Furore over Adeboye’s comments on paying tithe in churches

BY ENO AKPAN

The General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Pastor Enoch Adeboye, has apologised for saying that Christians who don’t pay tithe might not make it to heaven.

Adeboye had previously said that paying tithe was one of the prerequisites for going to heaven.

But he apologised for the comment which he described as a “mistake” while addressing a youth congregation on Thursday at the ongoing Youth Convention of the RCCG at the Redemption City, Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Ogun State.

He emphasised that the bible says peaceful and holy living are the prerequisites for making heaven.

“I apologise for saying ‘If you don’t pay tithe, you might not make it to heaven.’ I’m sorry, that’s wrong, and it’s not in the Bible. What the Bible says is ‘Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see God’,” he said.

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Adeboye explained “It is possible to be right and wrong at the same time. I will prove it to you. I’m a scientist so I know that for years we thought that light travels in straight lines….

“Later on we discovered light travels in waves. It is wrong to limit you to 10 per cent when someone is talking of 20, 30, 40 per cent. 10 per cent should be for beginners I believe God will give me an opportunity very soon to give you the details.”

Adeboye illustrated the story of a man who pledged to give N3.5 million, equal to the sum of donations of whole congregants during a fundraising at a conference of late American preacher, Kenneth Hagin.

He said he had since been challenged to pay beyond 10 per cent as tithe when upon inquiry the man disclosed to him that “five years ago I started a company with 500 dollars and I said to God your are mine senior partner…, prosper the business and I will not insult you with 10 per cent, I will give you 90 per cent. He said five years later my turnover is $50 million.”

“From that day onward I have been increasing my own steadily. I’ve not reached 90 per cent yet, but I’m far from 10 per cent. It’s wrong for me to say you should be paying only 10 per cent,” Adeboye said.

But this drew wild debate across denominations online, with some criticizing the renowned pastor.

After the online debate that greeted an earlier statement credited to the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Pastor Enoch Adeboye about tithing, the cleric has refuted claims that he advised Christians to stop paying tithes.

At the church’s October Holy Ghost Service on Saturday at the Redemption City on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Ogun State, Adeboye said he was misrepresented on his comments about tithing.

Adeboye acknowledged that he had apologised for any previous statements on tithing that may have been misunderstood.

“The issue of tithing became contentious, and I decided to apologise for anything I might have said wrong.”

“Yet, within an hour, it was being circulated online that I said Christians should stop paying tithes,” Adeboye said.

He stated that in fact he encouraged believers to pay more than 10% as tithe, referencing an encounter at Kenneth Hagin’s church where a man shared how his financial situation improved after committing to tithe 90% of his income.

He said, “Today, I’m close to giving 90%, but I am far from 10%. So, I said it is wrong to limit yourself to 10% when God can take you to a higher percentage.

“As you grow in the Lord, you should grow in praising Him, winning souls, and in giving. I said that for beginners, the minimum is what God calls 10%. I said, from now on, begin to increase what you give.”

He added, “Of all I said, the only thing they put on the internet is that Adeboye apologised, and therefore, people should no longer pay their tithes. I said 10% should be the minimum.”