Recently there have been incisive changes recorded in the Redeemed Christian Church of God, whereby an instrument of government ( the Financial Reporting Council) has waded into the issue of the lengths of service of church leaders. These issues apply to the tenures of the leaders of the Nigerian churches in general, and of the Redeemed Christian Church of God in particular.
This development has caused the head of the Nigerian branch of the church (Pastor Enoch Adeboye) to resign from his Nigerian headship, and to appoint a successor for this Nigerian branch (in the person of Pastor Joseph Obayemi).
But this act (the wading into the issues of the tenure of church leaders) which has led to the changes mentioned earlier, appears not to have gone down well with the Head of State, General Mohammadu Buhari, who reacted to the said changes by out-rightly sacking the Chairman of the FRC (Mr. John Obazee). No reason was proffered to the public for this sacking. But the entire incident has sent shock waves across the nation.
So what can be going on? What is at the root of all these fireworks (which have extended into a debate as far as the National Assembly in Abuja)? With these developments dark clouds of uncertainty loom over the Christian community of Nigeria. And the question to be asked is “How much influence should governments wield over such religious bodies, either in their finances, or in the lengths of the tenures of such church leaders?”
Is a church, a temple or a mosque, to obey governments, or are they to obey only God Almighty? How are religious communities to navigate the thin line between earthly and spiritual propriety? How have ancient religious bodies (as far back as the time of Jesus Christ) behaved at that time when the Jews were under the domination of the Roman governor Pontius Pilate? Were the Jews at that time not the first to disobey this law (that religious matters should be the dictate not of governments, but of Almighty God), at the time when the said Jews, under a web of lies and deceit, used hired liars and false witnesses to have Christ wrongly condemned to death, as a sequel to partaking in a controversial crucifixion instigated by a kangaroo court?
In an enlightening article (The Punch newspaper, pg 7, January 12, 2017) (which is titled FRC HAS NO POWER TO FIX ADEBOYE’S AND OTHERS’ TENURE) the writer (John Ameh) comes to the conclusion that “THE TENURE OF RELIGIOUS LEADERS IS TO BE DETERMINED BY GOD, NOT MAN.”
But there is something worrisome of Ameh’s conclusion. The statement of Ameh is lofty and idealistic, but in the matter of religious affairs, history has repeatedly shown that religious bodies are inevitably tainted by the ill-informed interference of men and their governments. As early as the time of Christ, was Herod not about to interfere in the spiritual tenure of Christ’s life, by plotting to assassinate the baby Christ, even in his humble manger? Did Herod (the governmental ruler at that time) not interfere in the spiritual tenure of John the Baptist, by having him beheaded in a dismal dungeon? And finally did the Jews at the time not interfere with Christ’s spiritual tenure by having him so cruelly nailed to cross?
But what is one to read from Ameh’s statement (that the tenure of religious leaders is to be determined by God, and not by man)? If one examines this statement carefully, one can discern the deep rooted hypocrisy that is blindly accepted today by many religious groups! This is because if a man is induced to think aright, he will find that the entire notion that Jesus Christ was sent to earth to suffer and die for the sins of men, is a mere charade, and a serious glossing over facts that are unassailable. Therefore there are two matters to be examined here. The first is whether or not the tenures of such church leaders is to be externally controlled. And the second matter is the question:”how true are the actual doctrines the churches actually propagate?” For the whole notion of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ ( that Christ came to this earth to die for the sins of mankind) is a notion that is an exact contrast and an exact interference with Christ’s actual purpose for coming to the earth. It is a direct interference in the spiritual tenure of Christ’s mission, for how can you crucify a Christ, and not interfere with his spiritual tenure?
It is acknowledged that the Christian church explains that men’s crimes before God were so immense that only a blood sacrifice by a totally innocent man (Jesus Christ) could “wash away” the catalogue of the crimes committed by man. But the philosophy of Christ’s purported redemption of sinners by the shedding of his blood at Calvary, is a curious and illogical assumption which cannot stand the test of any earthly or even spiritual Justice.
It is a great grace that seeking persons can gain clarity in these issues by reading the great work of Abd ru shin, titled ” In the Light of Truth, the Grail Message.” In this monumental work (which exists in book form in 168 lectures, and has been translated in over 20 of the world’s main languages) Abd ru shin clarifies the actual role Christ had to play in the salvation of man. And Abd ru shin’s bombshell to his readers is that Christ’s crucifixion cannot in any way cement a reconciliation with Almighty God, and that in his desire to achieve such a reconciliation, a man must use his own efforts , by recognising the Will of God in the world, and by trying to obey this Will.
Let us therefore conclude this discourse by stating some of the direct comments of Abd ru shin in this matter, as found in his Grail Message. These words of Abd ru shin read as follows:
Christ’s death on the cross was not a necessary sacrifice, but a murder, a dastardly crime. Christ was crucified because of His teaching, as a troublesome Bringer of Truth. His violent death, in the form at the time used by the Romans to execute people, was not in itself the redemption, nor did it bring redemption. It atoned for none of mankind’s guilt, liberated them from nothing, but burdened them still more with a dastardly murder! (pg 434 The Grail Message, The Crucifixion of the Son of God and the Lord’s Supper).”
In conclusion, there is no gainsaying the fact that the churches weild a colossal influence in bringing succour and enlightenment to millions of people. At the Redeemed Churches’ monthly meetings (called the“Holy Ghost Nights”) the roads in the Lagos- Sagamu axis of Ondo state are clogged with the great traffic of vehicles heading to the Redemption Camp retreat of the church. But this great number of people attending such crusades, does not prove that the philosophy of all the churches beliefs are correct, and that a man can attain salvation merely by accepting the efficacy of Christ’s blood sacrifice at Calvary.
And as to the question “Should Adeboye resign his Nigerian headship of the Redeemed Church,” the answer is clear. Adeboye should go into prayer to hear the actual ‘VOICE of God,’ in the matter, and not necessarily heed the voice of men in this matter. Adeboye should realise that he is not a politician, but rather a shepherd of men. And Adeboye, after having put the matter in prayer, should access what God prompts him to do, even if this countermands his present day declared stance.
