Touch not my anointed” is a popular argument amongst Christian adherents – especially of Pentecostal persuasion – every time someone threatens the bubble of invincibility built around their spiritual leaders.

Those four words, taken from the Holy Bible, and shamelessly mangled out of context, are supposed to mean one thing: that God’s servants, by virtue of their “calling” and “anointing”, are above criticism, censure and accountability.

When, last week, a young Nigerian woman posted on the internet an account of how she was allegedly emotionally manipulated and seduced by a rather high-profile Nigerian pastor (whom she named; she herself was not anonymous), many of the comments that followed in defence of the Pastor were based, not on a desire to know/find the truth, but on the belief that she, as a member of the flock, should not have tried to publicly call out a servant of God the way she did. In other words: It is simply not done.

It was a similar reaction that followed the widely publicised video clip in which another servant of God publicly slapped a teenage girl, on the grounds of witchcraft. Anyone who publicly condemned that action was subjected to open hostility from those who firmly believe that it is not in the place of any human to question someone whose calling derives from divine agency. Regard that stance as a theological form of the controversial constitutional immunity that our politicians have since learned to abuse; existing to protect anyone who claims to be a servant of God from having to account to anyone but God.

It is an ‘immunity’ I find problematic, and, frankly, unacceptable; I believe that no amount of spiritual gifting or authority should obviate the need for accountability by all who claim to derive their authority and standing from the name of God.

There are lessons to be learned from the child abuse scandal that has rocked the Catholic Church for years. As much as the church tried to cover up and dissemble – and that is not surprising – the sort of secular and legal scrutiny that followed ensured that in a lot of cases the truth came out.

If someone who claims to be a servant of God acts in a manner incompatible with the dictates of their religion, they deserve to be called out the way we would call anybody else out. If they break the laws of the land, they deserve, like everyone else, to face the music. That is the harsh lesson that a number of Nigerian preachers have learnt in recent years – that much of the stuff that people get away with in Nigeria – because of a general penchant for lawlessness, and a tendency for people to hide behind God’s name – ought to be unacceptable in any country that firmly believes in the rule of law and the significance of accountability.

One fascinating example of the pervasive immunity mentality comes from an essay by the writer, Yemisi Ogbe, titled ‘Men of God as Superstars.’ It is a brilliant deconstruction of Nigerian church mentality from someone with the privileged perspective of an insider.

She writes about a book, titled ‘Loyalty and Disloyalty’, written years ago by a Ghanaian preacher which emphasizes the danger of being a “rebel” within the House of God – rebel defined, of course, from the perspective of the Overlord: anyone who commits the unforgivable sin of adopting a questioning stance. By these standards, rebellion is akin to witchcraft, and deserving of nothing less than “execution.”

This is the book’s message for all “rebels”: “God will divinely, displace and replace you with someone else. Your seat will be taken by another who is worthier than you. You will be banished into obscurity and oblivion. There will be a curse on you and your family.”

Who wants to go up against a curse placed in the name of God?

Place that within the context of Nigeria, home to a people who, for all our unruliness (evident in airport terminals around the world), are given to a lot of ridiculously servile behavior.

You have to wonder why Nigerians aren’t doing a better job of questioning all forms of abuse of authority – secular or religious; corporate or public.

Nigerian Christians ought go to church not only with their hearts but with their minds as well, and seek to occupy that uncomfortable space where faith, whilst remaining fully vested in the divine, also takes full account of the existence – and importance – of rationality.

It is that rationality that reminds us to shun all foolishly simplistic doctrines, for example the one implies that if you faithfully serve God (which more often than not means paying tithes and offerings) you will come to no harm, live and die wealthy, avoid sickness – and that if all is not well with your life it has to be because you’re not giving enough, or attending church enough.

I think many of our spiritual overlords are seeking to have their cake and to eat it – living tax-free lives built on the contributions of members (last time I checked God wasn’t tossing private jets or cars out of the skies) and yet seeking to stay above the responsibility to be accountable for their actions.

As Ogbe points out in her essay: “Most Nigerian Christians understand well the contradictions in the lives of their men of God, especially in terms of what is professed, the lifestyle, and the tenets of the bible.”

Which might be fine – but only to an extent. No society can or should exist without checks and balances.

And no society can survive the impact of religion purely as a purveyor of materialistic comforts, the way we like to practise it here. By unifying the oppressed and their oppressors with the false comforts of endless hope (the insistence that with the right amount of faith the poor will find wealth, and the rich even more), religion – Pentecostalism especially, with its glitzy blending of materialism and emotionalism – helps us all adapt to and justify dysfunctional conditions we should long have revolted again.

