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Kenyan Anglican Leader Excoriates GAFCON Primates over Same-Sex Issues in Africa
GAFCON leaders must address issues of poverty to fight young people selling themselves for money
An Open Letter to GAFCON leaders
By The Rev. Martin Olando Wesonga
Special to VIRTUEONLINE
www.virtueonline.org
July 13, 2016
The Primate of the Anglican Church in Nigeria and the chairman of GAFCON, Nicholas Okoh says GAFCON remains a rescue mission for the Anglican Communion in restoring the Bible to the heart of the Anglican Communion (http://www.virtueonline.org/ June 13,2016 ).
I wholeheartedly admire the noble idea behind which GAFCON was formed. However, even as I write this letter my heart is very sad that GAFCON leaders have done little on the ground to deal with what they say they believe in. GAFCON has been reduced to a boardroom of key Anglican church leaders who discuss papers about what is happening in The Episcopal Church USA and theological perspectives on the dangers of same sex relations with little or no attention on how to stop the increasing numbers of same sex unions in Africa.
GAFCON should be out on the ground especially on the African continent empowering young people on how to say no to same sex marriage groups which are gaining momentum in Africa every day.
Among many factors on why same sex groups are penetrating the African church is poverty. Our young boys are lured into same sex activities by the lack of employment and peer pressure due to globalization. My heart cries out in pain when GAFCON leaders do not come out with practical solutions to contain same sex crusaders. If today we ask bishops in various dioceses in Africa what measures they have put in place to empower our young people to say NO to the lure of same sex behavior, the answer is always the same; we are praying, then what follows is the condemnation of unbiblical same sex behavior and that is all.
We need to support ideas and groups that have gone flat out to say no to same sex advocates. I have met several Kenyan boys who are in same sex relationships and they boast to their friends of how they are getting rich by engaging in the vice. They seem to "enjoy" getting damaged. Some of these boys are baptized and confirmed Anglicans who have gone underground. They know what is required to be a full member of the Anglican communion and by extension GAFCON. Do GAFCON leaders in Africa and in Kenya know this? Have they, like the proverbial ostrich, buried their heads in the sand and assumed that meetings in big capital cities of the world and Africa will solve same sex issues in the African church!
My advice to GAFCON is this; roll up your sleeves, get dirty, get on the ground and empower young people to say NO to same sex offers and those who are into same sex practice and rescue and rehabilitate them through counseling and offer them economic empowerment. GAFCON needs to be practical to save Africa from the fast rising numbers of same sex couples.
I choose to be different from GAFCON leaders and in my own small practical way I am on the ground working with people and groups that are rescuing our boys from same sex practices.
The Rev. Martin Olando Wesonga, OSA, (Order of St. Alcuin) is principal, of Bishop Hannington Institute of Theology and Development, in Mombasa, Kenya.
