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When I was an Anglican I remember one of the stories that came out of a Lambeth Conference (the once a decade meeting of all Anglican bishops in Canterbury) An Episcopalian bishop got into an argument with an African over homosexuality. He finally said to the African in a patronizing, snooty Anglican way, “When you Africans become a bit more sophisticated and educated you will also come to a more subtle understanding of human sexuality.”
The African retorted, “You are being racist! You think because I have black skin that I am an uneducated jungle man. But we African bishops have our PhDs. We have studied theology at Oxford and Cambridge. We have been to Harvard and Yale. We are not uneducated natives!”
The Episcopal bishop (for whom racism was the unforgivable sin) was duly chastened. That was in the early 1990s, so the struggle which has broken out in the Anglican Communion has been brewing for decades. News today that the bishops of the Anglican Communion have suspended the Episcopal Church of the USA for three years over their decision to endorse same sex marriage is truly historic.
Here are five reasons why this decision is important:
1. The pressure on the Anglican Church to adhere to historic Christian teaching regarding marriage was undoubtedly led by the Africans. This means young, orthodox and majority church of the developing world has formally flexed its muscles. The Africans have stood up to the historic churches of the Northern, developed world. In global terms this is very, very important.
Any reader of John Allen’s brilliant book The Future Church will understand that Christianity is most vibrant in the global South. The church in Africa is young, dynamic, orthodox and growing compared to the aging, liberal, declining church in Europe and North America. This success by the Africans on controlling the direction of global Anglicanism is the first real sign that power is shifting away from New York and Canterbury to Nigeria and Kenya.
This means that the churches in the developing world have effectively established an alternative power structure that has successfully challenged the liberal, ruling establishment elite.
2. This is the first step towards a re-orientation in global Christianity away from the domination by the liberal, intellectual, critical and relativistic Northern establishment and the fresh expression of a young, orthodox, vibrant and dynamic Southern Christianity. Some might think that the pressure in Central and South America has already been a marker of the global shift South, but beneath the surface of South American liberation theology and independence has always been a Euro-centrist philosophical and theological bias. African Christianity is much more African than South American Christianity was indigenous to South America. Therefore the orientation South is a genuine shift in culture and worldview from European to indigenous Christianity.
3. As Allen points out, the Southern Church is likely to not only be conservative on moral and family matters, but it is theologically traditional while being liturgically African. An African bishop–Anglican or Catholic–may be conservative morally and theologically, but dance in the liturgy to jungle drums. He is also likely to be “liberal” in financial matters. He is opposed the Northern economic hegemony and wants economic justice for his people. The shift of awareness is therefore not simply about homosexuality. The Africans wish to challenge the global North on many other matters as well, and they now have the platform and the power to do so.
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Founder of Synagogue Church of All Nations, SCOAN, Pastor Temitope Joshua, has been ranked by a group known as Movement for Progress Initiative as the 13th most famous pastor in the world and Apostle Joseph Ayo Babalola of the Christ Apostolic Church emerged 32nd.
Speaking at the ranking event that took place at Egbeda area of Lagos, Coordinator of the movement, Mr. Opahigbe Lawal, said it is imperative to acknowledge and celebrate Pastor Joshua because of his humanitarian efforts across the globe.
"It is great to break the news that Pastor T. B. Joshua was ranked 13th most famous prophet in the world by a global digital media company called Ranker. This feat was possible due to his contribution and support for humanitarian across the globe.
"Prophet T. B. Joshua's humanitarian project tagged: "Let Love Lead," has benefited victims of natural disaster in Asia, Latin America, Central America, South America, Europe and Africa. He has also awarded over 1,000 scholarships through Emmanuel Television to both Nigerian and foreign students annually," he explained.
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The Malawian born Prophet , alias the ‘Major 1’ currently based in South Africa has acquired a third jet in a space of three years.
The unveiling ceremony of the new jet ZS-VIP was presented by the biggest Company of Aviation NAC in South Africa on Wednesday 6th January, 2015 .
During the ceremony, Bushiri received a certificate for becoming the youngest buyer of Gulf Stream jet
Bushiri dedicated the new jet to all the people who follow him and understand his vision.
Speaking to Nyasa Times via phone, Bushiri could not hide his excitement and explained that his recent decision to buy the Jet simply represent the vision he has.
“Am a man of God I believe I need to leave by example. I teach the word that strengthens the faith of ‘I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me,’ and thats exactly what am doing now. I am what God says I am and not how other people judge me.
“I believe to inspire a lot of Christians out there more especially fellow men of God. We can do it because greater is he who lives in us,” said Bushiri.
This comes after the man of God recently made another inerasable history when he filled the largest stadium in Africa, the FNB satdium in South Africa during 2015-2016 Crossover dubbed as the ‘Lion of Judah Night’.
Bushiri has of late become one of the richest pastors in Africa and certainely the richest person in Malawi, a country of his origin.
He is popularly referred to as the “Major 1” of ‘Papa’ in Christian cycles especially among his followers.
Few weeks ago, Nyasa Times also carried a story, revealing that the man of God plans to launch a bank and a mobile company in South Africa, news that was confirmed to be true by the Prophet’s Public Relations Officer Mr Kelvin Sulugwe.
“I am what God says I am. I was born a winner. This goes to people who understands my vision. This is not for me but to those who believe in better things” Bushiri said.
