After reading this article i came to the conclusion that real christians have a lot of work to do in exposing these charlatans in our midst who are bringing the church to disrepute.




EDDIE IROH, Email: eddie.iroh@thisdaylive.com


Before I say another word in this article, let me quickly state that I have already put my neck on the chopping block for the guillotine, slipped a hangman’s noose round my neck, and tied myself to the stake ready for the firing squad. I say this in acknowledgement of the fact that when you dare to raise issues with a Nigerian’s religion, ethnic group or political allegiance, however valid your facts or the argument, you might as well be ready for all of the above. For when issues pertaining to these arise, you quickly realise that the Nigerian person is probably the most emotive of all of God’s creations. As even the celebrated Chinua Achebe has recently found to his probable chagrin with the publication of his new book, even the “well educated” and “learned” Nigerian throws intellect out of the window, opens the door wide for primordial sentiments and, quite pitifully, he or she will not provide a superior argument to thump yours. Very often, abuse and insult, the resort of the intellectual scoundrel, are proffered in place of sound reasoning.

But as Igbo people will say, you do not chicken out of a battle just because people can get killed in action. Besides as writers and journalists, if we worried about the bruising our ego would suffer, among other consequences, we would be failing in our commitment to truth and a better society.

Anyone who has read the expose carried in the British Mail on Sunday newspaper on October 21, cannot but shudder at what the paper had to say about “Bishop” David Oyedepo and how his Winners’ Chapel ministry had stretched its tentacles to the United Kingdom and into the wallets of its British congregation which is made up of largely African and Caribbean under--class. The article stated that Oyedepo’s UK church, run by his son David Oyedepo Junior, had “exploited its British congregation” to the tune of more than £4 million in 2010 alone; nearly double its takings the year before.

The writer estimated Oyedepo’s personal wealth at a little under £100 million. The paper carried photographs of Oyedepo luxuriating in the plush cabin of one of his two private jets; it showed him in the notorious photograph in which he was alleged to have slapped a young girl in his church who was accused of being a witch, and gave a catalogue of Oyedepo’s assets, from his Rolls Royce Phantom limousine to his business empire that includes everything from bakeries to petrol stations. The paper had infiltrated the congregation with an under-cover reporter who was able to give an eyewitness account of how church members were given envelopes with slips of paper to make donations with their debit cards in return for promises of prosperity from above.

There is probably nothing that The Mail newspaper unearthed in the Winners’ Chapel in the UK that does not happen on a larger scale in Nigeria where the church has a large following and owns a 50,000 capacity church in Ota, Ogun State. But the one significant fact here is that the newspaper categorically accused Oyedepo of “exploiting” British citizens and of “enriching” himself.

In a country where churches are given various types of concessions and considerations because they are by their nature non-profit making, any suggestion of exploitation of, and or personal enrichment from donations made by the congregation immediately attracts public condemnation and the attention of the Charities Commission, the body that oversees non-profit organisations and ensures that resources are used for the purpose for which they are intended. But because Nigeria is a moral no-man’s land, her mushrooming churches, which see Britain as rich pickings for hard currency among the hard-up immigrant Black population, fail to realise, first that Britain is not Nigeria and that Big Brother is always watching. Secondly Nigeria is not a country much loved abroad. Also Oyedepo clearly did not learn from the lessons of Matthew Ashimolowo and his own ministry which got into a similar mess in the UK some years ago.

Now there are two ways of looking at Oyedepo and the so-called ‘pastorpreneurs’, prosperity pastors who have turned their churches into commercial enterprise with themselves as the CEOs, and for which Nigeria has become as globally notorious as she is for her 4-1-9 exports. Sadly, either way you look at the Oyedepo phenomenon, the exercise is fraught with the danger of irrational and emotive attacks from the fanatics of the new wave Christian denominations who will, as I said earlier, abdicate any attempt at theological logic and resort to insults and name-calling. Notwithstanding, we have to face a few fundamental facts.

The first is that except in theocratic societies like Iran and Saudi Arabia, religion is globally regarded as a private as well as sensitive affair in which neither the state nor indeed anyone, except the adherents, have a say. The second is that when any Nigerian organisation, be it a church or a bank, extends its operations beyond our borders, it ceases be a private matter. For however you look at it, the type of adverse publicity generated by Oyedepo’s church in the UK cannot any longer be the exclusive business of David Oyedepo and his followers. It impacts on the image of Nigeria and her citizens.

The other aspect of the matter, and one for which I should put on my bullet proof vest, is the question that many of us who have witnessed the activities of these new wave churches, have shied away from asking, probably because as I said earlier religion is a sensitive affair. Nevertheless the question needs to be asked: What is the theological agenda of Oyedepo and his fellow ‘pastorpreneurs’? Are they businessmen and millionaires or are they followers of Jesus Christ, the Son of Man who had “no place to lay his head;” who rode not on a gold-plated chariot or white stallion, but a donkey, the lowest form of transport of his age? One has to ask, which Christ are we following, the one that commanded his apostles:”You have received without paying, so give without being paid”? As pastors and priests, are we following in the footsteps of the apostles who “left everything” and followed Jesus? Are we following in the example of Peter, the first apostle, who, before he healed the lame at the entrance to the synagogue, declared “silver or gold [or private jets] have I not, but that which I have I give to you...”and what he had was the power to say “...in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk!” Are we preaching prosperity of the pocket or of the spirit?

