The Daily Nation POSTED THURSDAY, APRIL 3, 2014 | BY- OUMA WANZALA
The Presbyterian Church of East Africa on Thursday defrocked a former moderator after he claimed the church was riddled with devil worship and homosexuality.
A statement by the church’s decision making body, the business committee, read by moderator David Gathanju said Dr David Githii would no longer be referred to as reverend.
Dr Githii was directed to surrender church vestments, but will remain an ordinary member.
“The Kajiado Presbytery defrocked him as per the procedure of the church. The church had already received his resignation letter and decided to let him go. We have endorsed his defrocking,” the Rev Gathanju said.
Dr Githii, however, insisted his allegations were true and that the church had resorted to defrocking clerics who dared talk about the vices.
“What I said is true. Devil worship has been practised in the church since the 1990s while homosexuality has been rife since 2001,” he said.
Several clerics in the church were aware of the problems but dared not say anything, Dr Githii claimed.
NEVER MADE ALLEGATIONS IN ANY COMMITTEE
The Rev Gathanju, however, maintained neither devil worship nor homosexuality were practised at the church and that anyone found engaging in the practices would be expelled.
He said Dr Githii had never made his allegations in any committee or court of the church.
“We are aware that Dr Githii made several assertions in regard to what he termed ‘satanic symbols’ in our church and even government institutions. These are his personal opinions that the church found to have no biblical or theological basis.”
When Dr Githii succeeded the Rev Dr Jesse Kamau as PCEA moderator in 2003, he changed the method of worship to become “more agreeable to the modern Christian community”.
He also linked some symbols in the church to Freemasonry and devil worship, leading to their destruction at St Andrews Church, Nairobi, in 2004.
A row over Freemasonry split the PCEA, leading to the removal of priceless historical artefacts from its prayer houses.