₦airaland Forum

Newsweek Lists Nigerian Pentecostal Among World Influencers[b][/b]
Church planter Enoch Adeboye is included beside presidents as one of the world’s 50 most powerful people.

[12.22.08] One of the 50 most powerful people in the world is a Pentecostal preacher from Nigeria whose mission is to save souls.

So says Newsweek magazine in its Jan. 5 cover story, which includes Enoch Adeboye, general overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), in its list of 50 world powerbrokers.

Adeboye and Pope Benedict XVI are the only Christian leaders on the list, which features both revered and reviled influencers including President-elect Barack Obama, the Clintons, Oprah Winfrey, Chinese President Hu Jintao, al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

“I certainly agree with Newsweek on this,” Pentecostal historian Vinson Synan told Charisma. “I have visited [Adeboye’s] campground and preached in one of his large churches in Lagos. In terms of masses of followers and influence in Nigeria, as well as other nations, he is a dominating person with tremendous power.”

RCCG, which Adeboye has led since 1981, has some 5 million members in 14,000 congregations in Nigeria alone and hundreds more across 110 nations. In 2006, the Lagos-based church movement built a US. headquarters in Texas, and has planted several hundred churches nationwide.

“In the developing world we say we want churches to be within five minutes’ walk of every person,” Adeboye told Newsweek. “In the developed world, we say five minutes of driving.”

A former math instructor at the University of Lagos, Adeboye began working at RCCG translating the pastor’s sermons from Yoruba to English. He now travels the world preaching at services that can last as long as 12 hours.

Each month in Lagos, RCCG hosts an all-night prayer meeting at its Redemption Campground that draws several hundred thousand people. Every December, several million people travel from around the world to attend RCCG’s annual Holy Ghost Congress. The most recent congress ended on Sunday.

“If I were to name the top 10 apostles in the whole world, Adeboye would have to be there on the top of the list,” said C. Peter Wagner, president of Global Harvest Ministries and leader of the International Coalition of Apostles. He is also the editor of Out of Africa, which chronicles the growth of the charismatic movement in Nigeria.

“I attended his all-night prayer meeting the first Friday of the month, and the leaders apologized to me for the low attendance,” Wagner said. “They had only 300,000 the whole night long. Usually they have 500,000.”

Synan noted that the prosperity gospel is a central message at RCCG and within other prominent Nigerian Pentecostal ministries.“In Africa, prosperity means generally having a roof over your head and food to eat,” Synan said, adding that the prosperity message is also used negatively by some to promote the idea that Christians must give financially in order to receive God’s blessings.

Adeboye has avoided accusations of financial misdeeds or faking supernatural power, which have plagued many ministries in the nation. Nigerian government leaders seek his input on social issues, Newsweek noted, and he recently made a public-service announcement condemning discrimination against people who are HIV-positive.

Newsweek called Pentecostalism “the biggest, fastest-growing Christian movement since the Reformation,” with some 600 adherents around the world.

In North America, the number of Pentecostals has grown from 19 million in 1970 to roughly 77 million today, Newsweek reported. According to the Center for the Study of Global Christianity at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, the numbers are even higher in Asia and Latin America, where Pentecostalism claims 166 million and 151 million followers respectively.

Grant Wacker, professor of Christian history at Duke University, estimates that by 2050 most of Africa will be Christian—and the majority of those converts will be Pentecostals.

“Pentecostals have such an impact because they talk of the here and now, not just the by and by,” Adeboye told Newsweek. “We pray for the sick, but we pray for their prosperity, for their overcoming of evil forces and so on. While we have to worry about heaven, there are some things God could do for us in the here and now.”

Although Adeboye is not as well known in the United States as he is in Nigeria, Wagner said he represents the new center of gravity for Christianity. “One of the things that excites me is that [Newsweek] had the wisdom to include a leader from the Global South because that is the focal point of growth and influence of the Christian church,” said Wagner, referring to Africa, Asia and Latin America.