How do you expect a people to revolt against a political class who own the front seats in the houses of God; and whose actions, judging from the consenting silence, or worshipful adoration, of spiritual overlords, does not seem to be in any way in contravention of God’s standards.

British engineer, Tim Newton, who’s on his way out of Nigeria on a new posting (he’s spent the last few years living and working here) recently blogged about “the bizarre situation [in Nigeria] where being dishonest is not socially frowned upon. Not really, anyway. If somebody is caught with his hand in the till, he is not shunned by his peers. The whole situation is treated with utter indifference, and sometimes admiration […] The only behaviour I managed to identify which would cause a Nigerian to be shunned by his peers and made an outcast, is if he decided he wasn’t a believer and therefore wasn’t going to be showing up in church (or mosque) any more. I don’t think I met a single Nigerian who didn’t attend either church or mosque, and religion plays an enormous – possibly the key – role in Nigerian society.”

Yet, that exceedingly high religious-house-per-capita levels (Nigeria is perhaps the only country in the world where factories dying and being replaced by churches seems perfectly normal) has spectacularly failed to translate into any ethical or developmental transformation.

And yet I’m confident it won’t always be this way.

A part of me can’t wait for when Nigeria starts to function properly, when, by the grace of God we will once again see factories replace churches, for the very simple fact that it will be more economically productive to run a factory than a church. (Which is as should be).

There will be less of an incentive to turn to God and his servants for the assurance of American and British visas and security and jobs and husbands and children.

We will no longer bother God for any of the many things that should ordinarily not be his business.

At that time, God willing, those who choose to believe in the existence and power of God will turn to him not for what they can selfishly extract from him, but for a personal relationship that inspires, nourishes, and guides personal conduct.

For any spirituality or religiosity that fails to guide personal conduct is a sham, regardless of how many signs and wonders it produces.



http://www.punchng.com/opinion/touch-not-my-anointed/

I got it from a friend in nigeria and he told me that is how it is real.

Please read it.

I know it is long.

Beautiful written piece I must confess. Let us examine that ‘touch not my anointed verse again

Psalms 105:12-15 reads thus
'12.When they were but a few men in number; yea,very few, and strangers in it.13.When they went from one nation to another, from one kingdom to another people;14.He suffered no man to do them wrong: yea, he reproved kings for their sakes;15.Saying, touch not mine anointed, and do my prophets no harm.'

If you study the above very well, you’ll notice he was referring to the whole Israel as anointed so don't localize it to a pastor or MOG no matter how big. As long as you are a child of God, the same Holy Spirit that resides in the pastor also resides in you. God is not a GRAND FATHER. We all are children of God. That is what the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ did for us. Grace tore down the curtain hiding the holy of holies to give you and I an express access to the father. If a bishop can see God, so can you and I, if a pastor can talk to God, so can you and I, if a prophet can hear God, so can you and I my people. Nothing took away your brain and mouth the day you became a Christian so why should you give up reasoning to please a man of flesh and blood like you? That is blind loyalty to a man NOT to God. G.O was redeemed with the same blood of Christ so why should we be acting like the blood that redeemed the rest of us was diluted?

Courtesy demands we avoid abusing and hurling insults at people irrespective of status and for this reason i STRONGLY detest insults on people. Attack issues instead because attacking personalities is an attribute of a small mind. However, we Christians must be known to stand against blatant lies and hypocrisy anywhere we encounter them.

Rev Jim Jones in 1978 led almost 1000 souls on mass suicide hiding under this same ‘touch not my anointed’ defense. If only more people had spoken out, maybe it wouldn't have happened. National Geographic channel ran a documentary on it last year. Do you know how many Americans concluded there was no God because of it? Rev king Burnt a female member to death hiding under this same mantra and his loyal followers are still defending him till today. Would it have been more 'Christian like' for the Christians in the police force to turn a blind eye to that too?

Not speaking up is a greater evil fellow Christians

For those unwilling to go through such a brilliant post, i'll do my best to highlight some pertinent points..

joel lala:


It was a similar reaction that followed the widely publicised video clip in which another servant of God publicly slapped a teenage girl, on the grounds of witchcraft. Anyone who publicly condemned that action was subjected to open hostility from those who firmly believe that it is not in the place of any human to question someone whose calling derives from divine agency. Regard that stance as a theological form of the controversial constitutional immunity that our politicians have since learned to abuse; existing to protect anyone who claims to be a servant of God from having to account to anyone but God.

joel lala:


There are lessons to be learned from the child abuse scandal that has rocked the Catholic Church for years. As much as the church tried to cover up and dissemble – and that is not surprising – the sort of secular and legal scrutiny that followed ensured that in a lot of cases the truth came out.

joel lala:


Nigerian Christians ought go to church not only with their hearts but with their minds as well, and seek to occupy that uncomfortable space where faith, whilst remaining fully vested in the divine, also takes full account of the existence – and importance – of rationality.