As I was working on this article, I stumbled on a posting on the internet which read: “If your pastor is not telling you to be prepared for the rapture but always preaching about prosperity, you are in danger.” Dare I say then that many Nigerian Christians are in danger when our sermon consists of how the congregation can improve their socio-economic status through “giving to the Lord” [conveniently citing the widow’s mite]; when we equate the Lord’s treasury with the bank account of the pastor, are we preaching the gospel of Christ or exploiting the economic woes of the down-trodden?

Of course there is little question that the cottage industry which the Pentecostal faith has become in Nigeria grew with the severe economic hardship of the military dictatorships of the 80’s. Clearly, the pastors quickly spotted a lucrative opportunity: the preachment of prosperity would resonate with the impoverished population; never mind that many of the preachers knew little or nothing about true religion. Indeed a research carried out by the defunct NEXT on Sunday newspaper two years ago claimed that many of “the Pentecostal clergy are equipped with no more than six months of Bible college in America”. As if to prove this point, a few weeks later, I watched one of the leading ‘pastorpreneurs’ in Lagos say on television that “the original sin was sexual intercourse”! But the fact is that in these churches, money is the centre of sermons and worship; God becomes a money-doubler, and religion is used in the manner a drunkard uses a lamp post – more for support than illumination.

Sadly the majority of the exploited poor may not read this article. One such person who will not is Peter. In search of deliverance from poverty Peter attended his local Pentecostal church in Ikeja recently. The pastor cajoled his congregation into giving all they had “to the Lord,” reminding them about the “widow’s mite.” Peter gave all N200 in his pocket “to the Lord”. After the service, Peter was desolately trudging home when he saw “the Lord” cruising past him in his brand new Toyota Land Cruiser.
Peter many not afford to buy this paper; but his Pastor can. And I hope it will give him an opportunity to re-examine the real mission of his ministry.


source: http://www.thisdaylive.com/articles/-bishop-oyedepo-and-the-rest-of-us/129367/

1,000,000 likes

Judgement day shall tell. God has a grinding wheel that may seemingly grind slowly but it grinds extremely well.

Speaking against the church is blasphemous and people will scream for your blood.
But this is really interesting. Pastorpreneur = Pastor must wac

May GOD bless the writer/poster of this article! This is a brilliant piece and the writer must b aknowledged for this wonderful write-up. It is a sad situation that what people give to GOD these days is money(according to the demand of the pastors), instead of livestocks and crops like it used to be. Religion is a sensitive thing because it has been commercialised to some extent and the followers, i think should be given the blame for enhancing commercialisation of religion. U dont expect me to give u money when u ride the most expensive cars and jets and i'm on FOOT(like peter did by giving his last 200 naira to the 'lord' in person of pastor). I cant give u money knowin that ur children are schooling abroad and i'm here seeking admission or my school is on strike. I'm very sure member of that church will castrate the writer, that not withstanding, the truth must be told. In nigeria, we support everything...no matter how wrong it is, as long as the person behind such actions belong to our religion, tribe and political party. U can join boko haram or M.E.N.D and be justified cos u are from a particular ethnic group, region or religion. No nation make progress when it is built on sentiment and that's the case in nigeria. PASTOPRENEUR!

It is actually refreshing and a very good development that a prominent Nigerian and popular writer in the person of Eddie Iroh would write this article and call a spade a spade no matter whose Ox is gored. The truth is that a lot of Nigerian journalist know the fraud that is going on in the name of religion in this country but most shy away from it because they don't want to stoke the embers of religious sentiments. If only we have more Nigerian Journalists and believers openly challenging the massive fraud going on in the name of christianity and the true teachings of christ are actually being followed, this country would be a much better place.

pastormustwac: Speaking against the church is blasphemous and people will scream for your blood.
But this is really interesting. Pastorpreneur = Pastor must wac

Ah! Bro, does it mean you are one of those 'Pastorprenuers'?

“If your pastor is not telling you to be prepared for the rapture but always preaching about prosperity, you are in danger.”

Frankly, whatever your pastor tells you, you are in danger, that is, if you are one of those who thinks those charlatans have anything useful or intelligent to say. You are in serious danger of being fleeced, misled and conned.
What exactly is the rapture and why are people still preparing for it?
You might as well stay in a locked room forever.

chiteny:
Ah! Bro, does it mean you are one of those 'Pastorprenuers'?

Nah! it is just one of my plenty handles.

@Pastormustwacc, LWTMB here oh! No be small hummering this man don hummer oh! DOMUSTWac= Pastorpreneur Mayne, but on a more serious note this people are big time thieves! *Smh*

^^^Abeg dont call them thieves o, their MAGAS MEMBERS will invoke 1 Chronicles 16:22 "Touch not my anointed" on you o.

