By Gilbert Akampa Kakurugu,
NATIONAL
Today the COU archbishop the most Rev Stephen Kazimba Mugalu responded to the decision made at Cuntbury in England asking the clergy to start blessing same sex marriages.
Rt Rev Kazimba Mugalu who is the head of the Anglican church in Uganda told Journalist that the Synod of the church of England sat yesterday 9th February and made some decisions for the church which are very crucial for Ugandans and said it is his duty to update and guide Christians in the Anglican church.
According to the archbishop, the Church of England makes contradictory statements and expects everyone to believe both are true simultaneously. That’s what they have done with this decision.
On the one hand, they say that the Church of England has not changed its doctrine of marriage. This is because marriage is a lifelong union between one man and one woman.
On the other hand, they are giving clergy permission to preside at services of blessing for same-sex unions, especially for gay couples who are already considered “married” by the British government. In other words, a gay couple joined together in a civil marriage would then go to the church to receive prayers of blessing.It’s only the terminology that differentiates a wedding from a blessing service.
The Church of England insists it is not changing its doctrine of marriage. But, in practice, they are doing precisely that. You may read various articles, opinions, and commentaries on this decision that try to justify its action.
Mugalu said that if it looks like a wedding, and sounds like a wedding… it is a wedding.
The archbishop expressed his stand as the head of the church of Uganda highlighting some of the biblical verses about marriage.
He said that from the first page of the Bible in the book of Genesis to the last page of the Bible in the book of Revelation, it is clear that God’s design for human flourishing is that we are part of a family – a family that is defined as one man and one woman united in holy matrimony for life and, God willing, a union that produces children. God’s Word has said that the only context for sexual relationships is in the context of a marriage of one man and one woman.
He added that because lifelong, exclusive marriage between one man and one woman is the only context for sexual relationships, the Bible calls any other kind of sexual relationship a sin. Whether it is adultery, or fornication, or polygamy, or homosexual relationships. They are all sins and they all separate us from God.
That means sleeping with your girlfriend or your boyfriend before marriage, having a side dish when you are married, having a second or third wife, as well as engaging in homosexual or same-sex sexual relationships are all sins.
Archbishop said it’s true God can forgive you, but it requires that you come before God, confess that you have done wrong, and make a commitment to change your way of life – in other words, to repent. This will enable you to walk in God’s ways.
He added that when Jesus was questioned about a woman caught in adultery, he told her to “Go, and sin no more.”
There is a lot of sexual sin in Uganda. I know that, and you know that. Nevertheless, we haven’t changed our message. Our message is the message of the Bible, which is, “Go, and sin no more.” said the archbishop.
The Church of England, on the other hand, has now departed from the Bible by saying go and sin more.
He urged all Christians under Church of Uganda not to accept that saying God cannot bless what he calls sin and also encouraged Christians to follow the footsteps of the Uganda martyrs who refused to engage in homosexuality with their leaders and stood firm in their faith and martyred for it.
Archbishop Stephen Kazimba Mugalu strongly condemned this act and stated they will not betray the Word of God or his ways, and that Jesus alone is “the way, the truth, and the life,” and that he is the same “yesterday, today, and forever.”
What is sinful remains sinful to Jesus. Instead, Jesus gives us a way out of a bondage to sin by putting our trust and faith in him as our Saviour and Lord. That’s why it’s possible for us to “Go, and sin no more.”
