Davis Mac-Iyalla, the director of Changing Attitude Nigeria, has published a response to the letter published earlier this week by the primate of his church, Archbishop Akinola. In his letter Mac-Iyalla asks:
“Peter Akinola likens the present situation in the Anglican Communion to the occasion when Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses to the door of the Cathedral in Wittenburg. Archbishop Akinola helpfully reminds us that, among other things, Luther was asserting that the TRUTH of the gospel must always take precedence over the structures of the church.
For once, how much Changing Attitude Nigeria is in agreement with Archbishop Akinola! In particular we are sure Archbishop Akinola will rejoice at us reminding him of No. 90 of the 95, where Martin Luther asserted that,
‘To repress these arguments and scruples of the laity by force alone, and not to resolve them by giving reasons, is to expose the Church and the pope to the ridicule of their enemies, and to make Christians unhappy’.
Let us remember that in 1998 at the last Lambeth conference, all the bishops including those representing the Anglican Church in Nigeria committed to Lambeth resolution 1.10. Among other things, this included The Listening Process to listen to the experiences as well as the spiritual and theological arguments of gay and lesbian Anglicans. Instead Archbishop Akinola encouraged the government to introduce legislation to oppress us further. Can Archbishop Akinola please explain how that is compliant with Lambeth Resolution 1.10, and how his behaviour is so different from Martin Luther’s 90th thesis?”
Read the rest here.