Peter Akinola: Who Blinks First?

Gbenga Gbesan

Description

To the astonishment and dismay of Anglican leadership in the Global North, Nigeria's Archbishop Peter Akinola led the Global South's revolt against the campaign to normalize homosexuality within the global Anglican communion. For this, he was twice recognized by Time magazine as one of the "100 Most Influential People" on earth. As shepherd of an immense Nigerian flock, he joined arms with like-minded archbishops in Africa, Asia, and South America to insist that the church be guided by the Bible rather than culture.
Here is the remarkable story of this conflict, from its social beginnings in nineteenth-century Germany, through the renegade behavior of national churches in Canada, the United States, and the United Kingdom, on to gatherings addressing the issues--from Dromantine, Northern Ireland, to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. At one point, Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, who had been enabling the "progressives," challenged Archbishop Akinola, "We shall see who blinks first!" Since that day, it is clear that neither Akinola nor his colleagues have blinked. Indeed, through the formation of GAFCON (Global Anglican Future Conference) and union with biblically faithful Anglicans in the Global North, they are pressing their cause with an eye toward the next decennial assembly of bishops at Lambeth.

Sujets

• Homosexualité
• Homosexualité
• Sociology of Religion
• Anglican
• LGBTQ
• Transsexualism
• Sociology
• Christianity in Africa
• Homosexuality
• Historical theology
• Queer studies
• Theology
• Social sciences
• Christianity
• Anglicanism
• Peter Akinola
• Anglicanisme
• Nigeria
• Sexualité
• sexualité
• Sexualité

Informations

• Publié par: Wipf and Stock Publishers
• Date de parution: 30 mars 2020
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781725264656
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

Peter Akinola: Who Blinks First?
Biblical Fidelity Against the Gay Agenda in the Global Anglican Communion
Gbenga Gbesan
Foreword by Peter Jensen Preface by Foley Beach


Peter Akinola: Who Blinks First?
Biblical Fidelity Against the Gay Agenda in the Global Anglican Communion
Copyright © 2020 Gbenga Gbesan. All rights reserved. Except for brief quotations in critical publications or reviews, no part of this book may be reproduced in any manner without prior written permission from the publisher. Write: Permissions, Wipf and Stock Publishers, 199 W. 8 th Ave., Suite 3 , Eugene, OR 97401 .
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To
All past and present Anglican leaders worldwide,
Steadfast in courage and stout in commitment,
Defenders of Truth and protectors of the Gospel,
The bold advocates of Faith as once delivered to the saints
Table of Contents Title Page Foreword Preface Acknowledgments Chronology Of Events Surrounding Archbishop Peter Akinola’s Life Introduction The Rise of Faithless and Godless Society The Start of Rumblings in the House Trumpet from the South A Choice to Make Another Heat in the House The Last Straw A Huge Crisis Looming The Last-Ditch Attempt Tearing the Communion’s Fabric Disgust Across, Within, and Outside Lambeth Commission to the Rescue Equal Actions and Opposite Reactions Africa Comes of Age Leadership for an African Renaissance Birth of the Homosexuality Campaign The Whole World Must Go Gay Nigeria Will Not Go Gay No Middle Ground Could Be Found A Double-Faced Canterbury Attempt to Divide and Rule A Leader Unwelcomed to the Fold The New Sheriff in Town The Last Straw Enough of the Agonizing Journey Who Blinks First? Enough of Chaos and Compromise Still, No Reprieve The Revolutionary Step Forward Realignment and Reformation Homeward, but Still Not Over Back Home to Serve the People Anglicans’ New Leader: Justin Welby Postscript Will the Anglican Gay Crisis End? Bibilography


