UPDATED: Scroll to end.
The newly-named Secretary General of the Anglican Communion Office said in 2014, “The government has criminalised homosexuality which is good, our battle is not against human beings, it is against the devil.” In the job description for the position of Secretary General, reconciliation was a primary consideration.
Nigerian bishop to be the Anglican Communion’s next Secretary General (ACNS)
Dr Idowu-Fearon currently serves as Bishop of Kaduna in the Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) where he has earned a global reputation in the Church for his expertise in Christian-Muslim relations [links added].
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The person specification for the role of Secretary General indicated that the next incumbent should “assist the Communion to become even more faithful to, and engaged in, God’s mission of reconciliation.
“The successful candidate will be a committed Christian, a person of deep faith and prayer, a visionary ambassador for Christ and his Church, a bridge-builder to effect healing amongst the churches of the Anglican Communion, a creative and imaginative thinker, and an inspirational leader who will help to renew the witness and effectiveness of the Communion, its structures, and its programmes.”
Lay and clergy individuals from a member Church of the Anglican Communion were encouraged to apply.
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The Archbishop of Canterbury is not involved in the interview process but receives the nominations for approval.
Reconciliation within the Anglican Communion is a primary goal of Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury.
Bishop Idowu-Fearon is a long and vocal opponent of the acceptance of LGBT persons in the church. Some examples:
In an interview in 2007 he told the Dallas Morning News,
[W]e feel we are deceived, we have been cheated by the people the Lord Jesus Christ used to introduce us to the Scriptures, to bring us to a new faith in the Lord Jesus. They are telling us that it’s not wrong after all, that it’s a natural way. But we say: You are wrong; the Bible is right. So it’s not just a question of human sexuality. It’s about the authority of Scripture. For us, Scripture judges every culture. What I hear in the Western world is that culture judges Scripture. That’s the basic difference. It’s not a question of sex or no sex.
From “No going back on stand against gay marriage – Anglican Communion,” March 2014, in the Nigerian newspaper New Telegraph:
The Church of Nigeria, (Anglican Communion) said yesterday that there was no going back on its 1998 stand against promoters of homosexuality and bi-sexual tendencies. Leadership of the communion lauded the Federal Government for the decisive step it took banning the ugly practices.
Bishop of Kaduna Diocese of the Anglican Communion, Most Rev (Dr) Josiah Idowu- Fearon, who spoke at the induction/investiture of knights and dames, held in Benin, Edo State capital, stated that legalising gay marriage or such acts amounted to making God’s good creatures and standards to look imperfect.
Rev. Idowu-Fearon said, “Our battle today is not against homosexuals, our battle today is against those who say God’s standards are not good enough for us.
The government has criminalised homosexuality which is good, our battle is not against human beings, it is against the devil.” He urged all those already initiated to reestablish the family system that is Anglican oriented.
“You knights should go back and re-establish the family system and that is the Anglican position. Our resolution of 1998 on homosexuality has not changed and will not change by the grace of God.
Updates:
Idowu-Fearon preached at the consecration of Welby as Bishop of Durham. The biography Archbishop Justin Welby: The Road to Canterbury, contains the following passage,
In 2011 he pleaded with Gafcon Primates not to boycott Lambeth. He took a similar stance in 2007.
In 2007 he was demoted from archbishop to bishop by then Archbishop of Nigeria, Peter Akinola.
Posted by John B. Chilton
Image source: http://www.archbishopofcanterbury.org/data/images/articles/2013_June/CROSS-WEB.jpg