THE RAGING BATTLES: HOMOSEXUALITY, SYNCRETISM AND UNCHRISTIAN PRACTICES IN OUR CHURCH

For the record

SEMINAR PRESENTATION

BY

REV. PROF. DAPO F. ASAJU

BISHOP THEOLOGIAN, CHURCH OF NIGERIA

At the Standing Committee meeting of the Church of Nigeria, holding at All Saints Cathedral, Onitsha, on 11^th February 2021.

Prof. Dapo Asaju

Gratitude: To The Primate of All Nigeria, His Grace, Most Rev. Henry Ndukuba for assigning me to deliver this lecture.

Definitions:

Homosexuality, Syncretism, Ungodly Customs, Warfare.

PREAMBLE

1. Anglican Church of Nigeria issued a statement in 2006 affirming “Our commitment to the total rejection of the evil of homosexuality which is a perversion of human dignity and encourages the National Assembly to ratify the Bill prohibiting the legality of homosexuality”.
2. “ Despite International Pressure, ex-President Goodluck Jonathan signed the Same-Sex Marriage(Prohibition) Act in January 2014 prescribing 10-14 years in prison for cohabitation between same-sex partners, public show of same-sex relationship, registration, operation, or participation in gay clubs, societies, and organization”. The Anglican Church Nigeria led the struggle to get this legislation passed and we must commend our Past Primates and Anglican legislators including my Co-Presenter at this Seminar, Senator Ike Ikweremandu
3. The Biden Presidency, immediately upon assumption to office, announced the Pro-Gay agenda as a core part of the Foreign policy of the USA. His Memo of 8^th February states as follows:

“When foreign governments move to restrict the rights of LGBTQ+[Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender]  persons or fail to enforce legal protections in place…agencies [USA] abroad shall consider appropriate responses including using the full range of diplomatic and assistance tools, and as appropriate, financial sanctions, visa restrictions and make provisions for LGBT asylum seekers….”

The above clearly shows spiritual, ideological, and political dimensions of ongoing battles between the Kingdom of God and Satan manifest in our contemporary world.

The Fall of Satan and the raging Battles between the Kingdoms:

Paul stated that “We wrestle not against flesh and Blood but against Principalities [ eg Satan ( Pride, deceit, and wrath) and Beelzebub (idolatry, Flying devils, Witchcraft, Envy), Asmodee (Lust), Belial (violence and Lawlessness), Abadon /Apollyon (slothfulness) Mammon (Greed), etc] , Powers, Rulers of Kingdoms and spiritual wickedness in High Places (Ephesians 6:12).

“⁴ (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds;)⁵ Casting down imaginations and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ. (2 Corinthians 10:4-5).

• God’s attitude to sin and rebellion has not changed. His judgments on the following attest to this fact:

1. War and expulsion of Satan and fallen angels;
2. The Flood that destroyed the whole world at the time of Noah [God regretted that He made man, whose imagination was continually evil, and who indulged in abominable sexual misconduct by fallen angels co-habitation with human women and producing corrupted human DNA)

• Confusion of global languages at the Tower of Babel,

1. Destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah [Archaeological evidence confirms this].
2. Ten Plagues on Egyptians as well as God’s Killing [during the wilderness wanderings] , of a generation of all Israelites who were delivered from Egypt, except Caleb and Joshua [These were millions of His chosen people].
3. Covid -19 is an act of God’s judgment. Note the victims so far being over one million.

