a bishop who knows how to bishop -- act two

By Diogenes ( articles ) | Mar 11, 2005

The Church Times reports on yet another African Anglican who never learned to speak Griswoldese. The Archbishop of Uganda, Henry Orombi, wrote in the Kampala newspaper New Vision last week:

We see homosexual practices as unbiblical and against the teaching of the Church. Only Jesus who makes a difference to people can transform them, not debates. In our Ireland meeting, church leaders suspended the Episcopal Church of America and the Canadian Church until they repent. We are committed to other members of the Episcopal Church, who are orthodox in their interpretation of the scriptures and adore Jesus Christ as their saviour and Lord. We continue to provide support for them because they share with us in the same mission.

I will state again our position in clear terms as follows:

The Church of Uganda upholds the biblical position on sexuality, namely, sexual intimacy is reserved for a husband and wife in a lifelong, heterosexual, monogamous marriage.

That was the olive branch. In the manner of Athanasius, Orombi goes on to make transparent what he believes is not the case, for the benefit of those who found his positive remarks too vague.

Contrary to reports coming out of North America that say, "We have more in common that we do than what divides us," I am not convinced of that. We have a lot that divides us and we are praying that ECUSA and the Anglican Church of Canada will repent and rejoin biblical Anglicanism.

Tell you what, separated brethren. If you can tweak your men on papal primacy, we'll swap you 140,000 copies of Always Our Children plus all its episcopal authors and a second-round draft pick, in return for Bishops Akinola and Orombi. Deal?