Friday, May 04, 2007

On My Mind

I decided that I wanted to post some of what I've read today:

In an email from Intergity which was sent me (Also see Intergity's blog: Walking With Integrity - The official blog of Integrity USA):
Friday, May 4, 2007
Nigerian Primate responds to letter from Presiding Bishop By StaffEpiscopal News Service
May 03, 2007

Nigerian Primate Peter Akinola has responded publicly to an April 30 emailed letter from Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori, asking him to reconsider plans to install Nigerian Bishop Martyn Minns as head of the Nigerian-based Convocation of Anglicans in North America (CANA).

The installation service is set for May 5 at the Hylton Memorial Chapel, a nondenominational Christian event center in Woodbridge, Virginia.

Jefferts Schori said the installation "would violate the ancient customs of the church" and would "not help the efforts of reconciliation." Such action, she said, "would display to the world division and disunity that are not part of the mind of Christ.

Click here to read the full ENS article.

Click here to read Archbishop Akinola's entire letter.

Then while at the Thinking Anglicans website I read the lead article and the following link
(Anything But Straight: Nigeria’s Frequent Flyer):
Anything But Straight: Nigeria’s Frequent Flyer
By Wayne Besen
Thursday, 03 May 2007

Snip: According to international election monitors, the April 21 vote in favor of Nigerian President Umaru Yar'Adua was rigged, threatening the very freedom and stability of this oil-rich, but corrupt nation. Braving threats of a brutal governmental crackdown, thousands of courageous Nigerians took to the streets on May Day to protest the political charade that passes for political liberty.

Clearly, these demonstrators could benefit if they stood side-by-side with a moral leader who demanded an end to corruption and called for new elections. Such a man would be regarded as a true national hero who could lead Nigeria from a kleptocracy to genuine democracy.

Anglican Archbishop Peter J Akinola is perfectly situated to step in and fill this role. Not only is he a local powerbroker, he is also the leader of the largest province in the worldwide Anglican Church. This offers Akinola a unique international platform to draw attention to the electoral sabotage that is ripping apart the very soul of Nigeria.

But, instead of staying in Nigeria this week to bring his convulsing country together, he is flying to the comfy confines of Virginia to tear the Anglican Church apart. While his country is on the verge of a Constitutional conflagration, the Nigerian archbishop is burning with rage because in 2003 the Episcopal Church installed openly gay V. Gene Robinson as Bishop of New Hampshire.

Just something to think about.

4 comments:

Lee said...

Hmmm...it is pretty easy for me to want to point fingers at the Nigerians right now. Don't much like what they said to us. What bothers me here is that this Archbishop in Nigeria seems to be rich and powerful and has a huge province. Yet, as you pointed out he is leaving his country and pushing his beliefs on us. Makes me wonder if he is more interested in flexing his power than in growing people? Has he done anything good to talk about?

Peace!

jsd said...

It wasn't until the primates meeting in Africa that I even began to learn his name, up until that point I only knew that Nigeria had "problems" with the Episcopal Church. It does seem like a power grab. I've know idea what good, bad, or indifferent acts he's done.

Susan Palwick said...

I've been hearing about Akinola for quite a while now. He's a seriously scary man, one of the people who gives God a bad name.

jsd said...

I couldn't agree more.