Foreword
The Church of Jesus Christ is One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic .
I t is “built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone” (Eph 2 : 20 ). The Church is one, for the Lord prayed that it would be one, and as a result it is described as “one new man” (Eph 2 : 1 6 ). Through Christ both Jew and Gentile, male and female, slave and free have access to the Father in one Spirit (Eph 2 : 18 ). It is catholic because, as it stems from the apostolic gospel, so it reaches out to every nation on earth. It is holy, because it belongs to Christ and comprises saints who are in Christ and who are destined to be with him and like him in glory.
It is all four things—one, holy, apostolic, and catholic. But in this age, it must forever strive to be those things. Just because there is one body and one Spirit, one call and one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one Father of us all, so we are to bear with one another in love, “eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Eph 4 : 1–6 ).
Archbishop Peter Akinola has been engaged as a key leader in a huge struggle to maintain both the apostolic gospel of Jesus Christ and the unity of the church. He did not choose to be involved. But he saw that if he did not speak and act, many of the Lord’s sheep would be left without an effective witness to the truth. His was the path which love dictated.
Some would see his actions involved with GAFCON (Global Anglican Future Conference) as divisive. I see them as arising from a longing for the oneness of God’s people. Those who left the denominational Anglican churches over a major doctrinal matter, especially in North America, had no desire to be anything else than Anglican. They had not changed. They still believed what the Church Catholic had believed for two thousand years. They were true to what the Lambeth Conference had affirmed as recently as 1998 .
So, the ministry of Archbishop Akinola was to stand true to the apostolic faith, as revealed in Scripture, and to help gather up the fragments and to make sure that the faithful remained in fellowship with the majority of Anglicans around the world. This was achieved.
It was my privilege to work under and with the archbishop during these crucial years. Personally, I experienced him as a decisive, insightful, faithful, and visionary Christian leader. His impact has been extraordinary. I am glad that a book has been written about him. I look forward to reading it and hope you will too.
I can only say that my personal debt to the archbishop could never be repaid.
Peter Jensen
Former Archbishop of Sydney and
General Secretary of GAFCON ( 2008–2018 )


Preface
If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free (Jesus in John 8 : 31 , 32 , ESV).
T he truth. It should come as no surprise that fake news, rewritten histories, and new spin about all kinds of topics has crept from the world into the modern Church. The truth seems less important than the position one takes on the latest hot issue of the day.
What happened to the truth? What happened to the actual facts? Sometimes these are lost because people and personnel change and institutional memory is forgotten. Sometimes these are lost because it is more convenient to the political agenda being pursued. Sometimes it is intentionally changed for propaganda purposes.
Sadly, this loss of truthful history is happening in the Anglican Communion as the Anglican establishment has failed again and again to remember discussions, agreements, and the basic truths of Scripture and Anglican history. A neo-pagan Anglicanism has emerged embracing theologies and moral practices more in line with what was once considered paganism than with historic Christianity. All dressed up with the spiritual language of love, inclusiveness, and unity, the Anglican establishment has welcomed into its midst those who have walked away from historic Christianity and the clear teaching of the Bible, making it normative for leaders to live in immorality, sensuality, and licentiousness.
Into this chaos and confusion came Global South leaders like Peter Akinola, a modern lion of the faith, who challenged the colonial and patronizing arrogance of the Anglican establishment and other western leaders. Akinola, the archbishop and primate of the Anglican Church in Nigeria, led an effort by Global South leaders to stop the manipulation and unbiblical practices being forced upon them at their meetings and agencies throughout the Communion.
The issues of gay and lesbian relationships, ordination, and same-sex marriage within the Anglican Communion brought western colonialism to the forefront. The Episcopal Church (USA) consecrated a non-celibate gay man, and the Anglican Church of Canada permitted married gay clergy to be ordained. These actions destroyed the fellowship of the Anglican Communion at its core. In addressing these actions, the Anglican establishment would not honor agreements of the Primates Meetings, thinking with a colonial mind-set that the colonies (or commonwealth) would eventually fall in line—“After all, they need our money!”
Akinola and other Global leaders said enough is enough. Knowing they could not lead their sheep down immoral pathways, they formed the Global Anglican Future Conference (GAFCON) as a place to not only resist these heretical teachings, but to call the Anglican Communion to repentance, revival, renewal, and reform.
Years have passed and new bishops and primates have risen. Many of these godly leaders do not know the history of recent years, and others like the Archbishop of Canterbury are rewriting recent history with their own narratives. These revisions of history picture those who stand for historic Christianity as the ones who are unchristian because they will not join hands with those who are living in immoral relationships. This makes Who Blinks First? such an important book! Akinola was there. He stood tall when so many would not. He had these conversations. He spoke the words. His stories can be verified by other leaders who were present and have not yet fallen asleep in the Lord. He is telling the truth. Documents and minutes of the meetings verify the book’s content, and the conversations.
Whatever happens with the Anglican Communion in the future, it cannot be said that there were not men of God like Peter Akinola who spoke out, who sought to save it from its current destructive path, and who called it back to its biblical foundation. This history brings out the truth about what has happened, and sadly, the hypocrisy and abandonment of Christian principles by so many.
Why is all this important? Souls. Millions of souls are being taught a false gospel and led away from Jesus for all eternity—all in the name of the Church. We are to teach the biblical faith, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the Name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and teaching them the Word of God as Jesus taught it.
The Most Rev. Dr. Foley Beach
Archbishop and Primate, Anglican Church in North America
Chairman, Global Anglican Future Conference


Acknowledgments
W hen interest arose in 2007 for a biography of The Most Rev. Peter Akinola, the plan was for a trilogy. There was so much to the Nigerian primate, and even