Opinion: Why you and I are badly losing the argument on pastors and jets

by Chude Jideonwo

Rants are of course easier than research. But it is an insult to members of this church to reduce their shepherd to a false caricature, and the more we do that, the more they respond with matching disdain, and no one changes for the better.

I attend Daystar Christian Centre, have been blessed by Rev. Sam Adeyemi, I go to church on in the morning because I admire the character of his ministry and attend House Fellowship in the evening because I am inspired by his message. There is a distinct focus on the Word of God that is attractive and practical and reasonable.
Imagine my alarm therefore when, early this week the media reported a statement from my pastor.
“I do not have a private jet – yet,” he said. Yet? Having been drawn, as I said above, to Pastor Sam’s acute sense of responsibility, I was alarmed. Had my pastor joined the motley crowd of pastors who had abandoned the Gospel for wanton materialism?
But I soon recovered.
The cause for my ‘soonest recover’ was simple: pastors run by a simple moral code, and that code is the scripture. Criticizing a man who has violated my own personal moral code, while he has remained true to the code by which he was called is akin to screaming at a deaf man.
To hear the din on social media, pastors should be accountable to members of the public, but in fact the only people they are accountable to are their stakeholders – the congregation they oversee, and the commissioner of their enterprise i.e. the God they claim to serve. Some wail that pastors have jerry curls. But the bible does not say pastors should not have jerry curls. Some declaim pastors own businesses. But there is nothing wrong in a man of the gospel running lucrative enterprises. We quarrel that they cozy up to government, but, after all said and done, there is even no sin in cozying up to government.
And that is why many churchgoers will ignore the scathing criticism and continue to contribute so that pastors can buy flashy cars, houses and, now, private jets. Because, when we try to make our point, we insist on insulting their intelligence.
For instance, many accuse Bishop David Oyedepo of running hugely expensive schools but have not taken the time to discover that a huge number of the students are on scholarship, those who blame the Pastor Enoch Adeboye for mercantile expansionism have not taken the time to find out how many people are sustained on the church’s charity; those who insist that Pastor Paul Adefarasin preaches only prosperity have not made the effort to discover that the man emphasizes holiness and Hell Fire each Sunday, and those who accuse Ayo Oritsejafor of ignoring flood victims have not taken care to discover just how much he has contributed to flood victims in his state.
Rants are of course easier than research. But it is an insult to members of this church to reduce their shepherd to a false caricature, and the more we do that, the more they respond with matching disdain, and no one changes for the better.
This exaggeration, this loud condemnation, this reflex disgust is exactly the reason we have lost the ability to influence governance by the strength of that numbers. Arguments are won by logic – and that which says pastors should not spend money because we have poverty in our midst is tendentious as best.
To put it in shorthand: if you earn less than N500,000 per month and own a car that costs more, it is hypocrisy to criticize a pastor whose income or church revenue is in the millions for buying a luxury automobile. Calculated as a percentage of income, you lack the moral authority to make such a claim.
If you therefore request the pastor to make that luxury contribution to charity instead, then one must of necessity demand to know if you have done the same. This is what Jesus meant exactly when he said you should look at the huge log in your eyes before staring with disdain at the speck in your neighbours.
Many insist Jesus would be disgusted by the obesity of these pastor’s lifestyles. I daresay that Jesus would be just as disgusted at those who judge a man as harshly as the disciples judged Mary Madgalene when she poured expensive oil at his royal feet.
There has to be another way.
Christians who demand Biblical moderation of these pastors must be ready to demonstrate Biblical temperance.
We can yet have a reasoned argument with these flamboyant pastors and their flock about the inappropriateness of private jets, boats and other excesses.
We can remind them that the Bible says all things are lawful, but not all are expedient; we can remind them of the moderation the Bible demands in the book of Philippians, we can remind them that they represent God on earth, and we can convince them of their role in shaping society. Yes, we can.
But first, we have to be reasonable.
YNaija.com