“It’s absolutely necessary for us who have an older church that has not been on fire like it has in the past to look to the Global South and catch some of the fire that the Lord is setting there,” he added. “It is absolutely necessary.” –Adrienne S. Gaines
http://charismamag.com/cms/news/archives/1222082.php

Newsweek Lists Nigerian Pentecostal Among World Influencers[b][/b][color=#990000][/color]
Church planter Enoch Adeboye is included beside presidents as one of the world’s 50 most powerful people.

[12.22.08] One of the 50 most powerful people in the world is a Pentecostal preacher from Nigeria whose mission is to save souls.

So says Newsweek magazine in its Jan. 5 cover story, which includes Enoch Adeboye, general overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), in its list of 50 world powerbrokers.

Adeboye and Pope Benedict XVI are the only Christian leaders on the list, which features both revered and reviled influencers including President-elect Barack Obama, the Clintons, Oprah Winfrey, Chinese President Hu Jintao, al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

“I certainly agree with Newsweek on this,” Pentecostal historian Vinson Synan told Charisma. “I have visited [Adeboye’s] campground and preached in one of his large churches in Lagos. In terms of masses of followers and influence in Nigeria, as well as other nations, he is a dominating person with tremendous power.”

RCCG, which Adeboye has led since 1981, has some 5 million members in 14,000 congregations in Nigeria alone and hundreds more across 110 nations. In 2006, the Lagos-based church movement built a U.S. headquarters in Texas, and has planted several hundred churches nationwide.

“In the developing world we say we want churches to be within five minutes’ walk of every person,” Adeboye told Newsweek. “In the developed world, we say five minutes of driving.”

A former math instructor at the University of Lagos, Adeboye began working at RCCG translating the pastor’s sermons from Yoruba to English. He now travels the world preaching at services that can last as long as 12 hours.

Each month in Lagos, RCCG hosts an all-night prayer meeting at its Redemption Campground that draws several hundred thousand people. Every December, several million people travel from around the world to attend RCCG’s annual Holy Ghost Congress. The most recent congress ended on Sunday.

“If I were to name the top 10 apostles in the whole world, Adeboye would have to be there on the top of the list,” said C. Peter Wagner, president of Global Harvest Ministries and leader of the International Coalition of Apostles. He is also the editor of Out of Africa, which chronicles the growth of the charismatic movement in Nigeria.

“I attended his all-night prayer meeting the first Friday of the month, and the leaders apologized to me for the low attendance,” Wagner said. “They had only 300,000 the whole night long. Usually they have 500,000.”

Synan noted that the prosperity gospel is a central message at RCCG and within other prominent Nigerian Pentecostal ministries.“In Africa, prosperity means generally having a roof over your head and food to eat,” Synan said, adding that the prosperity message is also used negatively by some to promote the idea that Christians must give financially in order to receive God’s blessings.

Adeboye has avoided accusations of financial misdeeds or faking supernatural power, which have plagued many ministries in the nation. Nigerian government leaders seek his input on social issues, Newsweek noted, and he recently made a public-service announcement condemning discrimination against people who are HIV-positive.

Newsweek called Pentecostalism “the biggest, fastest-growing Christian movement since the Reformation,” with some 600 adherents around the world.

In North America, the number of Pentecostals has grown from 19 million in 1970 to roughly 77 million today, Newsweek reported. According to the Center for the Study of Global Christianity at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, the numbers are even higher in Asia and Latin America, where Pentecostalism claims 166 million and 151 million followers respectively.

Grant Wacker, professor of Christian history at Duke University, estimates that by 2050 most of Africa will be Christian—and the majority of those converts will be Pentecostals.

“Pentecostals have such an impact because they talk of the here and now, not just the by and by,” Adeboye told Newsweek. “We pray for the sick, but we pray for their prosperity, for their overcoming of evil forces and so on. While we have to worry about heaven, there are some things God could do for us in the here and now.”

