The parable of the Nigerian church (1), By Ayo Akerele

We have gone beyond and above the limits of moral decadence, and are now much worse to the extent that our pulpits have now become the media tools for showcasing class, success, achievements, and crass carnality. We have lost respect before a watching world. One of my favourite teachers would say, “We are mocking Jesus before a watching world.”

“For the leaders of this people cause them to err, And those who are led by them are destroyed.” (Isaiah 9:16)

Not even the late and highly revered Archbishop Benson Idahosa took things this far. Yes, he was flamboyant. Yes, he preached about prosperity. But, Papa Idahosa, as we all called him, still stands as a towering symbol of unity. We all miss him. He was a no-nonsense patriarch who, through fire and brimstones, confronted the beast of Ephesus at different levels in Nigeria. Was he perfect? Of course not. Did he make mistakes? Certainly, he did, like you and I. But what the Nigerian church has become today in the hands of the current mainstream fathers is a far cry from what we all dreamed of, making the late archbishop’s errors and mistakes a child’s play. Regardless, my respect, love, and honour for Papa Idahosa still remain unshakeable.

We have gone beyond and above the limits of moral decadence, and are now much worse to the extent that our pulpits have now become the media tools for showcasing class, success, achievements, and crass carnality. We have lost respect before a watching world. One of my favourite teachers would say, “We are mocking Jesus before a watching world.” Interestingly, many have attributed the infiltration of the prosperity gospel into the Nigerian gospel space to the late Archbishop Benson Idahosa. Well, maybe that is true. Maybe not. I do not judge him. He played his part and has gone home to rest. But my conversation with one of the fathers in the Nigerian gospel space, a man who was part of the birth of the current wave of Pentecostalism in Nigeria, proved to me beyond all doubts that the current rottenness in the Nigerian church is the product of multiple streams of factors.

Some of these factors include the influence of the American charismatic movement on many of our mainstream fathers, the loss of the true gospel of salvation and repentance in the church, the mad pursuit of humongous wealth in the name of, “we need resources to advance the kingdom,” the dearth or the deliberate killing of discipleship teachings in the church, and above all, the fragmentation of the gospel into multiple entities — the gospel of prosperity, the gospel of holiness, the gospel of deliverance, the gospel of motivation, and many more of their likes. These fragmentations have no basis in the Bible, but are simply man-made attempts to cause chaos and division in the church, and to give legitimacy to doctrinal superiority complexes — all of which have now been fully institutionalised in the church by many of our fathers.

Following Jesus no longer matters, much less being loyal to Him. We have brought enormous shame to His name, and we, sadly, do not even have the slightest weight of remorse about it. Jesus is now so unpopular in the church. Our fathers are rich, connected, big, famous, and blessed with cult-followership. They have now taken over the show from the one who died on the cross. Lord, have mercy!

But something happened in 1981. God’s servant told me that he and every single one of the main fathers in the church in Nigeria today were summoned by Pa SG Elton to Ilesa, an historical city in South West Nigeria, for a strategic meeting. According to God’s servant, Pa SG Elton warned every father in Nigeria today to avoid the prosperity gospel, the pursuit of money, fame, and self-importance. He spoke to them when they were still being called, “bro this and bro that.” At that time, there was neither crowd nor fame. According to God’s servant, Pa SG Elton told them clearly, “if you follow the American prosperity gospel, it will destroy Nigeria.” That was more than forty years ago. Today, history has proven Pa Elton to be correct.

But to his utmost shock, God’s servant told me that after the meeting, a couple of the attendees, who today are fathers, began to complain among themselves very bitterly about Pa SG Elton’s hard stance on them. He told me that they met outside the venue of the meeting and a few of the attendees were not in total agreement with this kind of “suffer, suffer” ministry, like we say in Nigeria. They had already started tilting towards the prosperity movement, although in a much subliminal form. That was a golden opportunity to kill the seed of the monster that we see today, where all that now matters is the crowd, the fat bank accounts, the caucuses you belong to, the weight of your mentor, the streams you are drinking from. Following Jesus no longer matters, much less being loyal to Him. We have brought enormous shame to His name, and we, sadly, do not even have the slightest weight of remorse about it. Jesus is now so unpopular in the church. Our fathers are rich, connected, big, famous, and blessed with cult-followership. They have now taken over the show from the one who died on the cross. Lord, have mercy!

Ayo Akerele is the senior Pastor of Rhema Assembly and the founder of the Voice of the Watchmen in Ontario, Canada. He can be reached through ayoakerele@gmail.com