Though not entitled to give an opinion because it is a news report, at the very end of her Newsweek article on 50 most influential people, Lisa Miller subtly gives us grounds to laugh at Pastor Adeboye and his Pentecostal ideology. In his masterpiece, ‘100 years of Solitude,’ Gabriel Marquez tells us of a primitive village where the people find it perfectly believeable that Remedios the Beauty ascended to heaven alive, lifted by angels but they viewed with horror and repulsion the advancement of products of scientific and technological thinking into their village. At the first sight of a spook train with its carriages, a woman fled with horror, ‘It is coming!’ she cried. ‘Something frightful, like a kitchen dragging a village behind it.’ Adeboye and Pentecostalism outperform Marquez in this sense of the ridiculous. Imagine travelling over 200 miles- like
I have said it before, the problem called Pentecostalism is not in the uncontraceptive spread of churches, it is in how they corrupt the roots of our thinking and return us speedily to the primitive age; that is why pupils take their biros and pencils for blessings so that they can pass examinations, that is why some dip their passports into anointing oil with faith so that they can get visas, that is why many accept prayer and fasting in place of good medicare, that is why many give ten percent of their earnings to the churches so that these madness would have no way of stopping. The truth is Pentecostalism and intelligence do not mix; one is destined to feed on the other. Adeboye says of his ambition: ‘we want churches to be within five minutes’ walk of every person.’ On my street in Ojota,
19 comments
I think you have whole-heartedly adopted the position of the TALIBAN in thinking that your prophet must never be criticised inspite of glaring errors.Pastors are supposed to be symbol of humility and simplicity and not opulence and flamboyance.Damola raised very cogent points which I feel your medieval mind-set could not discern.If you dont understand the article,please go over it again.At least,individuals have the fundamental right to reject or accept gifts.Your pastor should have told them to sell the jet and procure ambulances to save accident victims on the expressway.I rest my case because there is no need to re-invent the wheel.HAPPY NEW YEAR.
Amusing, amusing, yet sad. When it became the responsibility of church in a democracy to grant to it’s citizens life, security & the pursuit of happiness, i don’t know. I do agree that the church has a role to play in social reconstruction and nation building. But this is a social & spiritual issue not a religious one. Furthermore, Ps Adeboye is one person, with HIS own job to do given to him by God to do. It is our hope & prayer that he is doing his. It is my hope & prayer that we are doing ours.
Of course to those who don’t really believe in miracles i have little to say. Just watch 1 deliverance service. Lol!
I agree with the spirit of the original article to the limit that it attempts to arouse the collective consciousness of the church to its social responsibilities. The minister’s work is to prepare the body of Christ, the everyday Christian for the work of the ministry (Eph 4:12). Those amongst us with the skills, callings and talents to run states or governments should do so. Let those teaching us the gospel and reminding us God’s power is available to aid us in the conflict against the powers of wrong and evil, continue to do so. Private jet, so what? How many times did Jesus feed the 5000? All His life? The poor you will always have with you (Jn 12:8).
Let everybody do their work. In any case why should Ps Adeboye tell you his private conversations with OBJ?…
Miracles are meant for the edification of the body of Christ. This is the new order of Christianity. Miracles shows that Jesus is still very much alive.
Materialism is relative. There is nothing absolute under heaven. God is the only Person that is Absolute in judgement. What you judge as not materialistic might be judged by another as materialistic. Let the Holy Spirit do His work in the individual and what is ideal under God will be made manifest.
I have learnt early enough that criticizing people without justifiable proofs is not the best way to go about life. The reason why Pastor Adeboye purchased a jet while some of his members live in pernury is left to the Almighty God to judge. I am not Pastor Adeboye’s God and that is why I cannot adduce any reason and neither be able to search is heart why he purchased a jet.
Regarding focusing in the urban and leaving out the rural areas is left to the ministry God has given to individuals.
Your idea on this topic is meaningless adeboye did not buy a jet it was given to him and he will not say what god did not say.be careful of what you say about men of god.will you lie that you have not benefited from him
please i want you to pray over some issue for me.about my work, my health and my marriage.
‘Touch not my annointed and do my prophet no harm’. this is an instruction from the creator of man. i will not even talk about a fake prophet talkless of the one who the devil himself knows he’s a man of God. Pastor Adeboye would have been a professor many years back even when ‘naira’ was powerful in Nigeria. He left all his ambitions to serve God, why did no one write about him when he was sharing ‘pomo’ cow skin with his wife after devoting all his salary to the work of God. Where were people to criticise him when he started living in that former ‘den of thieves and wild animals’ which is now the talk of the nation and a model to other religious ‘bodies’. This man is commited to serving God, i will be glad if i can do even 1 out of a thousand of what he is doing, at with that God will bless me so that you can write about me as well. ADEJARE ADEBOYE GOD HAS ORDAINED YOU, THAT YOUR NAME ‘ADEJARE’ IS EVEN A CONFIRMATION. YOU WILL NEVER BE TIRED. WELLDONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Very excellent! You know, Africa could be called a continent endowed with riches but her people live in abject poverty. Mother Africa needs to wake up to the agonies of her children, a people whose minds were long erroded. People who think in poverty.
