Anglicans in Congo identify biblical teaching on sex as vital for Church and society.

Mar 25, 2014 by

By Andrew Symes

A small number of senior leaders from the Anglican Church in Congo attended GAFCON in October last year, and as a result of contacts made, they have invited Anglican Mainstream to help in giving input to a week long seminar on sexuality, marriage and family later in the year.

Archbishop Isingoma Henri says that in a rapidly changing culture, with competing worldviews, it is essential that the church receives clear bible based teaching on sex “to avoid clashes and confusion and…strengthen the faith of our people”.

[…]  Please assist the suffering Province of the Anglican Church of Congo in playing their part in realizing a better vision for the future of the nation. Readers can indicate their intention to support the proposed training week by emailing asymes@anglican-mainstream.net with a pledged amount, or by donating via the website www.anglican-mainstream.net , marking donations for “Anglican Congo Appeal”.


A small number of senior leaders from the Anglican Church in Congo attended GAFCON in October last year, and as a result of contacts made, they have invited Anglican Mainstream to help in giving input to a week long seminar on sexuality, marriage and family later in the year.

Archbishop Isingoma Henri says that in a rapidly changing culture, with competing worldviews, it is essential that the church receives clear bible based teaching on sex “to avoid clashes and confusion and…strengthen the faith of our people”. Provincial Secretary Ven. Anthonio Kibwela says that in his country there are high rates of divorce and family breakdown. The rapid encroachment of Western style media and internet in the more developed urban areas has coincided with promiscuity and an increase in AIDS and other STD’s. Child abuse and rape which often were never spoken about openly, are now being highlighted as a real problem in society. One journalist writes:

"As a Congolese woman I’ve noticed that there is a culture of silence amongst my community with the older generation on grave matters such as sex or domestic violence, in order to preserve cultural survival and continuity. Last summer, I was in Kinshasa, Congo, for the first time and was shocked at the extent of the Western influence. It made me realize how African culture is developing, mixing what we have traditionally known as “African” with what we previously associated only with the West."

Strong marriages and sexual discipline outside of marriage are a good witness to the effectiveness of Christian faith in making a difference in communities where people are sometimes oppressed by an unredeemed tradition, or uncritically embracing the worst aspects of Western culture. Ven Kibwela again : "For Bemba people today we are slowly losing these traditions and in the end we shall forfeit our identity just because of the so called world globalization. Our marriages should not be influenced by any other cultures. Besides Westerners have their own way of interpreting marriage life."

Journalist Miriam Mwape writes:

"With the gender inequality still prevalent in Congolese culture, men are still considered superior to women, and thus are allowed to make excuses for cheating, physical abuse, neglect and poor treatment. And the women are taught to turn a blind eye and allow ‘men to be men.’ ….Congolese women are beginning to break free from their oppressive cultural rules and stigma…"

In many other parts of the vast areas of Congo-DRC there is often desperate poverty combined with trauma from the constant conflicts. Operation World reports that: “The DRC is a failed state…no centralized government, no connectedness between the vast and far flung regions, almost no functioning infrastructure [outside urban centres]…more than five million people have lost their lives through war, violence, starvation and the virtual collapse of the health system”. Violent conflict in the DRC over the past decade has been associated with a large-scale epidemic of rape. The alarming brutality and scale of sexual violence in some areas of eastern DRC has resulted in thousands of cases of traumatic injury among adult female victims, together with devastating psychological and social consequences. Much attention has focused on military personnel using sexual violence as a deliberate tactic to terrorize, displace, and demoralize local communities. Some cases of rape reportedly occur in full, deliberate and enforced view of husbands and family members. Indeed, rape has been used throughout history as a weapon of war, most memorably in recent conflicts in the DRCongo.

According to Operation World, there is “a powerful spiritual evil that presides over much of the land”, but the hope is in the growth of the church: “the Christian Church is essential for rebuilding the DRC. It remains the only viable national social structure…most hospitals, clinics and schools now operate with Christian initiative…”

As with many other parts of Africa, God is using a new generation of courageous Church leaders to be part of a rebuilding process at grassroots level, and also to engage with government, to use influence to try to reduce corruption and ensure that positions of power are used for the common good not self-enrichment. It is vital that these godly leaders are well trained in theological and pastoral skills, encouraged to live for Christ and not compromise, and supported by Western churches rather than criticized for not following what we might think are the things they should be focusing on.

So it may seem difficult for Westerners to understand why the Bishops of the church in the Congo are asking for support to train leaders on the ‘micro-ethical’ issues of sex and marriage when people especially in outlying areas are literally in danger of their lives from hunger or conflict. Of course as in the West, our attitude to sex is a spiritual issue: it reveals our understanding of God, Scripture and Christian discipleship. How we define and exercise restraint within boundaries as individuals and communities is closely linked to the way God’s blessing can pervade or evil can infiltrate and distort our humanity and our church’s witness. And so if those with a confessing biblical stance on sexual matters do not teach God’s way, those with other views will and are already doing so. One Congolese church leader writes:
"African researchers and political activists have initiated critical discussions of conceptions of sex and gender. Interpreted 'from below' and in the context of social movements, necessities to confront the HIV/Aids pandemic become an occasion for critique of dominant gender relations and conceptions of male/female sexualities….connected to empirical studies and/or political practice, and informed by postcolonial, feminist and queer lines of thinking."

The Christian church is an essential foundation for development; however it should not be seen as a bridge from ‘unenlightened’ pre-modern traditional culture to ‘modern’ and ‘better’ Western secular culture. The Church needs to challenge both: it has done so successfully in the past, creating something God-designed for humanity through the transforming Gospel of Christ, and it can do so in the future. ‘Despite the brutality of the Congo-Zaire history, a bright and proud society drawing strength from its diversity could possibly emerge.’ (Ven Anthonio Kibwela).

Please assist the suffering Province of the Anglican Church of Congo in playing their part in realizing a better vision for the future of the nation. Readers can indicate their intention to support the proposed training week by emailing asymes@anglican-mainstream.net with a pledged amount, or by donating via the website www.anglican-mainstream.net , marking donations for “Anglican Congo Appeal”.

 

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