Africa: affirming real marriage

Chris Sugden  |  World
Date posted:  1 May 2015
Share Add       
Africa: affirming real marriage

The Bishop of Burundi | photo: globalsouthanglican.org

The African primates have affirmed ‘real marriage’. However the Scottish Episcopal church is uncertain.

In a very significant development primates from seven provinces in Africa released a statement in March as follows: ‘We are deeply concerned about the divisions within our beloved Anglican Communion. These divisions emerged when some churches in the West allowed the worldly cultures to reshape the message of church to the society, especially in the area of marriage and human sexuality. These issues not only contradict the traditional teaching of the Scripture but also impede our witness to the gospel, which is the reason of our presence in this world. We believe that the church is entrusted with the message of the gospel in order to transform the culture, not the other way around. We do accept diversity, but not diversity at the expense of the truth. Therefore we call upon these churches to refrain from making unilateral decisions which will further the divisions between the provinces of the Anglican Communion.

‘We, by God’s grace, continue to uphold the traditional biblical teaching in regard to human sexuality and marriage and affirm Lambeth Resolution 1:10 in its entirety. We believe that this is the only way to safeguard the life of the Christian families and we should resist the pressures of the secular Western cultures to alter God’s purpose in creating man and woman.’

Share
Read more articles by Chris Sugden >>

Lambeth '22: the news you may not have seen or heard

At Lambeth 2022 important points were made that contribute to the ongoing discussion of the nature of Anglican identity. But …

World
What will happen at Lambeth 2022? 
 Global Anglican bishop gathering looms

What will happen at Lambeth 2022? Global Anglican bishop gathering looms

The Lambeth Conference which is set to take place from 26 July to 6 August, last met with all Anglican …

Looking for a job?

Browse all our current job adverts

Search

Subscribe

Enjoy our monthly paper and full online access

Find out more