TOOLS USED TO FIGHT THE CHURCH TODAY

1. Direct persecution: Jewish (Crucified Jesus of Nazareth), Roman Emperors (Nero, Diocletian, Trajan; until Constantine the Great issued Edict of Toleration/Liberation in 313 AD, at Milan, making Christianity not only Religio Licita but actually evolving into becoming the State Religion), The Roman Catholic Church killing of faithful Christians like William Tyndale, Communists killings, Hitler’s Holocaust where 6 million Jews (God’s covenant  people),  Slavery of millions of Africans, killing of Twins (evil superstitions),
2. Paganism: African local deities (Supreme Being, Divinities, Spirits, Ancestor worship, spirits, Magic and Medicine), Ancestor worship, and Idolatry. Buddhism, Hinduism, Confucianism, etc. I add Islam in this category because of the nature of its origin from the Kaabah in Mecca being the repository home of pagan deities during the Jahiliyah period prior to Muhammed’s
3. Atheist Communism [Karl Marx and religion.] The nation with the World’s largest population [18.4%] is China. The current population of China is 1,442,721,690 as of Wednesday, February 10, 2021. Yet they are predominantly Atheist; USSR (including Russia) countries and communism exported to nations of the world. The current population of the Russian Federation is 145,972,787 as of Wednesday, February 10, 2021.
4. Secularism and constitutional expulsion from places of influence in society. The secular ‘European Union’ has a constitution where there is no mention of the word ‘God’! Check Nigerian Constitution that refers to Sharia many times but not to the Christian God nor Canon Law]
5. Science and Technology, with the Evolution Theory which denies the existence of God and His responsibility for the creation of the universe and man. This takes away man’s moral responsibility and accountability to God.

This is the fundamental reason why evils such as abortion is promoted in the USA ( millions of children are killed through abortion by Americans. Pro-Life advocates like Trump are hated. Many western countries have passed laws encouraging abortion.

6. Philosophy and Liberal Theology. As a result, Man appoints himself as judge over divine revelation. Our Anglican component of Reason as part of the Tripod derives from this. Hence, Theologians raise the satanic question put to Eve in the Garden of Eden- Has God said?

So, Theologians question i. Existence of God, ii. Authority of the Holy Bible, iii. Lordship of Jesus Christ, iv. The uniqueness of Jesus Christ as the only Saviour and the Gospel of the Cross of Jesus  Christ of Nazareth as the only means to reach God, v. Authority of Biblical Ethics as governor over Man’s moral life, especially on human sexuality. This is the mother of sexual promiscuity, Nudity culture, Homosexuality [ Gay and Lesbian], polygamy, Incest, Bestiality, Orgies, Transgender, Bi-sexuality, etc.

7. False ‘Christs’, false churches, and False Prophets who have proliferated in the society.
8. Infiltration of the ranks of church leadership with agents of Satan who have risen through the ranks to assert corruption of the church and eventual take over. Hence there are already many homosexuals in the ranks of our church leadership from Seminaries to Houses of the clergy, laity, and maybe Bishops. This is the most dangerous, being enemies within.
9. SYNCRETISM: This comes in form of Double living by Christians in the guise of cultural practices, Interfaith Movement, Christian membership of secret cults [Note the Church of Nigeria OATHS on Non-Membership of cults and Non-Indulgence in Homosexuality], Chieftaincy and Traditional rites that are incompatible with Biblical tenets, resorting to pagan divination, charms, and evil empowerment as a weapon of war, vengeance, protection of prosperity.
10. Bad Cultural Practices. These include : (i) Human sacrifices and ritual killings for chieftaincy rites, for political empowerment and financial prosperity; (ii) Inflicting terror on innocent Christian widows in the guise of cultural widowhood rites, (iii) class /caste discrimination of certain families or communities in the name of historic slavery; amongst whom others can not get married [eg the Osu in Igbo and Eru in Yoruba] (iv) Imposition of Traditional curfews that inhibit free movements even in urban centres with danger to females who are forbidden from witnessing the rites at the detriment of their being killed or raped.
11. Ancestor worship and Masquerade festivals which Governments sponsor today as part of cultural revival,
12. Epicurean Lifestyles which sees pleasure as the end of the goal of life, not disciplined self-denial in the pursuit of other worldly spirituality. This is the reason why Sporting and Entertainment Heroes and more popular and earn outrageously higher wages than professionals who make meaningful contributions to society like professors, Doctors, Nurses, Scientists, Engineers, Teachers,
13. Legislations and Constitutional prohibitions and political domination whereby Christians are excluded from vital positions of influence in Executive, Legislative, Judicial, Military, and other strategic sectors.
14. Bad western evils have crept into Nigerian societies such as the popularization of Night clubs for homosexual and orgy practices,(They are now all over town, with prostitutes all over the Red Light streets, Rape of underaged children, incest whereby many parents forcefully have carnal knowledge of their daughters, bestiality, where girls and prostitutes are paid huge sums to have sex with dogs and other animals, pornography has dominated the minds of very many, masturbation is argued by a popular Pentecostal Pastor as acceptable for Christians, clergy divorcing their wives and remarrying at ease, sex for grades has become a popular scandal in educational institutions at all levels, cultism is gaining ground openly, with cult gangs openly fighting wars of domination, now it is kidnapping and banditry. The country has become unsafe, neither on the roads nor at one’s homes. The intervention of God is needed; only when and if the Church is righteous enough to move God to intervene.

