Homosexuality: Anglican Church in Nigeria wants American bishops sanctioned

The Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) on Sunday reiterated its non-acceptance of homosexuality.

The Primate, Archbishop Henry Ndukuba, reaffirmed the position in a statement on Sunday.

His stance was a reaction to a public communication by the Anglican Church in North America (ACNA).

In a lengthy statement on Sexual and Identity seen by AF NEWS, ACNA College of Bishops seemed to recognize same-sex bond.

The clerics said they were not seeking to win a debate, but desire to proceed cautiously and build the greatest degree of unity possible among biblically faithful Christians.

The bishops added that they have a responsibility to serve both the church of today and the generations to come.

“We are very aware of believers who experience profound same-sex attraction. We understand that our youth and adults need language to share their experience. We commend the usage of “Christians who experience same-sex attraction.”

“We want to communicate our love for the many within the Church who live with same-sex attraction. We understand that not everyone will agree with our conclusions. We pray that many will recognize our commitment to biblical orthodoxy and our loving pastoral concern for the people of God.”

The bishops deferred to diocesan bishops to discern same-sex matters within their own diocesan communities and ministries.

The Anglican leader in Nigeria called for sanctions against the bishops, priests and laity in ACNA Province who signed the letter.

Ndukuba said the letter had brought the Church to ridicule on biblical teachings about Christian marriage and human sexuality.

The bishop noted that the ACNA statement was similar to the action by The Episcopal Church (TEC) before if fully endorsed same-sex unions, including among ordained clergy.

Ndukuba thanked Archbishop Foley Beach’s intervention “by which the offensive gay Anglican letter was removed from the web”.

He, however, complained that the removal “has not cured the diseases that have set in, neither has it mitigated the damage this has done by the public advertisement and the changing perception of the ACNA stand on Biblical orthodoxy.”

“A Gay is a Gay, they cannot be rightly described otherwise. We cannot describe people as ‘Christian Murderer’, Christian Adulterer’ and ‘Christian terrorist’; neither should we even have ‘Gay Christian’ or ‘Gay Anglican.”

Primate Ndukuba further stressed that no man shall see God without holiness.

The cleric urged the ACNA to take a clear stand on homosexuality and same-sex relations.