Although Adeboye is not as well known in the United States as he is in Nigeria, Wagner said he represents the new center of gravity for Christianity. “One of the things that excites me is that [Newsweek] had the wisdom to include a leader from the Global South because that is the focal point of growth and influence of the Christian church,” said Wagner, referring to Africa, Asia and Latin America.

“It’s absolutely necessary for us who have an older church that has not been on fire like it has in the past to look to the Global South and catch some of the fire that the Lord is setting there,” he added. “It is absolutely necessary.” –Adrienne S. Gaines
http://charismamag.com/cms/news/archives/1222082.php

bluespice:
JJYOU
that thing is def not qualified to use that term to refer to me

Phoenix, girlfriend the poor thing is hopelessly pathetic
ignoring him is the greatest service to nl

sorry ma'am. no vex o. it is sad people can talk to people they dont know like that and we wonder why some fools think it okay to beat women. ugly idiots

what was his religion if i may ask?

and you can sleep tonight insulting one of your sisters like this? you just grew taller abi?

bawomolo:
may i reveal to you the shocking news that there are christian Arabs etc. the Arabic language should not be confused with Islam.

as per the topic - i think it's a shame people have to mask their religion just to go into the politics.

yasar arafat and his likes

bluespice:
uhhh how hard is it to ask her?

and good gawd! are people this stupid?
like seriously?

you can ask that again. these are the people naija is hoping to bring her light God help us. where is the greater tomorrow with small minds like these.

stillwater:
I've thought about it and I came to the conclusion that the problem did not start now, it arose from you guys, hence the father christmas response. Nigerian men have been known to use material goods just to ordinarily woo a girl. Such an act is synonymous to bribery, anyway. Men like that shouldn't complain when these girls demand endlessly.

Now to your case, it's good you give and that's nice of you. It would take some time before the mentality of placing emphasis on the gifts rather than the reason behind it is destroyed because some of thess girls have dated the aforementioned men. Despite that, I really do not want to blame it on the men because I believe that we are individuals and we should take responsibility for our actions. The fact is these girls have parasitic and greedy leanings, so I'd rather blame them. You just have to be watchful next time.

now you are talking. this is hookers mentality.

KarmaMod:
when divorce rates were low, did that stop Naija from being the shame of Africa? Abeg make we hear word.

divorce rate has always been high in naija. people may not have noticed. so is co-habiting and serial/multiple relationships.

so you no fit get wife for all those millions wey dey redeem?

kain kain the work against human beings

o boy sorry o

bluespice:
uhh but since when was it expected for boyfie to pay for girlfie's hair?

na wa sha
poster u sef, idnt u catch glimpses of the kind of person before asking her out?
y'all have issues jare

some people na actor.

MSMAMASITA:
i appreciate your honesty.
i figured if it was only about sex there would be no long talks.
I'm wondering how i should approach the christmas thing, should i just buy a gift and see if he gives me one and then if he does not have the conversation or tell him its overr?

what are my next steps?

best gift he will enjoy is propose marraige on a bended knee. he will forever love you for this

KarmaMod:
This is true

what is all these educating rita going on here?

KarmaMod:
What part of Stop Buying Gifts don't you get?  

OP = Original Poster aka YOU/your winch friend

dont spoil my brother busines na. he could be the only girl giving him gifts  the other in naija is almost certainly a receiver

KarmaMod:
You're not serious


and yes o this is all still from the phone  

karma is 5 too small? we can make it minimum of 7 if you dont mind.  with people like this girl about you wonder why some jerks masquerading as men wont continue to play home and away

MSMAMASITA:
Yes still from the phone.

you are begining to believe your "truth"? congrats

my granny alway said a mothers greatest tragedy is giving birth to a fool.

