Unadulterated Gospel Too Global to Clash with Culture

The above caption communicates two implicit claims that can be taken to the bank. First is that Nigeria is under the yoke of an unwholesome gospel (the materialistic message, if you may). Secondly, it is this adulterated variant of the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ that is subject to culture shock. We had to weigh in following the video circulating in certain circles for the past two weeks, where Apostle Joshua Selman said, inter alia:

“In Nigeria, if you want people to be born again, you stand more chance of getting attention when you can show people how the faith life makes their lives better… When you meet a very wealthy man who is doing well and you talk to the man about demons, and enemies and poverty and employment, you are speaking nonsense to the ears of that man because his reality doesn’t need those spiritual contributions…

“Most of the content of our sermons cannot cross the borders of Nigeria and Africa. They no longer become applicable within a global context. The things that make people shout, gyrate and rejoice and jump in Church, you just take that exact sermon outside the shores of Nigeria to a region that is more developed with a more systemic stability and you would hardly find people receive that.”

This observation is validated by the “Japa” wave, which has seen young Nigerians who relocated overseas disconnect from the online community of Churches where they had been workers or even pastors. This is principally because teachings and practices back home fly in the face of their present realities. Over the weekend, the world was entertained by a viral video of internet personality Ezekiel Azonwu demonstrating the “Nigerian prayer” on the Conversations on the Couch show. American celebrities like Tyrese, stunned by its eccentricity, have since been sharing the spiritual warfare video.

Of course, even locally, messages from certain pulpits sound like Greek to countrymen of homogeneous faith. Most sermons preached in Lagos, Abuja and Port Harcourt are lost on Nigerians in the countryside. For instance, how does a pastor saying that “Satan is afraid of wealthy Churches, not praying ones” help the faith of a farmer in a rustic town in Edo State? Of what use is the pastor who claims to have the anointing of raising billionaires to the palm wine tapper in Ogrute, Enugu-Ezike?

Meanwhile, Apostle Selman may have just thrown up the acid test for the true Gospel (how tautological since gospel is synonymous with the Truth). So, just like one of the qualities of scientific theories is their universal application, any gospel that panders to cultural realities or expectations is suspect. If natural laws like aerodynamics and gravity are applicable everywhere, including the extra-terrestrial, there should be no variableness or shadow of turning with the Gospel, particularly not per place.

This is not to say that people’s lived experiences, cultural anecdotes, and themes shouldn’t be deployed to drive home the message; at the core must be Christ crucified! We can learn from what Brother Paul did in Acts 17:23: “for as I was passing through and considering the objects of your worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Therefore, the One whom you worship without knowing, Him I proclaim to you.”

A testament to the universality of sound doctrine is the recent recognition of the General Superintendent of the Deeper Christian Life Ministry, Pastor William Kumuyi, by the World Book of Records, London, for “impacting millions of lives across continents through faith-based leadership, educational advancement, and international social empowerment programmes.” You can be sure that he didn’t attract the honour by preaching what is not!

Apostle Selman would also say that “the things we call miracles in Africa are being achieved through diligence in China.” This calls to mind the remarks of Pastor Yemi Osinbajo (Vice President of Nigeria, 2015–2023) two years ago. Speaking at the 58th Annual Convention of The Gospel Faith Mission International, he cited European and American countries as examples where virtues such as hard work, productivity, and integrity preached from the pulpit drove national progress.

Noting that the current obsession with material wealth among some religious leaders has alienated youths desirous of meaningful messages from the pulpit, Osinbajo observed that, “For too long, our churches have been caught up in the pursuit of personal prosperity and material wealth, neglecting the true calling of the gospel to promote peace, unity, and the holistic development of our society.”

About this time last year, contemptuous mammon overreached itself by trying to disparage the legacies of a venerated Faith patriarch. The late Apostle Joseph Ayo Babalola laid the foundation for the global and diasporic expressions of the Christ Apostolic Church (CAC). To his credit was a robust spiritual awakening in the 1930s, which emphasised intense prayer, fasting, and biblical holiness. Given his impact beyond borders, he is immortalised with the CAC Babalola Memorial International Miracle Camp, Ikeji-Arakeji, Osun State.

