authority))(no actually I do mean male dominance) as a cause for warfare. Oh they will couch it terms of what Jesus and or Paul said or what the law requires, but it is all about the right kind of males who know that women could not only compete but win. That must be prevented by war or whatever evil is required.

    TEC drives Nigerians nuts simply by existing. How dare mere women take seats at the same table? Especially given the guilt associated with what they have done to get those mitres they require validation! Men whom, in their fantasy world act like or become women? Unthinkable! Clearly God must have banned that somewhere.

    To arms! Re-establish the inquisition!

    ::sigh::

    I actually do believe that the love of God will eventually conquer this sort of evil. But if history shows us anything it is that we have to resist the evil. God seems to expect us to do our part.

    FWIW
    jimB

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  7. "You wouldn't be calling me a liar or a fraud, would you? "
    Neither. I don't know you well enough to have an opinion in that respect. From my limited observation, I would say you actually believe the stuff you write, and, if so, that would not be a liar or a fraud - just wrong.

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  8. Well, Dan, talk about 'cranking up the war talk and sounding remarkably unspiritual." Come by St. Paul's, some time. You could have a wonderful conversation with the woman who told this story to me. She'll tell it to you, too.

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