It is that rationality that reminds us to shun all foolishly simplistic doctrines, for example the one implies that if you faithfully serve God (which more often than not means paying tithes and offerings) you will come to no harm, live and die wealthy, avoid sickness – and that if all is not well with your life it has to be because you’re not giving enough, or attending church enough.

joel lala:


And no society can survive the impact of religion purely as a purveyor of materialistic comforts, the way we like to practise it here. By unifying the oppressed and their oppressors with the false comforts of endless hope (the insistence that with the right amount of faith the poor will find wealth, and the rich even more), religion – Pentecostalism especially, with its glitzy blending of materialism and emotionalism – helps us all adapt to and justify dysfunctional conditions we should long have revolted again.

Do well to read the whole post, over the weekend if possible, mull over it, ponder.. use that God-given brain..

Candour:
Not speaking up is a greater evil fellow Christians

What's worse is those who claim to truly believe in the faith see this, see the hypocrisy of their own pastors and fellow members.. BUT SAY NOTHING!! How can you comfortably worship God in the same "house" with people who clearly do not have any respect for your "Lord"? Doesn't that make you a hypocrite too?!! - Kails, NL 2013

Nice write up and wonderful piece.. this should be in the front page.

Poor things!

wu cares...2nd to comment tho'

someone tell me what that is all about?? that text is too long for me o jeree

no time to read all the write up but all i know is that you should do THEM NO HARM

Most Nigerian Christians understand well the contradictions in the lives of their men of God, especially in terms of what is professed, the lifestyle, and the tenets of the bible

Hmmmmmm.

all those pastor worshipers who shout "touch not my annointed" should remind their pastors to "touch not,my annointed"

Most Nigerians are mere church goers,they go to church to fulfill self righteousness-their hearts are far from God,they can not even speak truth when its glare.
they have not taken time to read the Bible and listen to God for revelation-they just dey follow follow.

Etumgbe: no time to read all the write up but all i know is that you should do THEM NO HARM

you are doing a person harm by not correcting them when they erred-your correction might have saved them.
cos they "tag" themselves pastors do not mean we should see them as Angels.

Touch not my anointed rather means inflict no harm (physical) on my anointed and do my prophet no harm. By the way only kings were anointed in the Bible not even priests and Jesus Christ is the last anointed of God.

I think Christ actually means the anointed one so calling yourself anointed means your calling yourself Christ. That must explain why Jesus said in the last days there shall be many false Christs (anointed men of God).

It's blasphemous to call your pastor anointed man of God that's like calling him a Christ and nobody is above criticism except God so is your pastor God?

Fanatical Christians please answer this question?

By the way I'm a Christian although liberal!

Reading this is like sitting on stool watching BBA .I have many thing to do with my life than waste my time reading this meaningless words

Touch not my annointing.....I HATE THAT LINE..like criosly.....

..and you think "touch not my anointed " is specifically for pastors? what of the politicians who are looting this country without them being arrested and prosecuted? Does the "TOUCH NOT MY APPOINTED " not apply to them?

1 Chronicles 16:15-22 (KJV)
Be ye mindful always of his covenant; the word which he commanded to a thousand generations; [16] Even of the covenant which he made with Abraham, and of his oath unto Isaac; [17] And hath confirmed the same to Jacob for a law, and to Israel for an everlasting covenant, [18] Saying, Unto thee will I give the land of Canaan, the lot of your inheritance; [19] When ye were but few, even a few, and strangers in it. [20] And when they went from nation to nation, and from one kingdom to another people; [21] He suffered no man to do them wrong: yea, he reproved kings for their sakes, [22] Saying , Touch not mine anointed, and do my prophets no harm.

From the above quoted scripture, we (Christians ) are all descendants of Abraham so the "touch not my anointed" scripture applies to everyone not Men of God alone

Ok I get u

BRB

Afro connect:
you are doing a person harm by not correcting them when they erred-your correction might have saved them.
cos they "tag" themselves pastors do not mean we should see them as Angels.

u're right' it was even stated that one shouldn't worship angels!

