Christian Podcast Central
Dr. Jerry Kulah
Who nailed it this week? A humble Pastor from Africa in a gentle but stunning rebuke of the American “church elite”.
I’m Joel Fieri, Executive Producer of Christian Podcast Central. And this is “The Best Thing You’ll Hear This Week”
Recently the United Methodist Church, at a special session of it’s general conference voted to re-affirm it’s traditional stance on homosexuality and gay marriage. The vote was mostly carried by the African contingent of delegates, the vast majority of whom, unlike the American contingent, hold fast to traditional Biblical teachings on sexuality. They were lead by Dr. Jerry Kulah of Liberia. In a truly epic statement to the council preceding the vote, Dr. Kulah cut to the heart of the issue with a message that I can only say is inspired by the Holy Spirit.
The general theme of his message was that while the Methodist Church in Africa loves and extends grace to all people, including gays and lesbians, “we know of no compelling arguments for forsaking our church’s understanding of Scripture and the teachings of the church universal.”
And then he went on in a gentle but stunning rebuke of the American delegates:
“And then please hear me when I say as graciously as I can: we Africans are not children in need of western enlightenment when it comes to the church’s sexual ethics. We do not need to hear a progressive U.S. bishop lecture us about our need to “grow up.”
Let me assure you, we Africans, whether we have liked it or not, have had to engage in this debate for many years now. We stand with the global church, not a culturally liberal, church elite, in the U.S.”
He then addressed the possible negative financial consequences of going against the American Methodists, saying this:
“Unfortunately, some United Methodists in the U.S. have the very faulty assumption that all Africans are concerned about is U.S. financial support. Well, I am sure, being sinners like all of you, some Africans are fixated on money. But with all due respect, a fixation on money seems more of an American problem than an African one. We get by on far less than most Americans do; we know how to do it. I’m not so sure you do. So if anyone is so naïve or condescending as to think we would sell our birth right in Jesus Christ for American dollars, then they simply do not know us.”
I could go on quoting him. Really it’s that good! I’ll attach a link below for you to read Dr. Kulah’s comments for yourself. And I will let them speak for themselves. I will say this – it’s easy for us as Evangelicals to beat up on American Methodists or other Mainline Christians for being so willing to “surrender their birth right” by caving to progressivism, but more and more we see Evangelical leaders going down the same path. So I’ll simply ask a question:
If this humble servant of the Lord from a poverty, war and disease torn country like Liberia has spiritual armor strong enough to stand up against the flaming arrows of popular culture and the “church elite” from the U.S., WHY, as Bible-believing Evangelicals from a free and prosperous America, don’t WE?!
Maybe, as Dr. Kulah suggests, we don’t know how.
Thank you Dr. Kulah! Your speech is the best thing we’ve heard this week!
Dr. Kulah’s address; https://juicyecumenism.com/2019/02/23/african-united-methodists-wont-trade-bible-for-dollars/
As an additional contribution to the issue raised here of Christians from Africa and the Third World or Global South holding fast to Biblical teaching, while those in the West cave to Progressive and Post-Modern pressures, I did an episode of “The Big Picture Podcast” a few years back called “God’s Got It Covered” on that very subject. If you’d like to hear it, Click this LINK.
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