Ndungane breaks ranks over gay issue - SA

[dArKeR]

London - A South African church leader accused his fellow African archbishops of arrogance over homosexuality on Monday and urged the Anglican communion to focus instead on the priorities of peace, hunger and HIV.

Njongonkulu Ndungane, archbishop of Cape Town, criticised his colleagues for their "intolerance" following the appointment in the United States of their first openly gay bishop.

"It is very arrogant to assume that the people in America do not know what they are doing," he told the Guardian newspaper. "We have got to respect their decision."

http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?click_id=13&art_id=qw1062998463845B264&set_id=1

[xchrom]

1. this will a difficult to impossible sell

in africa. the episcopal church is strangled by the same forces that control the conservative churches here, fear of the ''other'', tradition bordering on superstion{and crossing over}, mindless dogmaand faith in ''magic'' not god.
christians the world over seem to be unable to realise that it's human beings who populate the church. and not one human is better than another.
i believe the church will schism -- and while it's sad on the one hand -- this change can be good if done thoughtfully and may open many new doors.

[Rowdyboy]

2. I may be wrong...

But I don't see a schism developing. While the African church may protest, they depend on the American Episcopal church for financing. Remains to be seen if their intolerence to homosexuality is so great as to make them refuse American Episcopalian money.

[noonwitch]

4. Good point about the money

How critical can you be when your finances depend on the people you are criticizing?
I'm glad that this is not an issue in my denomination (Unity), or my family's (UCC). In either case, gays can be ordained, have wedding ceremonies, etc.

[David__77]

3. South Africa a bastion of progress in Africa.

SA is so much more progressive on gay issues, among others, than other countries in Africa. The liberation struggle against apartheid really did encompass and welcome many forces, including homosexuals, and that legacy lives on. I think that in the end, they will see the light in the Aglican church there.