Try explain "another level of grace" or na nkechi or kulyie

I loved this write-up by Tolu Ogunlesi.

netbrilliance: OP....You are missing up Spiritual Truths of God's Word with Men's Logical Reasoning......God's Ways are entirely different from Man's Ways.....your POV is rational but is God seeing it the same way...that is an entirely different thing.........Remember he Said in his word....JUDGE NOT

This is another line often times abused!

Its very annoying because its a total misquote. The moment they start with their thievery and adultery, their anointing has left them. What then stops them from being touched?

And if for any reason they don't want to be touched, they should at least practise what they preach. These idiots cause people to come to express roads and cause traffic, yet the crime rates won't reduce.

Mumudom.

Please please please, who's this one saying judge not? But its ok for them to declare you a thief and a sinner because you don't tithe and give fat offerings? Its okay for them to manipulate you and swindle you out of your hard earned money? A lot of Nigerian christains are very stewpid, no apologies. Its this kind of dead mentality that has kept us here till date. See the mammoth crowd that attend conventions at Lagos Ibadan express, canaan land, Ikeji arakeji, and all those forests where they claim their God can only speak, yet we have such a high rate of crime. Who are the perpetrators of these crimes?

Why shouldn't we touch these 'anointed' people who use our hard earned monies to build schools our kids can't attend, who use their titles to defile little girls everywhere, even across the atlantic, who amass wealth for their generations unborn from the toils of their church rat members?


A day is coming when there will be a bloody revolution in the church, and not only will they be touched and harmed, they'll be lynched! I weep for people who stewpidly follow dead pastors preaching from dead pulpits to dead congregations.

Martin Luther wrote 90something theses concerning the church in the 16th Century? He should see the church in Nigeria!

Gullible shitheads twisting everything to suit their sinful desires.

netbrilliance: OP....You are missing up Spiritual Truths of God's Word with Men's Logical Reasoning......God's Ways are entirely different from Man's Ways.....your POV is rational but is God seeing it the same way...that is an entirely different thing.........Remember he Said in his word....JUDGE NOT

How did you denote your assertion. 'God's ways are different from Man's ways'

Did God give you a superior reasoning that is similar to his for you to arrive at that conclusion?

Your pastors are frauds that hide under the pretext in your post.

A pastor may sleep with another man's wife, are we still to Judge not?

*keke drop me here*

in obama's voice: driver abeg give me my N20
change.

Back to topic: in campus fellowship, church
brothers are 4cking church sisters, in choir, choir
leaders 4cking female choristers, male choristers
4cking female choristers, male choristers 4cking
female church members, fellowship heads
dragging with other unit leaders to friend a paticular sister. Ushers are looking and sighting
females members entering the church with big
nyash, plotting and successfully banging their
nyash, female church members visit church
brothers at home in closed doors and the next
day falls under pretence of anointing, song leader 4cked the previous night before taking
praise and worship the next day, pastors 4cking
female members at will, when she becomes
pregnant, they will organized sharp sharp
wedding and he continues his ministry, church/
fellowship positions are given according to how pretty, handsome, (sex appeal) and well dressed
you are even if u re not fit. They choose these
ones and claim that God chose (liars). The church
is now a place for latest gossips, gists, showy of
cars, its even easier to get a lady for free 4ck in
church than in hotels.

Kai, no wonder the road to heaven is very
narrow.
Fatoyinbo don 4ck and thats the truth, let him be
brought to book . Period!
Anybody wey say let
God be the judge na thunder go fire am.
The church is so unclean even Jesus Christ is
weeping for it.

Mtscheeeeeeeew! *in obama's voice: driver take me out of here*

Candour: Beautiful written piece I must confess. Let us examine that ‘touch not my anointed verse again

God is not a GRAND FATHER. We all are children of God. That is what the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ did for us. Grace tore down the curtain hiding the holy of holies to give you and I an express access to the father.

This is very true and correct. We are seeing situations in which people are turning God into a grandfather. I watch some testimonies on TV and all you hear is that "I want to thank the God of Pastor XYZ", and the pastors smiling as if they have a different God. There is only one God and He alone is God of all flesh not some Pastor. We need to start reading scriptures ourselves.

You find people running to pastor to know whether to take a job or not, whether to send their children to school A or B. Sometimes I don't blame the Pastors because they want to stay relevant but the truth is that we all have access to the same God. I have been born again since 1995 and I have seen miracles in my own life. As in real life miracles that I knew in my heart that this was surely the work of a supernatural God. But you know what, I didn't even ask a Pastor to pray with me, I prayed to God and he answered me. Where two or more are gathered in his name, my God will surely be there in their midst.