...Everyone is entitled to his or her opinion, but anyone who does not think that Akinola's primacy is a resounding success will have an uphill task for a better comparison, as the Church has never had it so good. In fact, Archbishop Akinola has succeeded in putting the Primacy of the Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) at a level that will take a very long time to equal nationally, regionally and globally. By the foregone indications, he has immensely endowed the future generation of Anglicans in many unprecedented ways...There are a number of commendable initiatives attributed to Abp. Akinola, identified by Onayiga as "A Hero of Our Time." But I note that there are other actions by the Archbishop that seem to have been left off this lengthy list. As a matter of fact, as I review past entries on this site, I spot at least half a dozen rather important stories in which Abp. Akinola played a prominent role. It seems to me that we might be of assistance to Mr. Onayiga by suggesting a few additions to the "hero's" story:
June, 2003 - Anglican Leader Raises Stakes With New Gay Outburst:
...Peter Akinola, leader of the 17.5 million-strong church in Nigeria, hit out at the recent election in America of the first openly gay bishop.
'This is an attack on the Church of God - a Satanic attack on God's church,' he told the Lagos-based Guardian newspaper.
'I cannot think of how a man in his senses would be having a sexual relationship with another man. Even in the world of animals, dogs, cows, lions, we don't hear of such things.
'When we sit down globally as a communion, I am going to sit in a meeting with a man who is marrying a fellow man,' he added. 'I mean it's just not possible. I cannot see myself doing it.'
Akinola restated an earlier warning that he will precipitate a split between the Nigerian Church and the Church of England if it consecrates its first gay bishop, the self-avowed chaste homosexual Canon Jeffrey John...
September, 2005 - Akinola: "Gays Produce Hooligans":
...Homosexuality and lesbianism, like divorce, breed a society of single parents which gives rise to a generation of bastards. And in the context of much poverty and lack of education, this further produces an ill-bred generation of hooligans, portending much terror to the peace and stability of the society...
February, 2006 - The Bill Against Homosexuality:
...The Church commends the law-makers for their prompt reaction to outlaw same-sex relationships in Nigeria and calls for the bill to be passed since the idea expressed in the bill is the moral position of Nigerians regarding human sexuality...Note that one of the accolades showered upon Akinola in the Onayiga piece is "Giving Voice to the Voiceless." One must assume, based on the above statements, that gay Anglicans were excluded from this gift. Incarceration was Akinola's preferred solution to such "satanic attacks". Being in prison would certainly qualify one as "voiceless."
Read more about Akinola's unique version of the mandated Anglcan Listening Process here and here.
March, 2006 - Censure Peter Akinola:
...A COALITION of volunteers in Nigeria has written an open letter to the Archbishop of Canterbury asking him to denounce last week's "irresponsible" statement by the Archbishop of Nigeria, the Most Revd Peter Akinola, on the current Christian-Muslim riots.From Stephen Bates:
Archbishop Akinola, writing as president of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), had warned Muslims that "they do not have the monopoly of violence in this nation. . . . CAN may no longer be able to contain our restive youths should this ugly trend continue."
The volunteers say this "aggressive and inflammatory rhetoric" will incite further violence...
...last week our old friend Archbishop Akinola waded into the inter-religious violence in Nigeria with all the abandon of a man waving a lighted match near a pool of petrol, threatening Muslims that they did not have a monopoly of violence. Who knows what the effect, but shortly afterwards Christian mobs in Onitsha started hacking people to death with machetes. The only people I can find who condoned the Archbishop’s remarks were on American blogsites. Even his fellow bishop Cyril Okorocha thought he was being inflammatory...
January, 2007 - A Letter to The Diocese of Virginia from the Rt. Rev. Peter James Lee, Bishop:
...The Church of Nigeria, like The Episcopal Church, is an autonomous province of the Anglican Communion with clearly defined boundaries. Bonds of affection in the Anglican Communion hold that provincial boundaries are not crossed by bishops without expressed invitation. Bishop Akinola’s effort to establish CANA within the boundaries of The Episcopal Church has occurred without any invitation or authorization whatsoever and violates centuries of established Anglican heritage. As the Archbishop of Canterbury has made clear, CANA is not a branch of the Anglican Communion and does not have his encouragement...More on Akinola's border crossings in order to pillage American congregations here.
February, 2008 - Abp. Akinola and the Massacre of Yelwa:
...... At the time of the massacre, Archbishop Peter Akinola was the president of the Christian Association of Nigeria, whose membership was implicated in the killings...
...When asked if those wearing name tags that read “Christian Association of Nigeria” had been sent to the Muslim part of Yelwa, the archbishop grinned. “No comment,” he said. “No Christian would pray for violence, but it would be utterly naive to sweep this issue of Islam under the carpet.” He went on, “I’m not out to combat anybody. I’m only doing what the Holy Spirit tells me to do. I’m living my faith, practicing and preaching that Jesus Christ is the one and only way to God, and they respect me for it. They know where we stand. I’ve said before: let no Muslim think they have the monopoly on violence”...
June, 2008 - Peter Akinola Refused Entry Into Jordan:
On his way to the GAFCON consultation in Jordan, Abp. Akinola was refused entry at the border...So there are just a few highlights that I'd like to see added to Abp. Akinola's list of accomplishments. There are quite a few more, that I'd be happy to provide Mr. Onayiga upon request.
...90% of all Jordanians adhere to Sunni Islam. Their Constitution stipulates that the king and his successors must be Muslims and sons of Muslim parents. Regardless of the various other reasons that will be offered, I think it is safe to assume that the motivation for banning Abp. Peter Akinola (and no one else, including members of his own delegation) from entering Jordan was because the leadership of Jordan had serious reservations about allowing someone who is implicated in violent crimes against Muslims to enter their country...
A lasting tribute to a great hero needs to include the rest of the story, don't you think?
J.
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