At Axis of Episcopal Split, an Anti-Gay Nigerian

The lead paragraphs say alot about this Bishop of Nigeria.

The rest of the article is telling in other ways. To sum up briefly, he is a literalist, opposed to the ordination of women, has problems with women's political and civil rights as well; basically, he is a religious loon who likes oppressing people and has his eye on the wealth that can be found in America's Episcopal Church.

Ok, for what it's worth, this is what I think about this whole bruhaha.

The congregations who wish to leave the Episcopal Church, of course, must be allowed to do so. However, the Church property should remain with the American Episcopal Church.

Furthermore, Unless we can all just start deciding on our own personal Bishops, no matter where we reside, the congregants should b required to move to Nigeria.

I mean, if I am in the Savannah Diocese, can I just decide that I want to follow the Bishop of the Atlanta Diocese, or the San Francisco Diocese, because I do not agree with the Bishop of my own Diocese? As far as I know, the resounding answer to that would be, no.

If it really was all that important to me, I would have to move to another Diocese or, atleast, attend church in another one.

The new Presiding Bishop of the Church in America is a woman, the first woman ever to hold that post. I hope she is tough enough to do, gently, what must be done and not feel that she must give away the farm, so to speak.

Keep the property and do not recognize the primacy of a foreign Bishop in the American Church. There is an Anglican Church in America. These congregations should join that communion or start their own church, but they may not refer to themseves as belonging to the American Epicscopal Communion, and should not the be granted any of the privileges or property of the Church.

Let the Anglicans figure out the mess for themselves.

At Axis of Episcopal Split, an Anti-Gay Nigerian - New York Times:

ABUJA, Nigeria, Dec. 20 — The way he tells the story, the first and only time Archbishop Peter J. Akinola knowingly shook a gay person’s hand, he sprang backward the moment he realized what he had done.

Archbishop Peter J. Akinola, right, internationally known for his harsh stance against homosexuality, with bishops in Abuja, Nigeria, in 2005. Archbishop Akinola, the conservative leader of Nigeria’s Anglican Church who has emerged at the center of a schism over homosexuality in the global Anglican Communion, re-enacted the scene from behind his desk Tuesday, shaking his head in wonder and horror.

“This man came up to me after a service, in New York I think, and said, ‘Oh, good to see you bishop, this is my partner of many years,’ ” he recalled. “I said, ‘Oh!’ I jumped back.”

Archbishop Akinola, a man whose international reputation has largely been built on his tough stance against homosexuality, has become the spiritual head of 21 conservative churches in the United States. They opted to leave the Episcopal Church over its decision to consecrate an openly gay bishop and allow churches to bless same-sex unions. Among the eight Virginia churches to announce they had joined the archbishop’s fold last week are The Falls Church and Truro Church, two large, historic and wealthy parishes.