The statement noted that, "the church does not condemn persons of homosexuality tendencies but absolutely condemn the sinful acts and activities they perform".

The Ghanaians condemned the behavior not the persons. That is completely in line with what Scripture teaches about sexual sin. From Genesis to Jesus, "male and female created He them" is the gold standard on human sexuality. All seven scriptures forbid homosexual activity. Jesus would have told a practicing homosexual, as he told the woman caught in adultery, "neither do I condemn thee go and sin no more."

The bishops further made it clear that putting aside Christianity, the Ghanaian tradition and culture did not permit such acts, and explained that: "this is about morality today and that of the future generation yet unborn, and we as leaders must leave a legacy everyone will be proud of - Christ-like legacy of hope."

The statement then went on to quote Scripture: "the Anglican Church, Ghana, sees homosexual practice as an act condemned by scriptures both in the Old and New Testaments - Leviticus 20:13 clearly declares that a male lying with a fellow male is an abomination and punishable by death."

"In the New Testament, Paul speaks of homosexuality as 'contrary to sound doctrine' as recorded in I Timothy 1:10 - for the sexually immoral, for those practicing homosexuality, for slave traders and liars and perjurers--and for whatever else is contrary to the sound doctrine."

The Church therefore, appealed to its members and the public not to embark on any form of harassment, intimidation or hostilities on individuals or groups associated with LGBTQI "but rather, see them as potential souls to be won for Christ."

"We as a church assures that, we will gladly open our counselling and support centres for the needed transformation services required by these persons or groups," it said.

This is completely within the guidelines established by Lambeth Resolution 1:10 which "recognises that there are among us persons who experience themselves as having a homosexual orientation. Many of these are members of the Church and are seeking the pastoral care, moral direction of the Church, and God's transforming power for the living of their lives and the ordering of relationships...while rejecting homosexual practice as incompatible with Scripture, calls on all our people to minister pastorally and sensitively to all irrespective of sexual orientation and to condemn irrational fear of homosexuals..."

The Ghanaian bill advocates for intense education on the Human Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill 2021 to avoid acts of emotionalism and sentimentality by members and the public.

"We will consistently urge our members and the public to join the church as it prays towards elimination of any impediments towards the realization of the bill," the statement said.

But this did not sit well with both Archbishops Welby and Cottrell and a small coterie of left-wing Church of England bishops who see homophobia under every evangelical African bed. They excoriated the African leader.

"I am gravely concerned by the draft anti-LGBTQ+ bill due to be debated by the Ghanaian parliament. I will be speaking with the archbishop of Ghana in the coming days to discuss the Anglican Church of Ghana's response to the bill," said Welby.

The western colonial mindset still thinks they can dictate to African Christians what they should and should not believe about sodomy. But as western Anglicanism sinks slowly into the sunset and the Global South grows in strength, that is increasingly less likely. "We're not taking it anymore," might be the new theme song of African Anglicanism.

Recently, Archbishop Welby lit into Nigerian Anglican Archbishop Henry Ndukuba over remarks he made about homosexuality, but he was met with a strong rebuff. The Africans are not taking it, and The Episcopal Church is finding out that their money is not buying them the influence they hoped it would in changing hearts and minds over homosexual behavior.

However, the Christian Council of Ghana -- which includes Anglicans, Methodists and Presbyterians, and the Ghana Pentecostal and Charismatic Council -- comprised of 200 churches and ministries -- issued a joint statement backing the legislation.

END