Presby Church Ghana condemns US branch over gay marriages

By

Charles Ayitey

Heated debates have brewed within Ghana’s Presbyterian community as the largest denomination in the United States reveals plans to formally recognise same-sex marriages.

The move by the US Presbyterian Church has received condemnation from the Moderator of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana, Rev Professor Emmanuel Martey who argues “the Presbyterian Church in the USA is not running by the tenets of the Bible any longer, and that any Bible believing church will not endorse homosexuality.”

Moderator of the second largest West African Presbytery intimated that “this breach of biblical principles” accounted for, among other reasons, the cutting of ties with some branches that had taken similar decisions in the past, emphasising that the latest church in question is part of them.

Ghana is one of several African countries with laws incriminating same-sex marriages.

Cases of the brutalities of men and women alleged to be gay and lesbian have been clearly documented as a well known event promoter Kinto Rothmans was brutally beaten by a mob in Ghana for being gay.

At the moment, the Presbyterian church of Ghana has no relationship whatsoever with the church in the USA. ” We will never do anything like this. Most of the American churches are dying out so it is the immigrant churches that are now coming and, in order to win the American people, they are going outside the Bible. Moreover the issue of homosexuality is a political issue in the USA.”

“But the Presbyterian Church of Ghana which is a Bible believing church will never do this just to win souls. What they have done is a deviation from Bible teachings and principles. So I condemn it in no uncertain terms. It is unchristian and , like I have said before, I will say again that homosexuality is a satanic agenda to discredit the witness of the church and to render the church impotent,” Rev Martey stated.

In the meantime, the recognition of gay marriages takes effect from 21st June. With nearly 1.8 million members, the Presbyterian Church (USA) is the largest Protestant group in the United States to endorse the ceremonies.

Charles Ayitey 

Charles Ayitey is from Accra, Ghana and works as a Broadcast Journalist for Business Television Africa.