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31.12.2005 General News

Churches Under Attack

By Graphic
Churches Under Attack
31.12.2005 LISTEN

...For Failing To Live Above Reproach A State of the nation assessment by the Christian Council of Ghana yesterday signalled hope for Ghana at the political front but censured some churches for woefully failing to live above reproach.

The Council referred to the recent national congresses of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the National Democratic Congress (NDC) which saw representatives of both parties attending each other's congress, saying it was proof that “we are one people with one destiny”.

Its verdict on the church was, however, not that positive, as it accused some of commercialisation, false prophecies, pride, arrogance, and inordinate acquisition of wealth and called on the congregation to be wary of pastors who assured them of prosperity.

The Council reminded the vulnerable that “there can be no prosperity without hard work and sweat.”Delivering the Council's New Year message at a press conference in Accra, its chairman, Rt. Rev Dr Paul Kofi Fynn, cautioned politicians not to use their positions to amass wealth to the detriment of the poor and the marginalised in society.

It called on them to draw a new roadmap for unity and tolerance in the coming year.It also asked for transparency and honesty in all their dealings with members of the society, saying “it is through transparency and honesty that we can build and work together for the good and betterment of Ghana”.

Flanked by the General Secretary of the council, Rev. Dr Fred Degbe, the chairman said “the year 2006 should be a year of peace and harmony” and indicated the need for politicians to leave the past behind them and come up with constructive ideas to build a strong and buoyant country.

Rt. Rev. Dr Fynn said transparency and honesty had become vibrant words in the country and regretted that although politicians and pastors alike talk about it, they seldom demonstrated commitment to those values.

According to him “if we had all heeded this wake-up call, Ghana would not have been where it is today”. “I therefore urge all Ghanaians live above reproach in all their activities so that we all may become a beacon of light to others,” Rt. Rev. Dr Fynn said.

He said Ghana had been challenged in her development efforts by too much hypocrisy and called on all to outlive the life of double standards and rather be seen to be on the side of the poor, the needy, the hungry, the sick and the oppressed.

Rt. Rev. Dr Fynn paraphrased quotations from the Bible and said “fighting to eradicate poverty is one of the yardsticks by which Christ measures our faithfulness to his message”.

“Let us stand in concert, counsel our political leadership and help them to bring poverty in our land under control,” he said.

Rt. Rev. Dr Fynn called on Ghanaians to monitor government policies and actions in the new year and be ready to remind it of its shortcomings.

He said it was also incumbent on all to stand on the side of the poor, the neglected, marginalised and the exploited. Turning to the church, Rt. Rev. Dr Fynn asked all churches to rise and shine to the glory of God and not to their own glory and pride.

Rt. Rev. Dr Fynn asked Ghanaians to be hardworking and be devoted to duty and take exercises seriously to reduce the incidence of diseases such as diabetes, cancer and stroke.

He stressed the need for the government and the church to work together on health issues to reduce the death rate and incidence of diseases in the country.

Rt. Rev. Dr Fynn stressed the need for people to be health conscious by keeping their environments clean at all times. He suggested to the government to, as a matter of urgency, consider declaring one day in the month as a sanitation day for Ghanaians to clean their surroundings.

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