Pentecostal Churches’ Aversion to Scrutiny

By: Deji Yesufu

Abimbola Adelakun, a weekly columnist with Punch Newspapers, was detained at the Commonwealth of Zion Assemblies (COZA), Abuja, last week Sunday. A few weeks ago, in her Thursday column, Adelakun had written an article titled “What Does Mrs. Fatoyinbo Know?” She had explained in the article that in all the stories emanating from the allegations of rape around Biodun Fatoyinbo, the chief executive of COZA worldwide, Mrs. Fatoyinbo had featured prominently in all of them and therefore she ought to know something about it. Adelakun had shed light on a perspective to these allegations that many people had not thought through before that time. By writing that article, she did not know she had courted enemies in COZA.

Adelakun visited COZA in pursuance of her research on Pentecostal churches. She had come to my office only two weeks ago and we spent no less than two hours discussing the Nigerian Pentecostal phenomenon. I was very happy to divulge my over twenty year experience with these churches and how I reached the point of renouncing Pentecostalism as a religion without renouncing the Christ of the Bible. In her column last week, Adelakun wrote about her research and visit to COZA:

“…My quest was a purely academic one. I study Pentecostalism and Pentecostal culture, and I transverse different churches everywhere to see if the observations that I make about trends and practices are generalizable across the spectrum…”

This was what this dear lady was doing when the security at COZA would have her detained in the church for hours. Her phones were ceased and in the processing of forceful collecting them, her fingers were sprained. She would eventually be taken to a police station in Abuja where one of the officers on ground threatened to charge her to court for “criminal trespass”. It would be the first time anyone in the world would be charged for trespass because they went to a church – which is supposed to be a public gathering by the way.

What Adelakun experienced at COZA is what I would call Pentecostal churches’ aversion to scrutiny. Abimbola’s wishes to know through research whether some phenomenon in these churches can be generalized. I wish to state quite firmly that one of such general phenomenon in most Pentecostal gatherings, especially the established ones, is an aversion to scrutiny. And the simple reason why these churches cannot withstand the light of scrutiny or investigation is this: there is a lot of evil going on in these churches and any kind of unveiling would let out a can of worms.

In 2007, the United States of America’s Senate decided to carry out investigations into the finances of some leading Pentecostal churches in that country. These investigations followed multitude of allegations of financial impropriety levied against many of these churches in that country. The ministries of Benny Hinn, Paula White, Eddie L. Long, Joyce Meyer, Creflo Dollar and Kenneth Copeland were investigated by Senator Chuck Grassley and his team. Of the six ministries mentioned, only Benny Hinn and Joyce Meyer cooperated with investigators. The other ministries claimed that only the United States’ IRS could investigate their finances. Some of them also claimed their first amendment rights – insisting that it gives them immunity on how they use church finances.

A similar kind of investigation in Nigeria is long overdue.

In recent times many people have begun to question the motive behind the ministries of many wealthy churches around the world. Not a few churches in Nigeria have been hit by this movement. The unfortunate thing about this development is that many young people, because of their ill experience in Pentecostal churches, are renouncing the Christian religion altogether. These people do not have enough discernment to put Jesus’ words to practice. Jesus said: “Beware of false prophets… You will recognize them by their fruits…” (Matthew 7:15-16).

The leading fruit of a false prophet is that he or she possesses an aversion to scrutiny. Why? Because the Christian gospel and the Christian life it births in an individual is LIGHT. Jesus Christ is the light of the world and whatever bears his name would bear the spirit of truth and would withstand whatever scrutiny it is brought under. I dare to say that a Christian ministry, run in a Christian manner, would not demand the kind of suspicion and doubt that would lead to people calling for investigation into how it is run. The moment there is the need for such, a lot of wrong is already going on underneath.

At a point in his life, Paul the Apostle needed to raise money from the Gentiles, who were his own field of ministry, to render help to believers in Jerusalem after Jerusalem had been hit with drought. Paul said of the money he raised for this purpose:

“…We take this course so that no one should blame us about this generous gift that is being administered by us, for we aim at what is honorable not only in the Lord’s sight but also in the sight of man…” (2Corinthians 8:20-21).

Christian ministry demands that pastors do whatever they do honorably in the sight of the Lord and also, and particularly in a time of skepticism like ours, in the sight of men. No one should be telling churches to publicize their finances. That these churches cannot stand any kind of scrutiny is a testimony to the fruit of falsehood that runs through their moral fabric. Jesus calls them false prophets and those who have eternity in mind ought to avoid these churches.

By arresting and detaining Abimbola Adelakun, COZA is saying that they cannot withstand scrutiny. They are saying they cannot stand an independent mind in their midst; they would rather that those who attend their churches be people whose ability to think have been taken away from them. These churches forget, however, that the end of time will bring all men to the judgment seat of Christ and would demand that all men give an account of all they have done in the flesh. People who cannot withstand the simple scrutiny of men would not be able to stand before the fiery judgment of God. This is just one out of many reasons why anyone who wishes to practice the Christian religion should find his way far away from the modern Nigerian Pentecostal type.

Deji Yesufu is the author of the books Victor Banjo and Half a Millennium. He can be reached on newdejix@gmail.com.

Source: http://mouthpiece.com.ng/pentecostal-churches-aversion-to-scrutiny/

She get luck den no punch her mouth