Ugly Colonialism at Work in Africa: Europeans Go Home!

Africa needs aid but not heavy-handed, anti-Christian interference in its own culture and politics by Europeans eager to impose their decadent, dying culture on others. If Europeans really cared about the poor, their aid would not come with strings attached. Let's call this what it is: economic colonialism promoting the culture of death.

From the Church of England Newsletter via Conger comes this story: "Zambian Church Rejects Donor Pressure to Back Gay Rights"

Pressure from overseas governments and NGOs to drop the “Christian Nation” clause in Zambia’s constitution, has drawn sharp protest from church leaders in the Central African country.

The former Executive Director of the Evangelical Fellowship of Zambia, Bishop Paul Mususu, told the Times of Zambia last week that it was wrong for foreigners to dictate the terms of the constitution and promote a secular state that would support gay rights.

“It is not proper for us to get rid of what we have cherished over the years. We shall be sinking so low if we allow things like homosexuality and pornography in the name of freedom of expression,” Bishop Mususu said.

Sweden and a number of NGOs working in Zambia have urged lawmakers to adopt a secular constitution and Bill of Rights that would grant civil protections to homosexuals. The preamble to the 1996 Constitution of Zambia “declare(s) the Republic a Christian nation while upholding the right of every person to enjoy that person’s freedom of conscience or religion.”

Bishop Mususu warned Zambian political leaders not to abandon their beliefs in return for Western cash, urging civil society leaders to “promote our culture as a country and strengthen our values. We must not support wrong things just because we are getting a dollar or people are supporting our project.” The president of the Zambia Anglican Council

Bishop Robert Mumbi of Luapulu stated the homosexual lifestyle that was being promoted by the West violated Christian beliefs and African values. Traditional morality was under the twin assault in Zambia of Western pressure and the breakdown of society through the country’s rapid urbanization. “The world is not static and the more urbanized we become, the more secular we shall be,” Bishop Mumbi said.

However, God’s truth was unchanging and the integrity of the Anglican Church in Zambia was not for sale. The church would not take Western cash to support its development projects if required to endorse the campaign to mainstream homosexuality, the bishop said.

We should pray for the Church in Zambia. May God raise up other donors who actually care more about helping those in need than about imposing decadent, Western hedonism on Africa.