While acknowledging the priestly prowess of this Kingdom General, a flamboyant preacher in Abuja said, “What God did through Smith Wigglesworth, if they had documented what God did in the life of that man (Babalola), people would be coming here for pilgrimage. He was anointed. So anointed. Anointed man. Heavy-duty grace, but no money,” the pastor said. He got this response from the Apostolic Church: “To equate anointing or ministerial success with material wealth is biblically flawed. The words of Jesus are clear: Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses - Luke 12:15.”

If Papa Babalola, with a Wigglesworth sort of anointing, can be so dismissed because “he had no money,” the motivations of these Nigerian pastors lay bare. This is why their gospel will suffer culture shock in climes where people know and live better. The one whose message is all about Christ crucified won’t lend themself to such flagrant contradiction.

If the transactional gospel works as presented, then congregants would be the biggest beneficiaries since they are the ones who sow. But what people see is that the givers don’t get as much financial return as the receivers. Oh, I forgot the set men sow more; hence, their higher affluence. According to Reverend Isaac Omolehin, “The World Council of Churches released papers about the state of the Nigerian Church that out of the 10 richest pastors in the world, five of them are Nigerians. But out of the 10 richest Churches in the world, there is no Nigerian Church there. It’s worrisome. It calls for concern.”

This does not mean that the prosperity message is altogether wrong or alien to Christianity. Zechariah 1:17 says, “My cities through prosperity shall yet be spread abroad.” A few days ago, there was a headline of Pastor Paul Enenche saying, “We spend hundreds of thousands of dollars to a million for our international crusades.” While wrapping up this piece, I received a notification about Pastor David Ibiyeomie saying that “the Roof of the Hand of God Cathedral cost 14 million dollars,” as he asked colloquially, “Who say money no good?”

Tech investor Iyin Aboyeji, who co-founded Andela and Flutterwave, had last month revealed that “the largest employer of labour in Nigeria is the government. After the government, it’s religious organisations - the Catholic Church, Redeemed, and Winners Chapel - before Dangote.” It takes living out prosperity principles for Churches to be so prosperous as to employ millions of workers and contribute to the Nigerian economy.

Be that as it may, financial prosperity is not the Gospel, stricto sensu. Whereas the salvation promise of the Gospel applies to all humanity, pecuniary preaching will definitely not appeal to sheiks in Middle Eastern countries who are billionaires in dollars. True Gospel, aka the Good News, resonates with the rich, the poor, the infirm, and the healthy. Paul, the Apostle, defined it in Romans 1:16 as “the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth.” Note that he didn’t say “unto opulence,” even though some preachers erroneously use 3 John 1:2 to challenge this. The referred salvation is also not from poverty but from the weight of sin - so says Matthew 1:21. Taken together, the Gospel is specifically the power of God to save any believer from the gravity of sin.

With Psalm 24:1 declaring that “the earth is the LORD’s, and all its fullness, The world and those who dwell therein,” it means that His gospel isn’t expected to be strange to any jurisdiction or people. Nigerian pastors must therefore stop shrinking the expansive coast of the Lord. As Matthew 28:19 requires them to “go and make disciples of all the nations,” they shouldn’t shut out people of other civilisations and inclinations by peddling narrow narratives on the pulpit. They have their work cut out for them in Luke 24:47, “And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.” Having to begin from Jerusalem doesn’t mean they should tabernacle there!

Pastors don’t need to feed off the people’s fantasies and vanities. Let them talk about the finished work of Christ, and all will be in fine fettle. The Apostle Peter preached the Lord Jesus on the Day of Pentecost and converted over 3,000 people from diverse cultural backgrounds (Acts 2:8-11). The Spirit who made that possible is still available today.

Indeed, what is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword to divide soul and spirit, joints and marrow must not be reduced to a local champion!

VIS Ugochukwu is a sage, storyteller and branding specialist who welcomes feedback sent to nmiringwu@gmail.com

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