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Kenyan bishops "appalled" by CoE Synod vote on gay marriage
By Jackson Ole Sapit,
May 22, 2023
STATEMENT OF THE HOUSE OF BISHOPS ON THE STATE OF THE NATION AND ANGLICAN COMMUNION
Bible Verse: Ephesians 4: There is one body and one spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling.
We in the Anglican Church of Kenya call upon these western liberal Provinces to repent and return to the one and only faith in Jesus Christ as revealed and taught in the canonical scriptures of the church. Rhetoric of political and secular correctness will only serve to undermine the one and only pure gospel, and unless these churches preach the gospel as we inherited it, they will soon be irrelevant, lose their identity as a church, and they will only be as good as that salt which has lost its saltiness -- to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by the world (Matthew 5:13). We make a humble call to these churches: "Wake up! Strengthen what little remains, for even what is left is almost dead. Your actions do not meet the requirements of God" (Revelation 3:2)
We write to our Christians to note that:
The General Synod of the Church of England makes legislations for the Church of England, and their resolutions apply only to the Church of England. Whereas we in the Anglican Church of Kenya (ACK) are saddened by the departure of our mother Church from the true Gospel, their resolutions do not apply to us and we do not recognize any teaching that is extra-biblical or contrary to the teachings of the Bible.
We affirm that marriage, as taught in the Holy scriptures is between one man and one woman, monogamous and heterosexual. Any deviation from this God designed covenant relationship, is sinful and unacceptable. If there are people who are not called to marriage and are faithful followers of Christ, let them embrace celibacy, and live a life obedient to the teachings of the bible as they so profess to believe in.
We affirm that the Holy scripture is authoritative in all matters of faith and any departure from the historic formularies and the plain teachings of the scripture is an error and must be corrected.
We encourage and stand in solidarity with those marginalized Christians in the Church of England who are resolved to remain faithful to the Gospel of Christ and seek obedience to the teachings of the scripture in all its entirety. We pray for them that they will not surrender their light of Christ to the powerful secular voices that have captured the Church.
Statement by:
The Most Rev. Dr. Jackson Ole Sapit, The Archbishop of Kenya, the Bishop of All Saints' Cathedral Diocese and Bishop in- Ordinary to the Kenya Defence Forces