THE  POSITION OF THE HOLY BIBLE

The Holy Bible remains the inspired Word of God which contains the mind of God to regulate our spirituality, morality, and faith. It is the final authority for a genuine Christian. Man has absolutely no right nor power to tamper with canonical scripture. All through the Bible, there are clear indications that God, The Prophets, Jesus Christ, and the Apostles, reject and condemn False prophets and teachers. Revelation warns against adding to and subtracting from the Bible. Paul declared that anyone who teaches a contrary gospel from that of Christ should be accursed.

Therefore what does the Bible say concerning the issues under discussion?

On Homosexuality, Bestiality, and incest, etc

The Holiness Code (Leviticus 18:21-26):

²¹ And thou shalt not let any of thy seed pass through the fire to Molech, neither shalt thou profane the name of thy God: I am the Lord.

²² Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is an abomination.

²³ Neither shalt thou lie with any beast to defile thyself therewith: neither shall any woman stand before a beast to lie down thereto: it is confusion.[Genetic confusion]

²⁴ Defile, not ye yourselves in any of these things: for in all these the nations are defiled which I cast out before you:

²⁵ And the land is defiled: therefore I do visit the iniquity thereof upon it, and the land itself vomiteth out her inhabitants.

²⁶ Ye shall therefore keep my statutes and my judgments, and shall not commit any of these abominations; neither any of your own nation, nor any stranger that sojourneth among you:

Leviticus 20: 13:

¹³ If a man also lies with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them.

¹⁴ And if a man takes a wife and her mother, it is wickedness: they shall be burnt with fire, both he and they; that there be no wickedness among you.

• And if a man lies with a beast, he shall surely be put to death: and ye shall slay the beast.

16. And if a woman approaches unto any beast, and lie down thereto, thou shalt kill the woman, and the beast: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them.

Sodomy

This terminology was coined from homosexuality being the major sin committed by the people of Sodom and Gomorrah which led to their destruction by God, using Fire, Sulphur, and Hailstones. Archaeological evidence today confirms the location, the physical debris, and sulfuric remnants of the elements. Jewish historians Philo (d.  AD 50) and Josephus (37 AD) confirm in their writings that Homosexuality was responsible for the destruction of the two cities in spite of the intercession by Abraham.

Dear Members of Houses of Bishops, Clergy, and Laity, if homosexuality had existed for thousands of years and God’s response to it was instant annihilation, should a modern man be so rebellious as to romance with it for whatever reason? Precedence warns us that the consequence is direct self-destruction through the wrath of God. There is no reason why its acceptance should ever be a subject of theological debate, church tolerance, and societal approval.

Paul’s Position- Romans 1: 23-32

²¹ Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.

²² Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,

²³ And changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things.

²⁴ Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves:

²⁵ Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.

²⁶ For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature:

²⁷ And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompense of their error which was meet.

²⁸ And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;

²⁹ Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers,

³⁰ Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,

³¹ Without understanding, covenant-breakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful:

³² Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same but have pleasure in them that do them.

Jude 1:3-8

³ Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.

⁴ For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ.

⁵ I will therefore put you in remembrance, though ye once knew this, how that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed them that believed not.

⁶ And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day.

⁷ Even as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire. [hell]

⁸ Likewise also these filthy dreamers defile the flesh, despise dominion, and speak evil of dignities.

