Listening to Africa

Much has been said about the need for a "listening process" in the Anglican Communion. Generally, that has referred to listening to the voices of gay men and lesbians. However, given the current state of affairs, it seems another crucial component is for us in America to listen to the voices of our fellow Anglicans in Africa. Bishop Musonda Trevor Selwyn Mwamba of Botswana has given us a great gift in a paper posted here. It was delivered at the January 26-28 meeting of the Ecclesiastical Law Society in Liverpool, England.

When Bishop Mwamba presented his paper, the Church Times carried this story and summary of his analysis. Their story began: "Loud voices from Africa, aided by the 'almighty dollar' and internet lobbyists, are distorting the true picture of what Africa’s 37 million Anglicans really think about sexuality and the future of the Anglican Communion, says the Bishop of Botswana, the Rt Revd Musonda Mwamba."

Bishop Mwamba begins with a review of the role of the Anglican Communion in Africa, explicates the conservative, liberal, and moderate voices in Africa, and urges a long process of listening – informed by humility – for the entire Anglican Communion.

The paper runs to about 12 pages, so we will not post it here.

If you want to move beyond the "sound bytes" about the "Global South," then go and read the paper in its entirety.