- The Lutheran world community is slowly falling into the same split between conservative Africans and liberal Europeans as its Anglican Christian colleagues. Kenyan Bishop Walter Obare Omwanza is facing sanctions after having defended conservative Lutherans in Sweden, which was "considered as inappropriate interference."
Bishop Obare, who heads the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Kenya (ELCK), is a man of great aims. He recently disclosed to the Swedish press that was "convinced" the African churches would play a great part in "re-evangelising the former Christian nations of Europe" and elsewhere. To start this quest, he consecrated a Swedish pastor as bishop of the Mission Province in Sweden - an integral part of the Church of Sweden.
Today, the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) announced it had taken steps to penalise the rebel Kenyan church leader. Bishop Obare is set to lose his post as adviser to the LWF Council as a direct consequence of his "inappropriate interference in the life of a sister church." The Kenyan on 5 February had consecrated Reverend Arne Olsson as bishop of the Mission Province in Sweden at a ceremony in Gothenburg, Sweden.
The consecration by Bishop Obare came after a longer dispute between the Kenyan Lutheran and the liberal churches of Scandinavia. Mr Obare is one of a growing number of African church leaders reacting on the liberal trends among European and North American reformed churches. In particular the ordination of women and the softening stance on homosexuality is disturbing church leaders like Mr Obare.
In a letter to Archbishop Karl Gustav Hammar of the Church of Sweden, Bishop Obare last year protested what he called the "oppression and persecution" of those preaching conservative Lutheranism in Scandinavia. Archbishop Hammar was reminded that the ordination of women was "a novelty" to the church, but this was nevertheless now forced upon all Swedish church members and no alternative view was accepted.
In addition, Bishop Obare already in 2003 had a "serious exchange of words concerning the advocacy of homosexuality" in Scandinavia, according to the Kenyan church leader himself. The Lutheran churches of Denmark, Norway and Sweden are increasingly accepting homosexuality and the ordination of gays and lesbians, in strong contrast to the African churches.
Bishop Obare thus earlier this month went from words to action when he consecrated the very conservative pastor Olsson as bishop of the Mission Province in Sweden. In his speech, Mr Obare complained over the "crisis" of the Scandinavian churches and "the rigid church tyranny" in favour of liberal ideas. The Mission Province was now to spread the through Biblical word in Sweden.
The Church of Sweden and the Executive Committee of the LWF were however far from delighted from this assistence by Bishop Obare. The stunt in Gothenburg had not been in line with Mr Obare's "responsibility to uphold and further the unity of the Lutheran communion." In fact, the LWF found, this "inappropriate" could indeed lead to a north-south split within the Lutheran communion.
The Lutherans would thus follow the Anglican Communion, which has seen a deep split over the last few years. Most southern Anglican church provinces have strongly protested the ordination or attempted ordination of homosexuals in North America and Britain. The African Anglicans, who by large outnumber North Americans and Europeans, last year successfully led a revolt against more liberal stances on homosexuality.
The Anglican Church of Uganda even has started conquering congregations in several parts of the US, where conservative church members react to the consecration of an openly gay bishop. The Ugandan Church has indeed started the conservative Christian reconquest of the North by African churches that Kenyan Bishop Obare dreams of.
The row among Lutherans has not reached the same levels as among Anglicans. Homosexuality is however just the issue that could lead to a real north-south split among Lutherans. "We know how this kind of debate has shaken the Anglican Communion and where the African and Asian churches stand," Bishop Obare recently threatened in a letter to Swedish Archbishop Hammar.
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