Peter Akinola: Who Blinks First?

To the astonishment and dismay of Anglican leadership in the Global North Nigerias Archbishop Peter Akinola led the Global Souths revolt against the campaign to normalize homosexuality within the global Anglican communion. For this he was twice recognized by Time magazine as one of the 100 Most Influential People on earth. As shepherd of an immense Nigerian flock he joined arms with like-minded archbishops in Africa Asia and South America to insist that the church be guided by the Bible rather than culture. Here is the remarkable story of this conflict from its social beginnings in nineteenth-century Germany through the renegade behavior of national churches in Canada the United States and the United Kingdom on to gatherings addressing the issues--from Dromantine Northern Ireland to Kuala Lumpur Malaysia. At one point Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams who had been enabling the progressives challenged Archbishop Akinola We shall see who blinks first! Since that day it is clear that neither Akinola nor his colleagues have blinked. Indeed through the formation of GAFCON (Global Anglican Future Conference) and union with biblically faithful Anglicans in the Global North they are pressing their cause with an eye toward the next decennial assembly of bishops at Lambeth.