The church of Uganda has joined much of Africa and other sections of the Anglican Communion worldwide in opposing the consecration of Bishop Gene Robinson.

Robinson was enthroned as the first openly homosexual bishop by the Episcopalian (Anglican) diocese of New Hampshire, in the United States of America, on Sunday after months of wrangling in the Church.

The Church has effectively split into two, with one wing for, and the other against what his enthronement signifies. The reactions, though, have varied from outright condemnation through the severing of links with New Hampshire (like CoU) to cutting off fellowship with the entire US Episcopalian church.

Homosexuality has long been a bone of contention in Christianity, with a gay rights lobby arguing for acceptance, in conflict with those upholding biblical values.

And Robinson has inflamed the polarity between the conservatives and the liberals in the church. The Bible, considered the infallible word of God and the constitution of Christianity, explicitly condemns homosexuality (the story of Sodom and Gomorrah in Genesis 19; in Romans 1:26-27; 1Corinthians 6:9; 1Timothy 1:9-10). For Robinson to openly, as a highly placed cleric, proclaim otherwise was bound to be provocative.

But the Church, both as an institution and as individuals, should also be thoughtful in its response. To hound homosexuals, as some believers have done, is unchristian.