by Ejike Alphonsus Kanife
A pastor should receive a gift jet when every other member of his Christian community receives one.
Nigeria, thank God, is a very religious country. Very, very religious
indeed such that when anyone attempts to criticize a religious leader
of owning a private jet, they rise in their millions to defend such a
leader. Even when such person eventually manages to appeal to their
rationality they prove their staunch devoutness and deep piety by having
the last say: “We are not to judge” or, “Touch not my anointed and do
my prophet no harm.”
Well, I wouldn’t go near enough to touch one not to talk of doing any
‘anointed’ any harm. Plus the bible forbids me to judge any human, talk
more an anointed. But the bible doesn’t say I shouldn’t testify.
If anything it encourages me to. So, while I won’t judge anybody, I
sure will testify. Recently, a pastor in Imo state was accused of
adultery. Another in Osun was accused of fornication. What am I saying?
Many pastors all over the country have been accused of, and indeed have
been found guilty of such immoral and condemnable behaviours. Our
communities are rife with such occurrences. I wonder why Christians
don’t rise to the defence of such pastors, or are they not anointed
enough? That begs the question, how do we even determine who is anointed
and who is not? I’ve asked this question severally but none of the said
faithful could give a satisfactory response.
Some say hence such a person mounts a pulpit and preaches the bible
then he’s anointed. Yet we acknowledge that we’re living in the end time
and Christ himself said many false prophets will rise and preach and
perform miracles in his name. Are these false prophets also anointed? If
no, how do we tell the anointed from the false? Is it by their
preaching (they all preach the same Bible anyway) or by their practices?
A pastor owning a jet, or in recent terms receiving a gift jet from a
congregation is not a bad thing, not legally at least. Since I’ve said I
won’t be judging, I would leave God to determine if it’s a sin or not.
But morally and psychologically, considering the socio-economic
situation the country has been flung into, considering the multitude of
impoverished and indigent people around us and even among our
congregations, and considering especially how the early Christians lived
which should be a model for any Bible believer and any Bible believing
congregation (the Bible said whatever they had they shared equally), a
pastor should own a jet only if the other members of his Christian
community own one as well.
A pastor should receive a gift jet when every other member of his
Christian community receives one. Okay, let’s assume that is
unattainable, but what happened to the humans out there who only live
expecting death? The people out there who have great dreams and
aspirations that could move the country forward but no motivation?
People out there who couldn’t send a child to school? The numerous
impoverished souls dying out there whom a jet’s worth of philanthropy
could have saved?
Indeed, no matter what a pastor or anyone else for that matter does,
we would always have the poor and the dying with us, but I think it
should matter to us that one less person doesn’t die for nothing. That
one less person doesn’t get to attain his aspiration. That our actions
could either save a dying soul or leave such to their fate, a fate a
jet’s worth of aid could have altered for the better. Thus I ask, which
is humanely ‘wronger’; an anointed who sleeps with a woman who is not
his wife or one whose action could lead, even though unknowingly to the
perishing of a soul?
Again let me ask, prior to owning or receiving a gift jet, doesn’t
the big pastor fly overseas for ministry or any other businesses he has?
Doesn’t he fly in comfort; in first class of the best airlines? Hasn’t
his ministry grown all too well during those times? Why then does he
suddenly need a private jet? What extra spiritual benefit would the
acquisition of a private jet add to him, to his congregation, his
country and to the human race? Would it attract new members, would it
keep old ones? Would it ensure the salvation of anyone? What would be
the fate impact of the acquisition of luxury?
Yes, yes, the Dangote’s, Adenuga’s, business men and politicians have
private jets why not ask them why they acquired theirs. It’s simple.
Our business men and politicians are not pastors or religious leaders.
They are of this world, our pastors shouldn’t be of the world, should
they? Our politicians most of whom are business moguls are corrupt, the
last thing anyone wants is our pastors and religious leaders being like
them; living extravagant lives.
Neither Christ nor Mohammed nor Buddha was like the politicians and
business men of their times. As a matter of fact, they were all rich but
all at some point left their riches and glory and became lowly
individuals. Is the lesson in that so hard to comprehend? There is a
fine line between ‘Bible believing’ and ‘Bible preaching’ church even
though we fail to see it. If what we claim to preach and believe does
not reflect in our life and the things we do then we better start asking
if we really believe what we hear being preached because they are both
entirely different things. You can’t say you believe if that belief
doesn’t reflect in your actions.
The problem with Nigeria is leadership; political and especially
religious leadership. It’s my opinion that if we indeed have strong and
effective religious leadership, the political leadership would be forced
into sanity. In a country as ours where political leadership has failed
woefully and is still failing, I think the strongest and most potent
institution to right the situation is the religious institution. But
when even that fails then the future is indeed bleak and the country’s
problems just began. Ever wondered why we are among the most religious
countries on earth yet with some of the highest poverty rates? Yes, it’s
because of bad political leadership, a situation which religious
leadership with all the strong sentiments they have among the population
has done nothing about. The time has come for us to demand as much from
religious leaders as we do from their political counterparts.
YNaija.com
