“Dem bo-bo your mama, dem bo-bo. Dem bo-bo your Grandmama, dem bo-bo”–Femi Kuti.

“Pastor house na him dey fine pass…in the name of Almighty Lord, Amen…Amen…Amen…” –Fela Kuti

In 2007, a Lagos High Court (Ikeja Division) passed a death sentence on Chukwuemeka Ezeugo (AKA Reverend King), the General Overseer of the Christian Praying Assembly for the murder of Miss Ann Uzoh, a member of his church.

Rev King Ezeugo was said to have sprayed petrol on Miss Uzoh and set her on fire, alongside five other members of his flock for what he allegedly described as “acts of fornication”.

To this day, Rev King enjoys tremendous support from his church members who frequent his kirikiri prison for prayers and spiritual consultations. His birthday is celebrated every year. Till date. Most of his congregation believe he was misunderstood. He can never be wrong because god can never be wrong. He is god on earth, they claim. He is their god and they are so sure about that.

In August 2002, a particular church in Lagos was having its annual end of the year report. N17m grew wings and didn’t add up. A lot of members of the said church noticed and started grumbling in hushed tones, claiming the pastor of the church diverted the missing money for personal use which included sending three of his children to study in America. A 15year old also noticed this discrepancy and at a church service, he stood up and questioned the pastor in the presence of the entire congregation. Everyone screamed. Looking in his direction in utter disbelief, his mum fainted there and then. And before anyone could say “Jack Robinson” the lad was bundled by two ushers straight to the prayer tower where he was accused of being possessed by an evil spirit.

The Boy was later excommunicated for calling the pastor a thief. His parents almost disowned him. No one stood up for him. Even the ones who were grumbling underground advised his parents to go and apologize to the pastor, which they did. Everything went on as normal. No one investigated the boy’s allegation. No one

August 2013, a lady issued a blogpost about her having an affair with a top pastor in Abuja. As of the time of writing this article which is some 120hrs after the allegation has been made, the Pastor or his church has not issued a single statement in defence or denial. Meanwhile, his church members had organized themselves into social media militias and voltrons; declaring support for the pastor and one of them even described the lady as an” arrow that has been sent by the enemy into the church of God”.

None has bothered to question the pastor or wait for him to release his own side the story. The lady has been accused of being a blackmailer and bitter person who was only trying to get back at “an anointed man of God”. They said the pastor never raped her. It was consensual. She knew what she was doing. She went into it with both of her eyes open. They openly justified adultery. But they had forgotten that “Sex between consenting adults is one thing, the abuse of authority is another”. They had forgotten or probably were never taught by their pastor(s) the story of David and Bathsheba. Or of Bill clinton and Monica Lewinsky. Or of Tiger woods; whose endorsement contracts were revoked when news of his philandering filtered into public space. They forgot that the accused was a supposed man of God. A role model. A spiritual leader. A father and above all, someone’s husband. They defended him anyway.

For like Rev king’s followers, he was misunderstood. He cannot be wrong because God can never be wrong, they claim. His judgment is with God, they claim. But the lady’s judgment is with them. Here on earth. But no matter how they choose to justify his actions, (if the lady’s confessions are anything to go by) The pastor is guilty. He is guilty of lust and abuse of authority. He is guilty of adultery… Of betrayal of trust….Of dragging everything Christianity stands for into the mud.

How did we get here? Notice how in three of the examples I cited above, the followers are really the problem. The same way we worship activists who later become our biggest oppressors, is the same way we have nutured our religious leaders into tyranny. Who can’t be questioned? Who is only answerable to God? Who is only second to the almighty? Who is the connection between us and our maker?

Christianity means being Christ-like. Ask yourself today: Is my Pastor behaving like Christ? Did Christ sleep with his followers? Enrich himself beyond belief? Spray gasoline on “sinful followers” and light them up? Did Christ teach about prosperity alone? Or about salvation and love for one another? When Christ had 5000 people come listen to him, did he feed them with the word and with food or did he take from the little they had and enriched himself and his disciples?

If your pastor is doing any of these things, the time to reflect is now. The time to move closer to God yourself is now. For God doesn’t discriminate between the prayers of a pastor and a follower. We are all equal before the eyes of God.

I am not perfect. Never portrayed myself to be. Never will be. I am glad we cleared this up. Now please read this with objectivity. Just pick the wisdom out of my ramblings and move on.

A word is enough for the wise.

The writer is on Twitter as @DOlusegun.

http://www.ekekeee.com/segun-dada-sheer-deceit-perpetrated-nigerian-men-god-gullible-followers/

Nice one
But the problem to address is that,,is it all the pastors that are not Of GOd and derailing from what God sent them??

hmmm! okomi lominu. Many men of Gad little men of God