Episcopal congregations seeking spiritual shelter in Africa

[Coexist]

Episcopal congregations seeking spiritual shelter in Africa

KAMPALA, Uganda — Angry over their U.S. church's position on homosexuality, a growing number of Episcopal congregations are seeking spiritual shelter thousands of miles away, in the Anglican churches of Africa.


In the Episcopal Church, priests have blessed same-sex marriages and one of the church's bishops is gay. In recent years, dozens of conservative congregations have left the U.S. church and joined Anglican dioceses in Uganda, Rwanda and elsewhere in Africa.


The African churches are big, fast-growing, fervently evangelical and dedicated to conservative social values - including zero tolerance for homosexuality, which nearly all African countries outlaw and which church leaders here believe that the Bible forbids.


"It is a godsend to congregations who often feel isolated and cut off from their American diocese," said the Rev. James Stanton, the Episcopal bishop of Dallas, who's spoken out against the U.S. church's tolerance of gays. "They see the connection with African churches as a lifeline."

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[Vorta]

1. Strange bedfellows

The lengths people will go to in their prejudice is amazing and telling. If the Catholics and Anglicans would cut off the money to Africa I suspect they would sing a different tune- but then the hierarchy would be accused of starving people. You'd almost think that the Africans would have the self-respect to reject colonial religions- Christianity and Islam.

[TechBear_Seattle]

2. Adding fuel to the conservatives' fire...

The newly elected Presiding Bishop is a woman (the first ever to head a province of the Anglican Communion) and a strong supporter of full inclusivity in the Church, not to mention a well respected scientist (she was an oceanographer before taking holy orders.)

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=214x95073