How much is USD28million? When the wall street fell in America, all the bank CEOs that went to decide on the faith of banks in America went in their private jets. Nobody said the cost of their private jets collapsed the wall street. The mentallity over there is not same as in Africa.
It is high time the spirit of Mother Africa is called up, and defend her children again, draw them out of the abyss of penury, and re orientate their erroded mentality.
I think Mr. Edozien missed Damola Awoyokun’s point. She does not necessarily doubt the supernatural (miracle) and God but points to the excesses of penticostalism which Adeboye is fast becoming a face for. I’m a Bible believing christian who believes in miracle working God. But a close study of history of Christianity (church) and God’s people consistently shows the character of the God and Christ of the Bible. They are no magicians and do not arbitrarily break the laws of nature they have set to run our universe. When they do (and truly, do they ocassionally) it’s for strategic reasons in relation to God’s grand purpose or designs. That’s why such events are called miracles or supernatural occurences- that is, the natural laws are temporarily put on hold and a higher laws (which Apostle Paul hints will become fully operational at Christ’s return) are briefly operated. The banalities which are refered to as miracles today are not just it. And if history teaches us anything, it’s the fact that most of theses claims among penticostalism are manipulations directed at the gullibles for selfish interests. By their friuts you shall know them: look at the lifestyles of the so called anointed men of God. Most of them are so banally materialistic, existential and base. They are exact opposites of Christ’s and his apostle’s examples and teachings. And if you ask me, I will say, it is increasingly difficult not to classify Pastor Adeboye into this group of ministers going by the recent issue of private jet. There’s just no moral way of justifying it in view of poverty, joblessness of RCCG members on one hand and the financial challenges of their various assemblies and many of their minister even here in the United States who find it difficult to make ends meet.
If the truth be told, the idea of church in every corner is more of empire syndrome and business strategy than evangelistic. It’s a competition among these ministries now to outplant churches to boast superiority in terms of memebership, asset and popularity. Also, the more branches you have, the more financial income the ministry will reap. That’s why they concentrate their church planting efforts more in urban and commercial centers rather than poor rural villages.
And lastly, many biblical miracles are scientifically explainable today. Science can explain how some of these miracles happened. A classical example is the parting of the Red Sea (better as Sea of Reeds). Time and space will not allow full discoursion of this. However, the scientific explanation rather than dimming the importance of the divine intervention (miracle), has validated it and proved the loving care and faithfulness of God for and to His peope. A miracle that can not be scientifically explainable today may be explainable tomorrow as science grows. While not all miracles are explainable, at least presently, the claims still should be submitted for verifications, if truly they are genuine. This is what many of the so called miracle workers can’t entertain.
Well said. Am a member of redeemed and i agree with you. I was about posting the same observation on another blog but decided against it. The bible is very clear on all matters and who chooses to ignore its warning but feel the neccesity to justify a man instead should rethink.
Paul withstood peter to the face when he saw peter was doing wrong. Peter walked with jesus but paul was not afraid of standing up to him cause he knew peter was going against the doctrine. Once god has said something we need to obey it, even if a man of god comes to say otherwise we must obey gods voice. Remember the story of the young prophet who listened to what the old prophet asked him to do instead of what god commanded him. God slew him for that disobedience. I think the story is in kings. Lets face the truth of the matter.
“Capitalist”…..I can say I am ashamed to be in the same America with you and you need to stop talking like a cab driver man. Because American churches with less than 30k members as you said owns jets mean we should all be like them. If Pharaoh had chariots in Mosaic times, then the borrowed Donkey Jesus rode had to be the fastest then. Is it safe to assume Jesus lived any different from his disciples which will raise the question of why they had to bribe Judas to betray him. You guys need to wake up man!
I sincerely think most of us are ignorant in so many ways. Before passing comments on anyone, I think the first things one should do is to check the antecedent of such person basically by reading about the person. From the little information I have about Pastor Adeboye, he does not discuss his personal relationship with people on the pages of newapapers and he would not criticize them through such medium. So his relationship with noteable politians should not be seen as corrupt. Indeed christianity is not philosophy, therefore it can not be rationalized. At the same time, another newspaper report has reported the true detail of the jet. Jornalist should conduct proper research before going to the press. May God have mercy on us all.
I have read this article and several others written by well educated Nigerians who live in Nigeria. I must say, no matter how educated you are, when poverty is your paradigm, then you can write this type of articles.
A used aircraft was purchased for the leader of the fastest growing church in the world with millions of members all around the world, and so much crap is made out of it. It can only be poverty mentality. Churches with only 25,000-30,000 members have 2-3 jets for ministry work, here in America.
Will are just mere mortals… what do we know… God is the best master of all time…stop critizising and let work on our own personnal spiriptual lifes. Let God arise and His enemies be scartter.. don’t be any enemy of God.