MSMAMASITA:
thank you blisfullynaught and davidyln - i think i will take your advice and have a serious talk with him.

he does give me a lot of time, but it seems to be only about sex when we are together. I love him and he says he loves me more than anyone hes ever been with but i justt don't understand what the probelm is.

you are still getting all these info via phone?

blissfullynaughty:
You obviously do not have a clue. So you do not know that there are many men who have wives back home who they do not return to in years and years. Moreover, he may not have a wife yet but may have plans to "buy" one from back home. My former workmate who now lives in Canada had a live-in girlfriend while his people were carrying wine to his Nigerian wife's parents abode to ask for her hand in marriage. Anything is possible.

who asked you to tell that story now? please keep naija men secrets. it is our right to have 5 wives. don't you think?

KarmaMod:
I mentioned sex the first time for a reason.

Being right is a curse

you are an iwions as usual

*Hauwa*:
he loves your toto, shine ya eyes. stop giving him that too. girl, shine ya eyes now eh?

nawa o

MSMAMASITA:
to be fair i will say that we talk on the phone for hours about current events when i am not with him. so could it still be about the sex? we never go out on dates but we do talk for hours which is why he says he feels that connection with me.

he gets upset when i go out with friends and questions me to death abou if any men has approched me.

what kind of wife will allow this type of treatment about not seeing her husband for so long.

that is why johnson aja said foolish man plants his mango on the main road

sisi, david and karmamod you guys are wicked. you wont allow some young lady fool you for aone minute. NL is a very funny place

Sisi Jinx:
I think the boli and epa I eat this evening was laced with something because I can't believe I am taking a Naija guy's side.

thank God for good diets

some people are naija in name only

Sisi Jinx:
Lmao! Oh dear! We have a little misunderstanding here. . . You seem to be under the impression that it matters whether you believe me or not. Okay, please understand this. . . . you don't have to believe me. I know what I know and I saw what I saw.

By the way, I notice your posts is peppered with I[/b]s. . . [b]I [/b]did this, [b]I did that, I did not do this, I [/b]have never done that. While I find it admirable that you seem to be one of the few well brought up guys, the operative word here is still [b]I and the last time I checked, YOU don't speak for every guy, except of course all of you guys act from the same [b]How to Behave [/b]Handbook.

all of you guys act from the same [b]How to Behave [/b]Handbook.

you are something else. how do we all deserve this now my sister? there is no taming you is there?

ode remo:
can you let this case rest this guy is probably relaxing somewhere unaware all this spit.

please say it again

EloSela:
Please. .  .Everybody has a choice, whether one is a Nigerian or otherwise. Nigeria is the land of opportunities.   .   .or so I read every day on Nairaland.

I tend to have more respect for the Nigerians who enter the country on a 3 month visa (used to be 6) and then work (albeit illegally) but go back home when their time is up, applying again after some time so that they restart the process again. I feel such Nigerians are more beneficial to the Nigerians and the economy in Nigeria as they often start businesses to help themselves and their families. Some even get themselves in a better position financially to send their Nigerian born children abroad on legitimate student visas and paid fees who will in turn return to Nigeria as educated professionals.

I don't know how the illegal immigrant in the video clip plans to better himself while he is on the run from immigration and the police and constantly looking over his shoulder and so my view still stands.

You don't really believe that he would be killed once he landed in Nigeria do you?

the end justifies everything in naija's book. please chill especially with a signature like that - love everyone in Jesus name including good ole liars

your point being?

even if u hit him

why should anyone hit anybody this day and age? you spoilt your point with that word

yemmyse:
Was at the Lekki 1998 Holy Ghost Congress, was a worker in the church back then. This is an unfounded lie.

Omo to pekuro ni di agba, omode apa leyin to un na. If cracking nuts on the back of the elders is ur past time, better ur back ready for nut cracking nuts session, when u grow older.

you have graduated from working now abi? where is the nut cracking here? chill bro. merry christmas

KarmaMod:
yet omoge's coworkers arent. shameless bunch.

Its one thing not to just give for the sake of it. It's another to STILL not give when someone gives you something. Embarrassing

it is better to give people you dont expect anything from

yemmyse:
Dayo

From this moment henceforth I disown you as a friend. To think u attend the church. Who is deceiving who then.



