One of the African Archbishops who has established a beachhead here to protect the faithful, Ugandan Henry Luke Orombi, has written a bracing article on Anglicanism from an East African perspective, What Is Anglicanism. It's a wonderful read.
In the Church of Uganda, Anglicanism has been built on three pillars: martyrs, revival, and the historic episcopate. Yet each of these refers back to the Word of God, the ground on which all is built: The faith of the martyrs was maintained by the Word of God, the East African revival brought to the people the Word of God, and the historic ordering of ministry was designed to advance the Word of God.Odd at first to hear an Anglican talking about martyrs, isn't it?
So let us think about how the Word of God works in the worldwide Anglican Communion. We in the Church of Uganda are convinced that Scripture must be reasserted as the central authority in our communion. The basis of our commitment to Anglicanism is that it provides a wider forum for holding each other accountable to Scripture, which is the seed of faith and the foundation of the Church in Uganda.The TEC has declared its autonomy from this accountability, in defiance of the Communion. So, the Africans are setting up shop here, and former Episcopal parishes are fleeing TEC into the welcoming arms of the orthodox, even as the TEC pursues a scorched earth litigation policy against these parishes.
The Bible cannot appear to us a cadaver, merely to be dissected, analyzed, and critiqued, as has been the practice of much modern higher biblical criticism. Certainly we engage in biblical scholarship and criticism, but what is important to us is the power of the Word of God precisely as the Word of God—written to bring transformation in our lives, our families, our communities, and our culture. For us, the Bible is “living and active, sharper than a double-edged sword, it penetrates to dividing soul and spirits, joints and marrow, it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart” (Heb. 4:12). The transforming effect of the Bible on Ugandans has generated so much conviction and confidence that believers were martyred in the defense of the message of salvation through Jesus Christ that it brought.As they say, read the whole thing.
How interesting if another aspect of the reverse colonization of the ennervated West is a restoration of orthodox Anglican Christianity.
May God Bless Archbishop Orombi, and may He have mercy on us all.
