Sunday, January 14, 2007

Brave Leaders Out of Africa

World Magazine each year selects certain individuals as their "Daniels of the Year." Named after the Biblical prophet, this annual award highlights people who have shown Christian courage in the face of persecution or challenging circumstances. The 2006 award went to two Anglican clergymen in Africa, Peter Akinola, Archbishop of Nigeria, and Henry Orombi, Archbishop of Uganda. Both are opposed to the liberalizing influences of the American version of Anglicanism in the Episcopal Church USA, including radical interpretations of Scripture and the ordination of homosexual clergy. They have made themselves available to provide spiritual oversight to American congregations who are leaving the Episcopal Church. To read more about this, click here to read the article from the December 16, 2006 issue of World Magazine.

Also, Lutheranism in Africa is not without her bold leaders. Back in 2005, the Rev. Walter Obare, Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Kenya, consecrated a pastor as bishop of a "mission province" in Sweden, founded as a conservative alternative to the theological liberalism in the Swedish Lutheran Church. Click here to read more about this from a previous post on Paul McCain's blog. Our Ft. Wayne seminary website also has Bishop Obare's sermon from that day online here if you are interested in reading it.

2 comments:

gayuganda said...

Well,
I do not agree with both gentlemen, but I feel I have to correct you. Orombi is Archbishop of Uganda, and Akinola is the one of Nigeria.
Problem is that I cannot be a sheep in any of their flocks, can I?

Kurt Onken said...

Oops. Thanks for the correction. I will make the necessary changes in my post.