Dear Editor,
I was just about to offer a few comments on Mr. Eric Phillips’ very powerful and ‘positively disturbing’ letter, “The Church needs to regain its moral compass” (08.01.23), when up came Mr Robin Williams with a response, “I agree that the churches must play a more prominent role on moral issues,” (08.01.25)
Please permit me to add my bit by saying that the mentality of the church is seemingly changing today. Some Churches, today, are imposing a very destructive fad in our society. They are adopting a philosophy through which they convert the Word of God into motivational speeches for selfish and personal gain. Every sermon becomes a prosperity sermon. The danger therein leads people into the practice of idol worshipping. People leave churches with pumped up egos believing that their existence is outside of the sovereignty of God, and that the only miracles they should seek are money miracles. And so, they become unenthusiastic and insensitive to the true call that Christ is echoing in their lives.
The Bible tells us that we are to be imitators of Christ. Christ spent a significant part of His life chiding the earthly powers, at that time, the Scribes, the Pharisees and the Sanhedrin, against their evil and corrupt ways. He was challenging them to uphold righteousness in their ruling. Righteousness is honesty, morality, justice and decency. The Word of God says that righteousness exalts a nation. Jesus came with a message to exalt all nations out of poverty, crime and all aspects of social, economic and political depravity. The powers at the time were lying to the people, oppressing them and keeping a certain aspect of the population in poverty and shame. Out of these situations criminals are created and societies run amok.
The Bible tells us that the Church is the body of Christ. Just as Jesus Christ did in corporeal vestments He has commissioned His body to do, today. The church has a moral and spiritual mandate to provide for the people what Christ Himself provided when He walked on this earth. He fought for the underprivileged. He healed them of their diseases and cast out the demons by which they were possessed: demons of abuse, covetousness, deceitfulness, violence, selfishness, all forms of addictions and weaknesses.
The Church, therefore, is like a hospital that should go out among the people to provide spiritual and material sustenance so that they live a life that is genuinely devoted to Christ: a life of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.. This is how members of the church should be recognized in the society in which they live.
Martin Luther King Jr. could have done what he did because he understood the concept of self denial which was portrayed by the life of Christ. And don’t forget, he was inspired by Mahatma Gandhi of India.
Mr. Editor, the Church today has to stop imitating the modern day TV preachers.
They live on the other side of town in the most expensive houses. Before we see them, we see their expensive suits. We hear the roar of their helicopters and we catch a glimpse of our image in their custom made million dollar cars. That’s Hollywood’s interpretation of a preacher. We have to be real. Our call is to become one with our communities so that we can administer to our peoples’ spiritual needs with the heart and the mindset of Jesus Christ. Jesus may have existed in a different time in a different culture, but peoples’ needs remain the same, today. We all need liberation from all forms of oppression and injustice. We all need peace for our spirits, and that is the God given mandate of the Church.
The Church will be burdened when there is evidence of suffering and injustice anywhere in the world. It will feel a deep need to see an end to peoples’ suffering and pain. The Church is called to offer the wisdom, hope and love that is intrinsically a part of the liberation that this higher form of consciousness brings.
Yours faithfully,
Pastor Kwesi Oginga