The fool says in his heart, there is no God.

OOPS. DO YOU ATTEND REDEEM? DID THIS ACTUALLY HAPPEN?

Does anyone know that the first  holy Ghost Congress Lekki 1998 was co Sponsored by Nigeria Breweries Maker of Star lager beer and Legend extra Stout!!! Man Of God!!!

dayokanu:
Yemi,

Thats why Nigeria would never grow!!! MoG My black ass. My friend was stuck in Traffic for 11 hours between lagos-Ibadan because the GO was having a session.

Lagosboy,
He did more than Romance he blassed OBJ several times at his camp, Have you forgeotten the early morning prayers at Aso Rock they use Millions to organise?

He is one smart trickster. Have you Heard of "Breakfast with Daddy G.O" for 50,000 Naira? Yes they organise it and some people pay for it.

It should rival yahooyahoo and Ponzi schemes for ingenuity!!!!

"God told me to ask Just 100 people to donate 10million Naira each" and you have 250 people jostling.

For those who know Maths very well, How much is that?

Does anyone know that the first  holy Ghost Congress Lekki 1998 was co Sponsored by Nigeria Breweries Maker of Star lager beer and Legend extra Stout!!! Man Of God!!!

PLEASE TELL ME THIS IS NOT TRUE.  PLEASE PLEASE LET THIS BE AN EXPENSIVE JOKE  

Does anyone know that the first  holy Ghost Congress Lekki 1998 was co Sponsored by Nigeria Breweries Maker of Star lager beer and Legend extra Stout!!! Man Of God!!!

nigerians mostly give to people they can get from.

lucabrasi:
here we go again,nigerians displaying their ignorance, when or where exactly did the man ever infer or suggest in any way shape or form that he wanted to contest the presidency??or is this just another avenue to take cheap pot shots at a man of GOD

TRUE TALK

press your IGNORE button my brother

Sweet T:
@Topic

There is nothing funny about this, i really wish most succesful Nigerian abroad can go back home and contribute their own to develop Nigeria but i'm afraid that will never happen. An average Nigerian is very greedy and self centered. The only thing on his mind his to front and boast. If a succesful Nigerian goes home, he is seen as a threat by the elites back home and before you know it he is gunned down by hired killers. Black people amazes me with their behavior, we behave like animals that doesn't think about his actions. And i have noticed that black people all over the world behave alike.

check this out. i cant believe these idiots dont even pare women in this madness

Suspected assassins invade Alaba Lawson’s home, kill guard
By Akin Oyedele, Fidelis Soriwei, Ademola Oni, Sunday Aborisade, Olalekan Adetayo
Published: Monday, 22 Dec 2008
Gunmen suspected to be hired assassins in the early hours of Sunday stormed the Abeokuta residence of the Iyalode of Yorubaland, Chief Alaba Lawson, killing her guard in an attempt to gain access to her apartment in Abeokuta, Ogun State.

Skip to next paragraph

Photo file
Chief Alaba Lawson

The Commissioner of Police in the state, Mr. Emmanuel Ayeni, described the incident as “unfortunate,” hours before our correspondents obtained a crime statistics showing that 33 people were killed by armed robbers in Lagos State between January and September 2008.

Ayeni, who arrived at Lawson’s home on Quarry Road around 12.30pm on Sunday, in company with his assistant, Mr. Yemi Omojola, promised to commence immediate investigation into the incident.

“It is unfortunate that the innocent soul was wasted, but I can assure you that we will work tirelessly to get to the roots of the matter,” he said.

He directed the police division in the area to maintain random security watch of the building and the vicinity.

Lawson, who later spoke with one of our correspondents, said the gunmen arrived at her residence around 2am and started ordering the late guard, simply identified as Alhaji Yussuf, to take them to her bedroom.

She said when the guard refused to obey their instruction, they slashed his throat.

Lawson said, “I then made calls to my children and those I could recollect while they were struggling to force their way into my apartment. At this time, they had forced their way inside and had removed the burglary proof leading to my bedroom.

