By Aidah Nanyonjo | Sunday Vision | Saturday, 18th April, 2009
THE born-again Church has gone through many scandals in the past two years. Many pastors have featured in the media in a negative light, while others have been reported to the Police over allegations ranging from sexual crimes and embezzlement to child abuse and witchcraft.
A police officer displays a magnetic device a certain pastor was allegedly using to make his congregation believe they had been struck by the Holy Spirit
These have left many people wondering about the future of mankind, while others think the world might be coming to an end.
Some pastors are accused of living a luxurious life at the expense of their flock. Many people are desperate and want practical solutions to their problems and in Pentecostal churches, they find consolation. But some wicked pastors take advantage of that to fleece them of their money.
There have also been accusations and counter accusations about witchcraft and sodomy. In running their ministries and related businesses, some pastors disregard basic laws and end up in trouble. Their reputations are soiled by such incidents when reported by journalists.
According to Pastor Martin Ssempa of Makerere Community Church, whatever is happening in the born-again Church shows God’s anger in that He has sent wind to sift the husks from the good seeds. “This mix of wolves and sheep was only waiting to explode,” he says.
“This is not hatred towards born-again Christians as some pastors allege; this is God’s mission to clean up his Church. There are many people who pretend to be pastors yet they are wolves in sheep’s skin,” Ssempa said
Most pastors in Kampala preach the same gospel: Sow into my ministry and you will reap, translated as ‘bring as much money as you can to me and you will become rich’. This has made believers to move from church to church, looking for miracles in the form of wealth, even when they do not work.
Many self-proclaimed men and women of God have mastered their conning trade. Most of them are one-man shows.
The pastor is the administrator, financial controller and overseer. There is no accountability at all in most cases and because they are not registered under any law, it becomes difficult to sue any one for any civil breaches.
Many pastors are school drop-outs who claim to have been guided by the Holy Spirit to deliver Godly messages to the people. At the same time, only a few of them are willing to enroll for theological studies. Studying the Bible under the guidance of theology tutors would help those pastors who make mistakes unknowingly. Unfortunately, many are blown away by the immediate success of crowds and money and do not see the use of learning.
Whenever pastors do anything contrary to the Bible teachings, they should expect to be judged by the public against the scriptures they preach.
According to Apostle Alex Mitala, the overseer of the born-again community in Uganda, God is using his people, including journalists, to show the right and wrong in the church.
However, Mitala attributes the scandals in the church to the way religion was introduced to people.
“You all know how Christianity was introduced to us. It was like a club: people could go for prayers to the church only on Sundays and on others days, they were free to do their own things. That is why they had one leg in the church and another in the shrine,” Mitala said.
He however said that as long as something is not in line with the Bible, it should be condemned. He said that religious leaders should turn to the right gospel if they are to stop the scandals.
“As religious leaders, we have to check the gospel we preach. If people are fed on a false gospel, then there is no way we shall avoid scandals,” he added.
Meanwhile, Rev. Evert Mugarura of St. James Church, Bukoto attributes the scandals in the church to moral decadence.
“It is all to do with morals. Morals are declining. and that is why some people are not in for the mission of the church. they are looking for what they gain not what they offer,” he said.
Mugarura noted that a lot of complaints have been made on counselling. But he attributes this to the kind of environment where individual churches operate from.
“I believe counselling should be done in a room that can easily be monitored by the rest of the team. Due to absence of this in some churches, some religious leaders get tempted,” he added.
The Bible speaks about God chastising the church as a father disciplines his sons for their own good.
Hebrews 12:11-12 says, “No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.”
Published on: Saturday, 18th April, 2009
http://www.sundayvision.co.ug/detail.php?mainNewsCategoryId=7&newsCategoryId=525&newsId=678520