The Way Forward for Christians in this Raging Battle

1. Keep to God’s instructions on sexual ethical conduct and never heed to the government or human contrary arguments. WE must call the bluff of the arrogant West and their local allies including many Nigerians who are now emboldened to openly canvass recognition and acceptance simply because America is ready to back them up. An Openly Gay Nigerian recently alleged that about 40% of Federal legislators are Gay and that they would petition America to support their legal acceptance. We must be ready to fight both the enemies within and those without at all fronts: homes, schools, Mass Media, social media, military establishments, judiciary, and even within the church.
2. Identify this battle as satanic in inspiration, and the act as an act of rebellion against God’s kingdom to provoke God’s destruction of men to the advantage of hell. Remember that Rebellion is like witchcraft; so, Prophet Samuel told rebellious King Saul. The warfare should be more spiritual than intellectual.
3. All Christians must cooperate to fight this battle. Church of Nigeria, being the official church in Nigeria by colonial legacy should take up the spiritual leadership mandate to galvanize all other denominations, educate them and draw them to enlist into God’s army for this ongoing battle.
4. The leadership of our Church at every level should urgently arrange meetings with all legislature at all levels to thank and appreciate them for their past position, encourage them to stand by it, educate them on why deviant western countries should be resisted, advising them not to sacrifice our collective moral/spiritual interests for a pot of porridge-like Esau. They should in addition advise and warn them never to support any foreign pressure like the USA to compel Nigeria to abrogate the Anti Homosexuality laws in Nigeria. They should be made to realize they are elected officers and if they vote against God’s interest, they implicate their constituencies and invite the wrath of God. Remember that Uganda has also passed similar Law and insists that western powers should not violate our sovereignty by selling to us poison that has l]killed their own societies. This is part of the decolonization war against the West thinking that we are their slaves and they can dictate to us to commit suicide as they have done. You know a tree by its fruit. If secularism and abominable rebellion has killed Christian faith, corrupted theological education, produced unbelieving pastors, emptied churches, sold church buildings, persecuted faithful Christians, and promoted Satanism. Is this what we want for Nigerian churches and societies? Definitely No. This evil culture will destroy normal family life, individual decency, promote promiscuity diseases and perversions that have eternal consequences.
5. Positive propaganda is needed at this time. The enemies occupy public space more than Children of God who often keep silent, preferring to pray without doing anything. Faith without works is dead! All members of the Anglican church should keep writing articles and comments to all branches of the press” Newspapers, Television, Radio, and social media. Scholars, Lawyers, and Theologians should publish articles and books to counter the lies of the revisionists and deviants who lure innocent people into homosexuality.
6. Our Churches and seminaries should be screened thoroughly with background checks to flush our homosexuals who already operate in the church at various levels. With financial inducements, scholarships, and cheap asylum and visa being promised to self-acclaimed homosexuals, many desperate Nigerian youths are likely to be attracted especially those without strong spiritual convictions. There are many who will embrace Machiavellian philosophy to pretend homosexuality is a stepping stone to getting foreign visas. Unless the church educates and indoctrinates her young members, many will be lured.
7. The Church of Nigeria should publish widely her position and arguments against homosexuality. Mentioning this in Bishop’s charges that are not read beyond our churches is of little effect. We should spend good money on advertorials including paid Newspaper adverts.
8. We need strong Apologetics by all theologians in the church who are knowledgeable enough to defend the doctrinal positions of the church on the issues in contention. Early church fathers especially Apologists like Tertullian, Irenaeus, Cyprian of Alexandria, St Augustine of Hippo and Origen, etc were all African theologians who fought using their writings to defend the Bible and orthodoxy. What are all our brains doing today? All Anglican Legal experts should readily organize themselves to also wrote and defend the position of the Church in the legal dimension of this battle. If evil legislation is passed, it may become difficult to practice orthodox Christian marriage to the extent that faithful Christians who refuse same-sex wedding ceremonies would risk imprisonment or losing their jobs as is happening already in the USA and Canada, etc.
9. The GAFCON Jerusalem Declaration is our guide to respond to the ongoing revisionism. It is reproduced below. It should be carefully taught and adhered to.
10. We must return to the preaching of the pure and simple Gospel which primarily replicates the messianic manifesto, modes, and means employed by our Lord Jesus Christ and the Apostle. See Isaiah 61; see also Paul’s manifesto in Acts 26:18.
11. Prayer, fasting and Holy living, and vigorous evangelism must now be intensified. This kind of battle is not won except by these spiritual efforts.
12. We should revise and update our curricular for the training of priests and other strategic functionaries in our church to equip them on the new frontiers of the ongoing battle and guide them on pragmatic progressive ministry in the contemporary world.
13. We are on a battle for reformation after the order of the following who should be our role models:
14. Martin Luther
15. William Wilberforce

