Last week, the Okrika-born Vicar of St. Jude’s Anglican Church, Oginigba, Port Harcourt shared his experiences in Canada, home of the celebrated Anglican gay bishop, that changed his orientation of his faith with Opaka Dokubo and Tonye Nria-Dappa. Excerpts:

Anglican orthodoxy

I actually have a lot of things which contradict the Anglican Church – their views, their doctrines and so on but its really an orthodox church and I look at the orthodoxy as a means of holding on to what we already know. For example, Christianity today is being watered down if we compare it with what we knew as Christianity. If we talk about orthodoxy, we are talking about what was handed over to us. Though the Anglican Church is not really doing that, but I think there is a sense of orthodoxy in the church because the doctrines of our fathers are what is being held on to though we are not practicing them. Gay marriage

I have three views concerning the issue. You know, the Anglican Church here does not accept it but when I travelled out, I went into an Anglican Church expecting that the church will welcome me fully.

As soon as I went in actually, the bishop accepted me and gave me what we called permit to operate within the diocese. And that permit allowed me to operate in this diocese – allowing me to go to whatever church I wanted to go to but it did not assign me to a particular church. The reason why I was not assigned to a particular church was that I am a Nigerian priest and our Primate is the one at the head of the vanguard against the western world on the gay issue.

So, my number one view about the gay issue is that our culture here in Africa does not permit it and anyone who is a gay in Africa will not come out openly to claim that he is a gay because he is going to be an outcast in the society.

Then when we look at the bible, there are a lot of scriptures that do not allow with this gay issue. Like Leviticus 18, from verse 21, you find out that the issue of gay is an abomination and such a person is to be stoned to death. And again if we look at Romans chapter one (and) 26 down, you’re going to find out that Paul was saying to them that because of your attitude, God has given you all to reprobate mind. So, there is no way any Christian will accept this gay issue into their fold in an Anglican Church. The number three thing is that people are looking at themselves as being above God. They call it the doctrine of existentialism. They see themselves as being able to do everything by themselves so they want to discover everything about whatever area they get involved in. And that is what the western world is doing. But I always say to them that you’ll get to the peak and you will crash.

There is this thing they call inclusiveness. That is welcoming everything into their society and also into the church. This is wrong in the Anglican Church.

Other reason for gay issue in the church

I was privileged to have an access to the bishop. Rt. Rev. Peter Coffen and I talked with him severally about this issue – and that was what worsened the situation of him not giving me a place.

We looked at this issue from several angles. First of all, the angle they’re coming from is that it is their culture, it has been part of their culture is made up of gays and lesbians. Only very few individuals that use all sorts of things to do it. Frankly speaking, the number of persons in the church in the western world that are promoting gay rights are not up to ¼ of the membership of the church but they are today

controlling the church.

So, they look at it as if it is a cultural thing and how can we move out of culture? But I said to the bishop severally ‘will culture influence what you already know? They hold on to the argument that it is culture and they must include every part of cultural behaviours and attitudes into the church and be accepted in the church.

It is incredible and something that is uncalled for but there is one thing we would know: if you read the book of Jude, it says that men who put on the clothing of a sheep crept into the church secretly to take over the church and that is exactly. They have started changing the scripture you call bible today. Their belief is that the bible was written by men and so ‘the olden people have done theirs and we can turn around and change some few things’. And so everywhere there is God, they’re removing it and putting Love; everywhere there is Jesus, they’re putting something else.

Another thing is that I was privileged … again an abomination, an eyesore… I went in to see where they were doing it – marrying a man and a man, and a woman and a woman and using the same scriptures, the same bible, the same things we use in the church. It’s a sight that you couldn’t withstand but I decided to say it’s not a matter of just hearing, let me go and see it and I saw that in Canada.

The impact as an Anglican priest

You know what, there are some of us that things get us hardened. My orientation about Christianity has changed. And that’s why since I came back, I’ve been looking at the book of Acts (of the Apostles) again … What has Christianity for me? Where am I going astray? Not that I wasn’t a Christian but it has made me a stronger Christian.

Continued stay in the Anglican Church

I believe that there is a purpose for my being wherever I am and except I don’t know that God has a hand in where I am, I’m going to derail. If I realise that God is in this matter (and) that I could where I am in the valley to help at these dry bones to come alive, then I have to be there. I think that is why I don’t have to come out of the Anglican Church because we have a job to do – I have an assignment as a priest in the Anglican Church to revive the Anglican Church in my own little corner.

The future of the church

The prospect of the Anglican Church is very lean globally. Right now the Canadian Church and the US Episcopal Church are in a kind of suspension until 2008 when their fate will be finally decided. If they don’t repent from what they’re doing, then totally they’re going to be excluded from the Anglican Church. But that’s not the major thing. There are parts of the Anglican Church in Canada and US that still welcome the orthodoxy. These are the groups we are looking at to help. The Anglican Church is not dead, there is room for revival.

Christianity in Canada

There are Christians that know what they’re doing but they’re just a hand full. When I got to Canada, I was introduced to a couple and this couple know what they’re doing as Christians but they’re not as vibrant as I am. Like when I tell them let’s go fasting, they’ll say no we can’t fast here… Let’s go take out a date and make sure we prayed, Oh we don’t pray that long”. These are the situations you find there. And when I say to them look we’re in a university setting, why not we evangelise these people. They will say no you’re restricted to do that because you respect every person’s idea. So, these are the limitations they have. Of course, the Pentecostals there are not as good as an Anglican back home.

It is as bad as that. The moral is zero. Right now they are in summer and you can’t believe every person goes naked. The so called Christians may dress in a way that seems a bit decent. And so to talk to somebody about Christianity becomes a very difficult thing.

Arguments for lesbianism, gaysm

Actually, these issues are personal issues. What we as Christians are trying to do is to let people know that these things are wrong. But there are some persons who have decided to do things that are in opposition to whatever God has to do (and) that’s why they call themselves activists (and) they go all length to do it.

There are so many persons in Canada. A group of gays came to me because they knew I was from Nigeria and they heard me preach somewhere, and said to me “We heard you are here stranded”. I said “Well, I’m not stranded”. And they said “Look we can find you to whatever length you want”. If you will first say something on our paper about gays and lesbians – that Nigerians are not doing what they’re supposed to do, (that) they should give freedom to every person to do what they’re supposed to do”. I said “I should say something about what”. They said “Gays and lesbians”. I said “Well, I better remain the way I am now, not being funded than to talk about gays and lesbians and for you to say Rev. Akuro Omubo said this in Canada. I can’t do that”. And I rejected whatever fund they were supposed to give to me.

But their tentacles are everywhere. The gays and lesbians in Canada and America, they have money but they’re just a few persons and they are in control of the economy. They have money to sponsor people and they’re doing it perfectly well. The bible says money buyeth everything but the love of it is evil. People have decided to live without God today and that is the problem we have.

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