“The police arrived about 40 minutes later because my children got in touch with them at the Ibara roundabout and the assassins fled.”

Before their escape, however, the gunmen dumped Yussuf’s body beside a generator house in the premises.

Lawson had written petitions to the Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Mike Okiro, alleging threat to her life and plans by some people to dump a corpse around Lawson International School, Oke-Ilewo, Abeokuta.

The businesswoman cum educationist was removed as the Iyalode of Egbaland by the Alake-in-Council in controversial circumstances in May this year.

In Lagos, the Police Public Relations Officer, state command, Mr. Frank Mba, described the statistics showing that 33 people died in various robbery cases in the state as false.

Our correspondents had unofficially sourced the document from the Mechanised Statistics Department of the command.

“That statistics did not emanate from us (the police command),” Mba, a superintendent of police, said.

Although he promised to make what he called the authentic statistics available the following day, he did not do so as at 9pm on Sunday.

The 33 casualty figure contained in the crime statistics is 24 (or 73 per cent) higher than that recorded between January and December 2007.

Also, the statistics showed that 599 armed robbery cases were reported in the state during the period under review.

This is also against 76 cases reported from January to December 2007.

There has been an outcry of insecurity in the state since the beginning of the year with criminals wielding sophisticated weapons.

In its bid to equip the police, the state government initiated a security trust fund with corporate organisations donating money and equipment to the police.

A joint military/police patrol, codenamed Operation MESA, was also approved for the state to fight crime.

A cross section of Lagos residents who spoke with our correspondents said that a lot more needed to be done to ensure safety of lives and property in the state.

Meanwhile, a teacher was on Wednesday killed by an armed robbery gang which besieged a commercial bank in Oko, Surulere Local Government Area of Oyo State.

The Police Public Relations Officer in the state command, Miss Olabisi Okuwobi, who confirmed the incident on Sunday, said some of the bandits were injured by policemen who engaged them in a shoot-out.

Sources said the robbers killed the teacher simply identified as Ogunwoye when they sighted him making a telephone call. He was until his death, a teacher at the Methodist Primary School, Ijado, near Oko.

In Benin, Edo State, policemen foiled what would have been a major robbery attack on a branch of First Bank Nigerian Plc on Ring Road on Saturday morning.

The Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of the Command, Mr. Hillary Opara, told journalists that his men gunned down one of the robbery suspects identified as Evans in a shoot-out.

He added that the police recovered some weapons, including dynamite and 21 bags and one of the three vehicles used by the bandits.

He also paraded nine armed robbery suspects arrested in a hideout at the Aduwawa area of Benin following a tip-off.

Opara said that the police recovered some arms and ammunition from them. The items included one pump action gun, two cut-to-size single barrel guns, one locally made pistol, 36 live cartridges, 13 GSM handsets, a Dell laptop, two dynamite timer, and one Peugeot Space Wagon marked Edo AP 409 GGE.

Meanwhile, a former Assistant Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Ralph Osanaiye, has blamed the rising armed robbery cases on the quality of information available to the bandits.

He spoke on “Re-occurring armed robbery cases in Nigeria, roles and challenges of private guard companies,” at a forum organised by the Oyo State Command of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, in Ibadan, on Friday.

He described as unfortunate, a situation where poorly-armed policemen confront well-armed hoodlums with better information gathering technique.

According to him, the country’s security agencies lacked manpower, information, technology, money and knowledge which are the five cardinal prerequisites for combating crime.

He advised against granting approval to private security guards to carry arms in order to guard against proliferation and abuse of arms.

http://www.punchng.com/Articl.aspx?theartic=Art200812222273235

bro. david,  apostle peter was a failure by the standard of men. dont let your head swell now. the smart diabolical on on the inside of these boys always make them argue and never ready to learn.

i hate arguements but hate it more with these closed mind people.

more info oga

small kids made in naija. you wont keep your evil stick now before you go get someone pregnant