The main problem with we christians nowadays is what I call “the empire spirit”. Peoples eyes are so blind because the see themselves as members of their empires (denominations) and so will never see anything wrong no matter how obvious to say the least. I watched TB Joshua give N150,000 to a hungry Redeemite and asked her to go back and continue to serve God in her church (RCCG). It is people like this woman who contributed to the biulding of those “modern universities” and their kids no matter how exceptionally good may never enter there gates because they are built for the kids of the elites (the same criminals who have plundered our collective opportunity of self determination as a nation) One sure characteristics of empires is that they must rise and fall. Denominationaly crazy people surely crash together with their empires and they will never know. My RCCG brothers, pls do not hastily defend your empire. Stoop a little, consider, think and search the scriptures
I think before using an ordinary initative,we to first understand the personality of the man in question i.e Pastor E.A Adeboye. To me he is man of few words and he doesn’t talk to impress neither is he extravagant.I saw all this alligations coming,I mean the world rating thing e.t.c. In Nigeria today Pastor Adeboye is the most respected preacher. Now seeing Penticostalism and state as complimenting each other,well I don’t think that is bad afterall xristian are suppose to be salt on earth and moreso after I made a proper crutiny of the whole thing I discovered pastor Adeboye is such a meticulous man who will rather avoid mistake rather than making them. For the Jet thing thisday newspaper had discovered he didn’t buy a jet. I believe God can do anything and for the fact that is beyond our reasoning,that is why it is called MIRACLE.How true should not border me since God can do all things. Let us for once leave this man of God alone.
But your comment still managed to miss the heart of the matter. Rather than attempting to discern the religious leaning of the writer, why not focus on deconstructing the rather credible allegation that the “Pentecostalism corrupts the thinking in Nigeria”, or address the ridiculous claim of having driven on a motor car for 200km on an empty tank? There are many Christians who believe in the miracles of Jesus, but would be firm to dismiss Pastor Adeboye’s claim of having driven on an empty tank for 200km; what do you say to them? Or what do you say to those Christians who see in Adeboye’s recent and not-so-recent actions huge doses of the corruptible? To refresh the memory: there’re the import duty waivers, the acceptance of the national honour from the Yar’Adua government, Adeboye’s friendship with Obasanjo, Adeboye’s coziness with James Ibori, and – just to complete the list – Adeboye’s latest indiscretion: the USD28million jet? To give a hint to the sort of corruption of thinking the original opinion addressed: Adeboye claimed he accepted the National Award because God told him to do so. (Gani Fawehinmi rejected a National Award from the same government at the same time Adeboye accepted). What now? See, let’s not redefine the problem as being the faith of the writer, let’s focus on what is important and relevant: Adeboye has the means to corrupt the thinking of many; and he has with his recent utterances and actions. Does he know to do what is right? James 4:17has a word on that. And this transcends sin, it inflicts injury on all those impressionable minds who look on to their Pastor as the manifestation of God’s living standards.
I can only pray that the Lord have Mercy on you. Let His grace keep you long enough that the eyes of your understanding may be opened to the Truth.
RIGHT ON TOPIC….those who corrupt our country and those who corrupt our thinking. Confused millions of naija people carry all the money to go to Mecca and Rome…plans to build the biggest church in England??? Gross insanity.
I read your article with great interest. Although i disagree with most of its content, the arguments you produce may seem reasonable, even acceptable to the untrained eye and even mind. To suggest a direct link between Pentecostalism or even Pastor Adeboye to corruption in Nigeria as your article seems to suggest is at best tenuous and at worst…..disturbing!
I raise the following comments;
Firstly, if you want to blame anyone for the spread of churches in Nigeria, i would suggest that you cast your gaze further than Pentecostalism and take your mind back to the missionaries (Catholics), who in their attempt to spread the Good News, started us down the path to Christianity in the first instance. Secondly, and perhaps more crucially, as i already mentioned above, although your article makes a tenuous link between Pentecostalism and corruption, it is markedly devoid of any proof. It would be best that such a bold assertion be backed up with supporting evidence to support such claims. The reason I raise this is because your article seems to disagree with the possibility of the miraculous, and if that is the case, then it disagrees with the Bible and all its contents. Thus we may all begin to ask ourselves, did Jesus really feed the 5,000, did He really raise the dead, and did He really walk on water? While your answers to this question may reveal what side of the religious fence you choose to stand on, let us not forget that Biblical principles have been the founding stones of many notable figures (for example, Mother Theresa) and even countries (for example, the United States).
You see, while I agree that aside from seeing a church across every house, we need schools, libraries and supporting infrastructure to better our communities, let is not forget the vital part religion plays in our lives. The Bible is filled with examples of good living, the need to help your neighbour, love one another and help the poor, all of which are necessary condiments to living in a fulfilled society.
Thus to suggest any links between Christian living (of which Pentecostalism is a part) and corruption is in my opinion raises many objections.