(Nyasa Times )
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Jubilee numbers low so far as attendance numbers continue to fall at public events with Pope Francis in Rome, terrorism and a poor economy are cited as significant factors
The inauguration of the Jubilee of Mercy, the opening of the Holy Door, by this most popular of pontiffs was expected to draw masses of believers to Rome in unprecedented numbers. But the first tally has been disappointing: St Peter's Square was far from overflowing, the airport was almost deserted, there were no traffic problems at all, and the most favorable estimates put attendance at just 50,000.
The official numbers for the beginning of the Jubilee showed a 30% decrease in attendance with respect to the year before: 324,000 people, down from 461,000 in December 2014 when there was no Jubilee. The decline was even more marked over the twelve month span of 2015, which counted 3,210,860 faithful in attendance at the meetings with the Pope (general audiences, special audiences, Vatican liturgical celebrations, the Angelus and Regina Coeli prayers), amounting to 45% fewer than the 5,916,800 of 2014 and less than half the 6,623,900 of Francis first nine months as pontiff in 2013. The biggest disparity was at the Angelus and Regina Coeli prayers, with 1.6 million in attendance in 2015, compared to over 3 million the previous year.
Without the Jubilee the numbers would have been even smaller. The Pope's December agenda was thick with 23 appointments, spanning 19 days, 15 of which came after the opening of the Holy Door. The month’s ceremonies drew 108,000 people, as opposed to 21,000 the year before. The Sunday of the Jubilee of the Family drew another 50,000; the Wednesday general audiences increased their attendance from 32,000 to 44,000, while the special audiences grew from 18,500 to 22,000. However, participation in the Angelus plummeted from 390,000 to 150,000.
The decline has been particularly stark in the general audiences, admission to which requires a ticket. On August 26th, for Pope Francis's hundredth general audience, the Prefecture for the Papal Household, which is in charge of recording and issuing the tickets (all free), released the official attendance data up to then, which showed that these meetings had drawn a total of 3,147,600 people. Divided by year the numbers give steeply decreasing averages, with each year's general audiences having halved the attendance of the year before: in 2013 the papal audiences were attended on average by 51,617 people; in 2014 the average had been 27,883 people and in 2015 it had come to just 14,818.
Since drawing crowds, of course, does not necessarily coincide with leading people to Christ, it is interesting to see whether the statistics suggest that people are going back to church. The official government statistics (ISTAT) for Italy say that, at least for this country, it is not happening. The last available data refer to the end of 2014 and, based on a sample of 24,000 families, for a total of about 54,000 individuals, spread out over 850 towns, they show that the percentage of people over the age of six who go to a place of worship at least once a week has not only not gone up with Pope Francis but has actually decreasesd to the minimum rate of 28.8%. In other words, only little more than one person out of four now enters a Catholic church at least once a week.
Under the previous Pope, Benedict XVI, the rate of churchgoers averaged 32-33%, and never fell below the 30% mark. An overview of the papacy of Pope Benedict shows that his eight years as Supreme Pontiff drew some 20 million people to Rome. If one considers some of the negative stories and often harsh press that accompanied the papacy of Josef Ratzinger, it is significant that the number of faithful who flocked to see and listen to Benedict XVI were always well over 2 million, yearly, including in 2012, his final year, when the crowds numbered 2,351,200.
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Nigerian Newspaper The Punch reports that the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Pastor Enoch Adeboye, has revealed his prophesies for 2016, predicting that a new sexually transmitted disease will emerge during the year.
The cleric also prophesied that things would get worse in the country before they improve, while on the international scene more natural disasters will occur.
Below are the prophesies which were published on his websites:
Prophesies for Nigeria
- Things are likely to get tougher, before they get better, but things will definitely get better before the year ends.
- What He (God) started last year, he will finish this year, provided we don’t rejoice too soon.
International prophesies
- Natural disasters, floods, fires, earthquakes, are likely to get progressively worse, until governments realise that these are part of divine judgment against those who have unholy laws. If governments will repent of disdaining Christ and his church, he will help them win the fight against terrorism.
- A major war will be averted this year.
3. A new sexually transmitted disease will surface.
For individuals
- Some families will trace the beginning of their generational blessings to this year.
- Some will receive help from unexpected sources.
3. Grateful hearts will have more causes to be grateful.
4. For many, the pendulum of life in generally on the upward swing now, a chosen few will receive blessings so large they can hardly contain.
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Saudi Arabia has executed prominent Shia cleric Sheikh Nimr Baqir al-Nimr along with 47 others in defiance of international calls for the release of the top religious figure and other jailed political dissidents in the kingdom. The state-run Saudi Press Agency (SPA) and state television reported the executions Saturday, citing the kingdom’s Interior Ministry.
According to the Saudi ministry, those executed had been found guilty of involvement in “terrorism.” Sheikh Nimr, a critic of the Riyadh regime, was shot by Saudi police and arrested in 2012 in the Qatif region of Shia-dominated Eastern Province, which was the scene of peaceful anti-regime demonstrations at the time.
He was charged with instigating unrest and undermining the kingdom’s security, making anti-government speeches and defending political prisoners. He had rejected all the charges as baseless In 2014, a Saudi court sentenced Sheikh Nimr to death, provoking widespread global condemnations. The sentence was upheld last March by the appeal court of Saudi Arabia.
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