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Fresh Doctrines Other Pastors Must Correct
For several weeks running now, the media space has been awash with fireworks coming from the Christian community. There has been a major face off between prominent men of God. The battle has been intense. The war is loud and palpable. And there is no clear indication yet when the hostilities will cease. The battle is all about the debate over paying of tithe. Many preachers in the land have taken different positions on the matter which has been raging on for a long while now. But it appears to have gotten even more heated now, with pastors calling out each other on social media every now and then.
Many of these pastors have come out openly to make their stand on the issue known, while some others have chosen to either stay on the fence or simply remain silent on the matter. Some of them are firmly in support of Christians paying tithe while some others insist it is not scriptural. They say it is wrong for any man of God to demand that their members must pay tithe and that they would be deemed to have sinned against God and may not make heaven when they die. But some pastors who do not approve of Christians paying tithe vehemently disagree with this notion that the non-tithing Christians have sinned against God and will not make heaven. And they have taken the matter really personal, with some of them publicly questioning the integrity and scriptural knowledge.of the opposing voice. And the man at the center of it all is Pastor Abel Damina, the founder of Abel Damina Ministries International (ADMI) and the CEO of Kingdom Life Network (KLN) a Christian satelite TV channel. He is also the Senior Pastor of Power City Internatioal, headquartered in Uyo, Nigeria, with extension of campuses across the globe.
Pastor Abel Damina has become the most popular preacher in the land lately. He has been everywhere in the media, making headline news for many weeks running as he takes on one prominent pastor after the other, no matter the pedigree of the man of God in question. He has, for some time now, been calling out several clerics, questioning their beliefs and doctrines that he insists are either totally wrong or fraught with inconsistencies. To say the man has drawn the anger of many prominent men of God is saying the obvious. He has embarrased quite a handful of them and they, in turn, have drawn the battle line with him. He has been at daggers drawn with the likes of Pastor Paul Enenche, over claims that he ordained him (Paul Enenche). Abel Damina has also been embroiled in several other battles with other top men of God. This is on account of the fact that he has made several controversial statements on tithing that displeased respected clerics such as Bishop Oyedepo, Pastor Adeboye, Bishop Ibiyieomi, Pastor David Enenche and many others.
In fact, the war got heated to a point that Pastor Enoch Adeboye, the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God had to do a lot of both scriptural and soul searching over some of his pronouncements on the paying tithe. He was the one who had publicly declared that any Christian who fails to pay his or her tithe will not make heaven. And Dr. Abel Damina had contested this very seriously, disagreeing with Pastor Adeboye and backing up his argument with the scriptures. Many were shocked to their marrows two weeks ago when Pastor Adeboye apologised before the congregation for saying that those who do not pay their tithes will not make heaven. He admitted he was wrong and it was not right for him to say that.
This public apology, expectedly drew intense reactions from many who had been following closely the battle going on Christendom. And a lot of people applauded the respected man of God for the courage to come out to own up to a grave mistake he committed, while others insist he should take it a step further by refunding all tithes paid by members of the church.
One of those who have reacted openly on social media is a preacher, Charles Awuzie. He claims he is no longer as active as he used to be as a preacher because he has had to struggle with a lot of doctrines that he did not believe in. There are a lot of the doctrines he does not agree with and he has had to slow down on his evangelism and take time to study the bible more so he can have a clearer comprehension of what the scriptures say on certain issues.
Presently, following the apology tendered by Pastor Enoch Adeboye, Charles Awuzie is of the view that there are other things Pentecostal Churches and their Pastors in Nigeria should correct. He said the apology issued by Pastor E.A. Adeboye about an aspect of his teachings on tithe is a welcome development but that there is more to be done. According to the man who said he is now on sabbatical, while learning more about the scriptures, the ‘wrong doctrines,’ he pointed out, are used by many pastors to enslave their members. The man has made it clear that there are other “wrong” teachings churches in Nigeria should work to correct.
According to Charles Awuzie, there are some other doctrines that enslave people. He mentions the first one used by many pastors, which is that, ‘people who don’t pay tithe will suffer loss, poverty, sickness and when they die, they will go to hell fire. He believes there is no such thing in the bible and it is nothing but a ploy to get Christians to part with their hard earned money. He wants pastors to come out and address this one too.
Another one he insists Pastors should correct is this claim that, if you don’t have a prophetic covering, you will be vulnerable to misfortunes. Pastors make their members believe that if you do not have a pastor or prophet that prays regularly for you and intercedes for you, you will run into misfortunes in your business or professional career. It is wrong, he insists. He believes the whole idea is for members to regularly engage their pastors and get them to pray for them and these prayers don’t come free. Members have to constantly appreciate these pastors by offering them money to get the said ‘prophetic covering.’
The third one is that, for every Christian, these Pentecostal pastors say you must sow seeds to prosper. If you don’t sow seeds, you won’t prosper. It is not true, he says. It is a lie from the pit of hell. There is no place in the Bible that this was said by any of the prophets of God. The whole idea is to get unsuspecting Christians to part with their money.
The Pastors also insist that, even if you are kind to humanity but if you don’t believe in the doctrines of a religion, you will be punished in hell fire. This is also nothing but the figment of the imagination of many Pentecostal pastors. There is no such thing in the bible and they know it.
Last but not the least, questioning wrong doctrines is fighting the body of Christ. And again, this nothing but another big lie. There is nothing wrong about questioning certain doctrines. It is all about understanding the scriptures as best as possible.
According to Awuzie, “the above lies troubled my conscience so I decided to step back and take a break from active service for a while but continue my service to humanity outside the pulpit. Pastor Adeboye’s Apology is a welcome development but there are more Pentecostal doctrines that have been used to enslave people. For true reformation to happen, we must freely question everything and anything without fear or threats.”
– WALE LAWAL
(08037209290)
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