By, Fredrick Nwabufo

Is the church an enterprise? Yes. Is the church a place of spiritual alliance with the creator? Yes. Naturally, the church as an industry should be detached from incorporeal control. Both must not be conflated. There is the tabernacle of God, which no mundane or terrestrial order has power over, and there is the venture of mammon which must submit to the laws of the land. Caesar must be given his due. The righteous one, Jesus Christ, said so.

Bishop David Oyedepo, the redoubtable preacher, took umbrage against the government over a section of the recently signed Companies and Allied Matters Act (CAMA) which warrants the Corporate Affairs Commission to suspend the trustees of an association or a religious body and appoint an interim manager or managers to coordinate its affairs where it reasonably believes that there has been any misconduct or mismanagement, or where the affairs of the association are being run fraudulently or where it is necessary or desirable for the purpose of public interest. By implication, the law regulates religious and charity organisations.

Venting on the law, Oyedepo accused the government of jealousy. He said he knows the “prosperity of the church is making them jealous”. I think, this is mammon speaking.

Hear him: “The church is God’s heritage on earth. Molest the wife of somebody and you will see the anger of that person. The church is the bride of Christ. You know how a strong man is when you tamper with his wife. The church is the body of Christ. We are under obligation to give warnings to wicked rulers so we could be free from their blood.”

“The church works on the pattern delivered by God not the pattern of man. Government has no power to appoint people over churches. This is a secular nation. The church is the greatest asset of God in this country. Please be warned. Judgment is coming. The Lord says I have been still but now I will arise. Anybody that is in this deal is taking poison. This will never work. I am waiting for a day when anybody will appoint a trustee over this church… You can’t gag anybody. We own this country together.”

Nothing can prevail against the church of God – not even Hades.

But we must situate and contextualise the “church” in Oyedepo’s cadence. The “church” here according to Oyedepo is some behemoth or unwieldy corporation. I doubt if this is the church Jesus the Christ meant and established.

Over the years, the church industry in Nigeria has carried on as an agency defiant to secular laws despite earning its sustenance from worldly pursuits. Some barely even pay tax while running publishing firms, hospitals, schools, restaurants and other businesses. If I am not mistaken, Pastor Tunde Bakare is one of the few clerics who established businesses distinct from their spiritual vocation.

What is baffling is that these churches, which stand against laws seeking to enforce transparency in their business dealings in Nigeria, capitulate to similar regulations abroad. For example, in 2019, the UK Charities Commission appointed an interim manager for Mountain of Fire and Miracles International, the church founded by Daniel Olukoya. The commission hinged its decision on acts of fraud in the organisation.

It said: “The commission is concerned over the trustees’ unwillingness to report serious incidents. The inquiry found two alleged incidents of fraud by former employees involving significant sums, both of which were not reported until a number of years after the frauds were discovered.”

READ MORE: https://thebelltimesng.com/2020/08/21/oyedepos-unholy-anger-over-cama-and-nigerias-karma/

Make this CAMA or karma free church na, isit by force to join?

Church is a money making venture ... Not a single penny has been sent to heaven for God to use and do pocket money but the men of gods are buying private parts .... Sorry primate jets


Cama ye kama Ku .... Danburo uba shege!

Religion is a fools business

Connect with your God direct and have peace .. Even JESUS never went to church haha and laslas nah church people kill am!

Abeg tell the biSHOP ... That business as usual is changing

Pastor nah yahoo boy ....
CAMA nah SARS....,













On the beat hehe

The Nigerian church is a business venture as such, they should play by the law of the land.

The current President no dey hear come, na only go he dey hear. Once he gives instructions, he does not care whether the people like it or not. It is only Osinbajo that you can scare with holy or unholy spirit. As for Buhari, if you call Jesus come, Buhari will sit down and discuss with HIM and ask HIM to pay HIS tax. It won't be the first time Jesus will be paying Tax anyway, HE paid it in the Bible and encouraged us to do so too.

Therefore, all these church businessmen spewing rubbish, they are not talking to Buhari because they know that Buhari is not listening, instead it is Osinbajo who is one of them that they are threatening with Holy Ghost Fire, any fire that Buahri sees, he will call Fire Bridgage to come and put it off.

Fóolish folks everywhere.

Honestly, all this noise over nothing. How come we have yet to hear from other businesses that are impacted by the same laws?

Kobojunkie:
Honestly, all this noise over nothing. How come we have yet to hear from other businesses that are impacted by the same laws?

I can see the demon in you is hell bent on painting churches as a businesses. Suite yourself.

CodeTemplar:
I can see the demon in you is hell bent on painting churches as a businesses. Suite yourself.

I am not sure why you choose to keep yourself blind to the facts before you. The other day, I even posted the business registration ID for one of the many churches here in Maryland, and instead you chose to pretend you did not see that response.

The demon here is not on me, but the one keeping you blind to the truth of what your churches are... businesses registered under the world government and operated according to the business owners desires.