"The fact it was possible for Robinson to be consecrated [at all] showed he had a long life before this happened, with the entire Lambeth Conference defaulting on the issue concerning the authority of scripture," he said.

"We have spent an enormous amount of energy on all these issues, and they are simply the fruit planted over many years. There is evidence that the Church of England had gay clergy over 50 years ago," he said.

"We make an error that this is just about human sexuality. The primary debate is; what is the gospel, what is the mission of the church and what is leadership in the church. Various sections of the Anglican Communion have, over the years, lost their way in terms of the gospel, mission and have no fear electing leadership who have neither the gospel nor mission in their hearts."

"Leadership in the church is about the gospel and transformation. Once you lose the gospel, you begin to elect leadership in the church who do not believe the gospel. We must go back before the events of the last 10 years [because] we are only dealing with symptoms not real causes which have to do with gospel proclamation. I think we Anglicans and Episcopalians ought to be retracing our footsteps back to the gospel and back to mission and then find what kind of leadership it will be in today's world."

"We can discuss symptoms about how we lost our way, how the ECUSA lost its way, and what happened over a number of years, but what we are seeing now is simply the harvest of that lostness. All we like sheep have gone astray, but here [in the U.S.] it is also the shepherds not just the sheep that are lost, that is why it is about leadership. The shepherds don't know they are lost, that is the real tragedy."

Bishop Zac, as he is known, said orthodox parishes should not put their energy into negotiating, pleading or debating. "In Uganda we want to preach the gospel of grace, the gospel of love, the gospel of the cross and the gospel of the resurrection. Jesus gives new life, and there is no scene that is bigger than another, it is gospel, gospel, gospel.

"May God rescue you from the church...stay with Jesus...let the church go. It is about the gospel, it is about leadership. It is also the reality about Dr. Williams' leadership; it is not primarily about human sexuality," he said.

The African leader said the Bible critiqued all cultures. "Don't be too enthused by large numbers of churches in Africa. Numbers are not the big thing for us. The desire for God is extremely deep in our culture and it doesn't always mean the gospel, the gospel of the Kingdom is not about numbers."

"If you are student of culture you know cultures can decay. Western culture is decaying. There is overwhelming evidence of decay and the breakdown of the family is one of the manifestations of the breakdown of the culture. Romans chapter 1 speaks of the decay of a culture. The fear of God is no longer there; therefore God has given them up to their own desires."

"When I ask what is God doing, I suggest that God is allowing this process of decay to happen in order to rediscover the gospel. Now it is going to be very clear what the gospel is. The church is being pruned so the gospel will be manifest. I plead with churches like the Church of the Good Samaritan to be on their knees. These [ECUSA] bishops are lost and don't know it. This for me is an opportunity, it is a kairos moment, it is also a crisis moment. Kairos is crisis...you can lose it or redeem it."

Bishop Zac urged his hearers to be bold "for the gospel and God's mission."

Addressing the issue of geographical boundaries the bishop said that while he was now the bishop of Christ Church in Overland Park, Kansas, it was not about boundaries or borders. "We are as a church (communion) concerned with geographical boundaries; we are tribal, but this is not the church. God is breaking up the tribes. When I speak it is about the Church of Christ in America and the Church of Christ in Africa. God is actually renewing the sense that we are one. It is also not about refuge. God is breaking our territoriality so we can do gospel mission. May be should rename it the Diocese of St. John. It is not about territory it is about people who love Jesus and who are connected by Jesus. Bishops have become lords and gods, and Jesus is breaking that down and bringing in mavericks like me. God is doing something fresh and exciting it is not a day of mourning."

In dealing with revisionist bishops [like Bennison] who, he said, have lost their way, the African leader pleaded with his audience, "Don't fight with him, let me encourage you to reconnect with the priority of the gospel. People yearn and are hungry for God, so let us tell them about Jesus. God is doing something new. God is not a member of the ECUSA he is bigger than The Episcopal Church. It is all about Jesus."

During a question and answer period, the bishop said he could not talk or discuss with a bishop [like Charles Bennison] who no longer believed Jesus rose from the dead. "We have no common ground. What is the value of the liturgy if we cannot proclaim the gospel?"

Addressing a question on HIV/AIDS in Africa, the bishop said its growth and spread was an issue of "poverty and economics. It is more about poverty than culture. It is a question of economics."

The bishop said the church erred when it confused culture with the people. "When we say Jesus belongs to us, we have lost Him. There are cultural forms that we have connected with the gospel that are not true. We can say there are church traditions, but they are not the gospel."

The bishop told the story about a time he failed to wear his crucifix in the cathedral and was told he could not preach in the pulpit. "So I preached standing right at the level of the people. That was a tradition. I ignored it. My sermon was not affected about where I stood."

We can let form get in the way of the substance of the gospel and that is wrong, he said. What we are discovering as a worldwide communion is that we are one in Christ. There is more opportunity now to discover the Good News of Jesus Christ. If we lose it [as a communion] God is not stuck with Anglicans or Episcopalians. The Kingdom of God will progress without us. The Church of Christ is bigger than the Anglican Communion which might be a club. But the Church is not a club and we need to rescue it from a club mentality. Follow Jesus."

"Let The Episcopal Church go the bottom, don't try and rescue it. God is judging the Episcopal Church, so let us follow Jesus. What is God doing here, is the more paramount question. What is God doing and what He is doing is beautiful."

Briefly addressing the homosexual issue, Bishop Zac said, Jesus loves everyone. "No one who falls is beyond God's redemption. His salvation reaches all. It is about the gospel. God causes movements to happen. The persecution of Stephen jump started the church in Acts. God is allowing [the present persecution of faithful Episcopalians) to work for the spread of the gospel. Bishops like [Charles] Bennison desperately need Jesus."

END