• Martin Luther King of USA

1. Samuel Ajayi Crowther [ Our presence in Onitsha for this conference, on the very grounds of his labour sets for our example of sacrifices, commitment, dogged fight against evil cultural practices, contention with paganism, and advancing of the cause of the Gospel with millions of fruits, whom we are today. May we like them use the advantage of our present location and opportunities to fight today for the survival of our future generation of our children and the sustenance of the Gospel of Christ Jesus who indeed should be the King of Kings and Lords of Lords; the Prince of Peace upon whose shoulders should be the governments of the universe.
2. We must support GAFCON, our global organ for defending Biblical orthodoxy in the Anglican Communion. Church of Nigeria spearheaded the GAFCON Revolution and we must sustain it even if we remain the last church standing! Onward Christian soldiers, marching unto the war, with the cross of Jesus. Going on before.

May God Almighty, the Mighty God of War, with our Captain and Lord Jesus Christ arise to save and help us to advance His Kingdom and vanquish the Gates of Hell in Nigeria and the world at Large.   Amen.

Addendum: GAFCON Jerusalem declaration

In the name of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit:

The participants in the first Global Anglican Future Conference met in the land of Jesus’ birth. They expressed their

1. loyalty as disciples to the King of kings, the Lord Jesus;
2. the joyful embrace of his command to proclaim the reality of his kingdom which he first announced in this land;

iii. acknowledgment that the gospel of the kingdom is the good news of salvation, liberation, and transformation for all;

And, in light of the above, we agree to chart a way forward together that promotes and protects the biblical gospel and mission to the world, solemnly declaring the following tenets of orthodoxy which underpin our Anglican identity.

1. We rejoice in the gospel of God through which we have been saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit. Because God first loved us, we love him and as believers bring forth fruits of love, ongoing repentance, lively hope and thanksgiving to God in all things.
2. We believe the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments to be the Word of God written and to contain all things necessary for salvation. The Bible is to be translated, read, preached, taught and obeyed in its plain and canonical sense, respectful of the church’s historic and consensual reading.
3. We uphold the four Ecumenical Councils [ Nicaea –325 AD; Constantinople-381 AD; Ephesus-449 AD and Chalcedon- 451AD and the three historic Creeds [Apostles, Nicene and Athanasian]  as expressing the rule of faith of the one holy catholic and apostolic Church.
4. We uphold the Thirty-nine Articles as containing the true doctrine of the Church agreeing with God’s Word and as authoritative for Anglicans today.
5. We gladly proclaim and submit to the unique and universal Lordship of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, humanity’s only Saviour from sin, judgement, and hell, who lived the life we could not live and died the death that we deserve. By his atoning death and glorious resurrection, he secured the redemption of all who come to Him in repentance and faith.
6. We rejoice in our Anglican sacramental and liturgical heritage as an expression of the gospel, and we uphold the 1662 Book of Common Prayer as a true and authoritative standard of worship and prayer, to be translated and locally adapted for each culture.
7. We recognise that God has called and gifted bishops, priests, and deacons in historic succession [including Apostolic succession] to equip all the people of God for their ministry in the world. We uphold the classic Anglican Ordinal as an authoritative standard of clerical orders.
8. We acknowledge God’s creation of humankind as male and female and the unchangeable standard of Christian marriage between one man and one woman as the proper place for sexual intimacy and the basis of the family. We repent of our failures to maintain this standard and call for a renewed commitment to lifelong fidelity in marriage and abstinence for those who are not married.
9. We gladly accept the Great Commission of the risen Lord to make disciples of all nations, to seek those who do not know Christ, and to baptise, teach and bring new believers to maturity.
10. We are mindful of our responsibility to be good stewards of God’s creation, to uphold and advocate justice in society, and to seek relief and empowerment of the poor and needy.
11. We are committed to the unity of all those who know and love Christ and to building authentic ecumenical relationships. We recognise the orders and jurisdiction of those Anglicans who uphold orthodox faith and practice, and we encourage them to join us in this declaration.
12. We celebrate the God-given diversity among us which enriches our global fellowship, and we acknowledge freedom in secondary matters. We pledge to work together to seek the mind of Christ on issues that divide us.
13. We reject the authority of those churches and leaders who have denied the orthodox faith in word or deed. We pray for them and call on them to repent and return to the Lord.
14. We rejoice at the prospect of Jesus’ coming again in glory, and while we await this final event of history, we praise him for the way he builds up his church through his Spirit by miraculously changing lives.