Veep wades in on false prophets
Vice President John Dramani Mahama, on Friday, called on the clergy and Christian educational institutions to institute measures that would eliminate charlatans and false prophets from society.
In addition, the churches should use their literacy programmes to fight negative tendencies that tend to lead to moral decadence, criminality, and the breakdown of the extended family system.
Vice President Mahama made the call when addressing the opening session of a day's Christian Education and Leadership Conference, organised by the authorities of Emmanuel University College, in collaboration with the School of Divinity and Christian Leadership in Accra, for selected students from various Christian educational institutions across the country.
The conference on the theme; “The Role of Christian Education and Leadership in Fulfilling the Church's Great Commission,” was to create an intellectual platform to discuss current doctrinal and theological issues, to precipitate a logical and consistent Bible-based perspective for the teaching of the church.
In addition, it would create a powerful media platform, where the church could address current social, economic, moral, and political issues confronting modern civilisation.
Vice President Mahama stressed that the conduct of the church leadership needed to have a positive impact on the people, under modern civilisation, contrary to what pertains currently, where the influx and influences of purported “Men of God” had dominated the true sense of Christendom, and the true commission of Christianity.
He said it was shameful how self-imposed “Men of God” were able to lure their unsuspecting clients into compromising with their selfish and abusive practices, to enrich themselves.
Vice President Mahama said in the past, Christian leadership education thrived under mentorship and training, under experienced pastors, however, with the advent of the various Christian educational institutions nationwide, the focus of exercising patience and waiting on the Lord for the true calling into the pastoral mission, had shifted focus to training towards sole leadership.
He said, this had resulted in the numerous breakaways and the establishment of mushroom churches at all corners of the country.
Vice President Mahama noted that as much as the message of God was important to humanity, so also must the messenger be, though such players must not necessarily be held as central and above the word itself, it was critical that Christian educational institutions enhanced their grooming of trainees, in order to make the Word of God more palatable, acceptable, and beneficial to the people.
He urged Christians to make the Word of God lively, by practically applying the teachings of the Bible in their daily lives, and practicing them at their work places, homes, and in their communities, to bring about real change in current human attitudes and perceptions towards life.
Professor Emmanuel Kwaku Asante, Presiding Bishop of the Methodist Church of Ghana, speaking on the topic “Christian Education, Christian Leadership and Christian Calling and Ministry,” said there was nothing like “higher calling”, therefore, the notion that one must necessarily be ordained into the priesthood before he or she could fully serve God, was wrong.
He said the Bible enjoined all persons to glorify God, serve God wherever they found themselves, after making God the centre of their work.
'No legitimate vocation is less spiritual if it is aimed at serving both God and improving the divine status of humanity,” he added.
Prof. Asante said people however, had hardly been encouraged to apply their diverse gifts to enhance themselves and others, and therefore, had conceived the notion that they could only serve God better, if they become pastors.
He said to ensure qualitative Christian service through secular profession, there should be the need to build capacities through advanced education instructions, scholarships, and other services that were adequate enough to prepare graduates for professional practice and responsible leadership, with a Christian world view and perspective. Prof. Asante indicated that among the goals of any authentic Christian higher institution, must be the promotion of professional ethics and a sense of civic responsibility, empowering graduates who would define secular service, or service to the society, as service to the Lord.
He suggested that a Christian perspective on all aspects of life in society must be promoted to facilitate Christian alternatives to the society.
Prof. Asante also recommended that among the courses to be taught in any Christian higher educational institution must be one of professional ethics and Christian theology of work, which was also a fulfilment of the “Great Commission” of Jesus Christ to humanity to make disciples of Him to all.
- GNA