No, Your Grace, Gay People Shouldn't Be Thrown in Jail

GAFCON Primates met recently for their GAFCON IV conference in Kigali, the capital of Rwanda, to decide on seven priorities for their movement. Among these goals was: ‘We will prioritize youth and children’s ministry that instructs them [Anglican youth and children] in the Word of the Lord, disciples them to maturity in Christ and equips them for a lifetime of Christian service.’

Nothing objectionable there; that’s all standard youth ministry stuff. Ask yourself a simple question, though: do you want anything with even the slightest whiff of Archbishop Stephen within fifty lightyears of your diocese’s youth and children’s ministry, given he would throw out LGBT rights to have a relationship with no more hesitation than he would a McDonald’s wrapper?

There’s even a chance, under the seven GAFCON commitments – the seven deadly sins, if you will – that Archbishop Kaziimba may tour an Anglican province near you: ‘We will build the bonds of fellowship and mutual edification through interprovincial visits of our Primates,’ reads commitment number seven. For those looking first-hand advice on how to lobby government for more persecution of LGBT people, that opportunity really would be golden.

What can the Western churches do to help our Ugandan brothers and sisters? Well, our bishops could start by being careful which international colleagues they lend credibility to by participating in conferences with and standing alongside.

We should also strengthen our efforts to help LGBT refugees, not only those from Uganda but from every country where there are limited rights to privacy. Churches could work with organizations like Rainbow Migration – a UK charity which, according to its website, ‘supports lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer and intersex (LGBTQI+) people through the asylum and immigration system.’

This article has been on the short side. I can only bare to spend so much time writing about such awfulness. Homosexuals in Uganda, however, don’t have the choice to bury their heads. An odious government, egged on by church authorities, has ruined their already difficult lives. That’s Christianity, Bishop Stephen?

If so, then I hope you’re happy with yourself. Enjoy the feeling of righteousness while you can, because I doubt you have amused God with what you have done.