In ranking the country with the most number of churches; if
Nigeria is not among the first five countries in the list, then something is
amiss. Such a gross error could be attributed either to oversight from
ignorance or incompetency on the part of the officials charged with the survey.
Nigeria is a country where churches exist at every corner.
You are sure to find three to five churches on a street. A typical example is
the popular Agbani Road in Enugu. Walking or driving by this road, you are
likely to find about four church billboards in front of one building.
Every warehouse and hotel houses a church (if not churches).
One cannot help but marvel at the unprecedented rise in the number of churches.
Churches and prayer houses can be said to be a major industry in this part of
the world.
Churches exist in family houses, uncompleted buildings,
warehouses, and in any available space. It won’t be an overstatement to say
that new churches emerge on a daily basis.
As the number of churches skyrocket, so does the number of
prophets. It won’t be an understatement to say that churches have turned into a
hot potato, setting these self-acclaimed prophets on the path to wealth. What’s
more? You don’t need a certificate to go into the business.
All you need is to find an available space, put up a
signpost and there you are. However, to fast track the journey to wealth, do
some specified rituals and perform some required sacrifices which will enable
you to prophesize in an unimaginable manner, from telling people the colour of
their underwear to what they ate before leaving the house.
Such prophecies, it is believed, will convince people that
you are a ‘strong man of God’ and will render them gullible to your antics of
defrauding them.
Nigerian prophets have not only bastardized Christianity,
but they have also balkanized it as well. Christianity, as practised in this
part of the world, is absolutely nothing to write home about. Our prophets have
deviated from the teachings of Jesus Christ.
They are not concerned about soul winning but gold winning.
This explains the reason behind the proliferation of churches and the
unnecessary denominational rivalry and competition among the various churches.
These self-ordained apostles interpret the scripture to suit
their whims and caprices; and, most importantly, to entice you to empty your
wallet. Emphasizing on ‘seed sowing’, ‘giving God his due by paying your
tithes’ and ‘giving quality offerings’, they neglect the souls of those under
their care.
It is appalling that our so-called prophets have their eyes
set on gold, not on the author and finisher of their faith. The goal is to
enrich themselves and impoverish the members. A prophet needs a car, the members
will be asked to give a ‘generous offering to the Lord’. A member needs money
for accommodation, the congregation will be asked to ‘remember him/her in
prayers’.
The contemporary Nigerian church is engulfed by the quest
for materialism, prevalent in society. Rather than find solace in the Christian
hope of eternal life, signs of insatiable material acquisition loom large in
Nigerian churches.
Spiritual growth and moral sanctity towards better eternity
is fast giving way to material craving. The level of material quest by our
clergymen is radically in deviance, and inimical to the values and life of the
early Church.
Consequently, a new kingdom in which treasures are found
here on earth is preferred to delayed gratification, and treasure in the heavenly
kingdom. Today, many of our church leaders consciously or unconsciously measure
success in life in terms of wealth, prestige and power.
The truth that stares all of us in the face is that these
prophets are robbers in disguise. They preach ‘prosperity messages’ without
teaching you anything on money management. Members are sweet-tongued to
unfailingly sow seeds which will be reaped by the prophet and his family.
They invest the ‘seeds’ while the members wait relentlessly
for a ‘miracle’. Instead of clinging to the old rugged cross, they cling onto
their member’s pockets, always devising tactics to make them ‘give generously’.
False prophets loom large in our religious landscape. They
use delusive prophecies and erroneous interpretations of the scripture to catch
their victims for foul deals and exploitation, claiming such to be directed by
the Holy Spirit. A fraudulent and fearless use of the sacred name of God!
Freedom of worship is turned into the freedom of exploitation and fraud.
Little wonder the practical spiritual life of Nigerian Christians is not commensurate with their numerical strength. This declining emphasis on spirituality is concomitant with the crave for materialism in churches. What do we expect in a society where religious leaders are myopic to the welfare of their sheep but mindful of how much they make at the end of a service?
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