One sure thing is that no matter how many jets,roll-royce,mansions these pastors acquire with their gullible members money, the peter's of this world will continue to give offering and tithe to their pastor so that God can bless them and they can make heaven. If peter doesn't make it,then its because of his sins or its not yet Gods time, if peter hammers(legally/illegally) then its because of his righteousness. PASTORS exist, God doesn't

^^^It is the likes of you that make pastors to be poor.

Bunch Of Ignorant posters.

teeo: Bunch Of Ignorant posters.

Thou shalt not throw stones.

pastormustwacc:
Thou shalt not throw stones.

Dem don dey show one by one

*Peeps*

seriallink:

Dem don dey show one by one

Hm mmm

*Coughs*

pastormustwacc: *Coughs*

Should i get u a syrup

teeo: Bunch Of Ignorant posters.

Are you denying the fact that oyedepo is a rogue?

Pastor Kun:

Are you denying the fact that oyedepo is a rogue?

Has he stolen ur broke as..s money before.

teeo:
Has he stolen ur broke as..s money before.

He routinely steals and mis appropriate money belonging to the body of christ.

Pastor Kun:

He routinely steals and mis appropriate money belonging to the body of christ.

Explain the term misappropraition, before i reply u.

Some of u wld just sit down in ur houses and say Pooo, have u attended any of his ministrations, have u gone close to him, have u read any of his books, do u understand his mandate. Most of what u read in the dialies are lies and total jealousy. Who told u he is enriching himself. Do you know how many Billionaires have been raised under his ministration, no one preaches righteousness like Bishop Oyedepo.
Carry out ur reasearch on his generosity before u talk, every year hundreds of young people are given 100% scholarship into Landmark university(the second university of the church). I know persons who benefit from his yearly scholarship scheme for undergraduates of any school. Every branch of his church gets at least 20 persons for the scholarship scheme, this a network of over 500 churches in Nigeria. And they recieve thousands of Naira in scholarship.
Not to talk more about the widows who are on welfare packages every month.
You so called pastors here. Pls find out facts before u start shouting

teeo:
Explain the term misappropraition, before i reply u.

For instance using church money to by private jets for his personal comfort and ego based on the ridiculous excuse that he is using the jets to spread the gospel whilst the billions of Naira used to purchase the Jet could have been put to far more effective use within the body of christ and even spreading the gospel as the money is enough to finance hundreds of missionaries to go to several communities within Nigeria that the gospel is yet to reach.

Pastor Kun:

For instance using church money to by private jets for his personal comfort and ego based on the ridiculous excuse that he is using the jets to spread the gospel whilst the billions of Naira used to purchase the Jet could have been put to far more effective use within the body of christ and even spreading the gospel as the money is enough to finance hundreds of missionaries to go to several communities within Nigeria that the gospel is yet to reach.

Is that ur only point. Ok, who told u the Jet is private. The plane is registered Under DOMI ministries the name of the church and it is used to airlift various pastors of the church to all countries of the world. The church has over a 100 branches round the nations of the world, do u expect them to trek there.

teeo:
Is that ur only point. Ok, who told u the Jet is private. The plane is registered Under DOMI ministries the name of the church and it is used to airlift various pastors of the church to all countries of the world. The church has over a 100 branches round the nations of the world, do u expect them to trek there.

SMH so pastors in ministries that don't have jets trek to their various branches worldwide The catholic church for instance has hundreds of thousands of branches world wide are they are the world's richest institution yet they don't own a private jet. They would rather spend the billions of dollars that accrue to them on helping the less privileged. I don't even know why I am having this discussion with you cause it's so glaring that oyedepo is a rogue and is NOT serving christ but his own belly. Any christian that doesn't realise this is obviously in denial.

Eating popcorn

Pastor Kun:

SMH so pastors in ministries that don't have jets trek to their various branches worldwide The catholic church for instance has hundreds of thousands of branches world wide are they are the world's richest institution yet they don't own a private jet. They would rather spend the billions of dollars that accrue to them on helping the less privileged. I don't even know why I am having this discussion with you cause it's so glaring that oyedepo is a rogue and is NOT serving christ but his own belly. Any christian that doesn't realise this is obviously in denial.

SMHx2 for u. First who told u he doesnt feed the hungry, he doesnt just publizise it like TB, who told who he does spend more billions on welfare and scholarship. He does it freely without a camera on his back.
That doesnt mean that other needs shouldnt be met and why dont you as a christian feed the poor with all ur money and forget ur other needs. Because he is a pastor he must do what u wont do.

Pastor Kun:

He routinely steals and mis appropriate money belonging to the body of christ.

How are you so sure about this, Pastor Kun?

Do you sincerely believe everything about bishop Oyedepo and his ministry is wrong? Do you think he is an agent of the devil?

It is one thing to point out excesses, it's another thing to throw away the baby with the bath water.

I will like to know your view about the questions I raised, though.

End-Time tins; these pastorprenuers will lead so many to doom.