May Your Money Perish With You

The Apostle Peter confronted Simon where he refused to betray the Gospel for money (this is the origin of the word simony). Here's the confrontation between Peter and Simon:

Acts 8

18When Simon saw that the Spirit was given at the laying on of the apostles' hands, he offered them money 19and said, "Give me also this ability so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit."
20Peter answered: "May your money perish with you, because you thought you could buy the gift of God with money! 21You have no part or share in this ministry, because your heart is not right before God. 22Repent of this wickedness and pray to the Lord. Perhaps he will forgive you for having such a thought in your heart. 23For I see that you are full of bitterness and captive to sin."

A similar confrontation is now between another Peter -- Archbishop Peter Akinola of Nigeria -- and the ECUSA. The Anglican archbishops of most of the Developing World are rejecting the money from the ECUSA over the consecration of an openly gay bishop. This is what Archbishop Akinola has to say about the American money:

"If we suffer for a while to gain our independence and our freedom and to build ourselves up, I think it will be a good thing for the church in Africa," said Akinola, who also is chairman of the Council of Anglican Provinces of Africa, which represents 12 national and regional churches plus the diocese of Egypt.

"We will not, on the altar of money, mortgage our conscience, mortgage our faith, mortgage our salvation," he said.

Comments

[*** Dave]

Even though I disagree with the basis for their decision, I respect them greatly for making it. What shall it profit a church if it have plentiful funding for programs, but give up its very soul?

[Jason]

Also glad to see that they are not taking the money. While I think that causing that much ruckus about an openly gay bishop was uncalled for (would they have preferred a closeted one instead?), I also think that sharing fiancees with a group that you disagree with is a bad idea. It would put the ECUSA in the position of funding the very anti-homosexual sentiment they are trying to get rid of. I wonder how will this play out. (i.e. homosexuals are not fit to represent God. Only heterosexual men are)

Will it be like the African American Methodist church or the Southern Baptist? Churches permanently split by issues of the day and never have reconciled even though the issues that split them are somewhat gone (segregation/racism) and gone (slavery).

Anyway I think the whole thing is silly. It sounds a lot like the breaks in the ECUSA that happened in the sixties where whole churches reduced funding, refused funding or broke funding due to the ECUSA decision not to support segregation. In time most of those churches rejoined the ECUSA. The only thing going in favor of reconciliation at the moment is the fact that it is whole dioceses splitting. Which basically means that the only thing that needs to change is the archbishops, not the churches. By accepting a gay bishop the ECUSA put it’s faith to the test and put its faith where it’s mouth is.