CHURCH BUSINESS: Blame the church for corruption in Nigeria

By Oludare Mayowa


This may sound ridiculous in many ways to some people, but the truth remains that; the church and its leaders are culpable in the bizarre of ongoing drama at both the Legislative and the Executive arms of government as allegations of corruption and counter allegations by political office holders running the affairs of our country has been flying around.
The corruption jamboree we are witnessing among the political class in recent time has its root in the church and the encouragement given by some of its leaders who serve as enablers of corruption through their support and prayers.
We have seen the church in Nigeria playing lesser role in bridging the moral gap that continues to exist in our country because many of the leaders are beneficiaries of the rot, if not the enablers of such practices either directly or indirectly.
Has anyone heard a word from the church since the scandal in the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), the probe of the ex-chairman of the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) and many other government agencies broke?
Those who are at the centre of the corruption allegations are prominent members of the body of Christ, deacons, pastors and even leaders, and financiers of some of the bogus projects being embarked on in the name of building empires by the church leaders. Not that I am exonerating those who belong to other religion; but I am more particular about members of household of God; who are required to hold the society accountable for probity and righteous living.
What has the church leaders, the supposed mouthpiece of God done to deter their members from swimming in the mud of corruption like others in the world?
What has the church done to chastise those evil doers from persisting in their evil ways? Rather, the church encouraged them to bring their tithes, offering and donations in millions without asking questions on the sources of their wealth.
They are the ones the church provides the platforms and the microphone to speak of their testimonies of how God has been good to them; without letting the people know that, it's not God but they who are helping themselves to our commonwealth using their positions in governments and the office they occupy.
They are the ones the church offers the high place to sit in the congregation because they are the one giving the fattest offerings and sponsoring the leader’s luxury lifestyle.
The church leaders have turned themselves into fortune tellers who yearly reel out prophecies of the victory of one politician or the other. The church is the one who organizes prayer vigil and warriors to stave off investigations into the corruption cases of one of their own who they will always claim are being persecuted.
The church has become the home of robbers and looters of our country's wealth because they are generous to the work of the church, while the church leaders mouthed the notion as if without them the work of the gospel will not prosper or grow.
The church leaders are now the counselors to the tyrants ruling us with iron hands, disregarding the will of those who elected them into office because some of those in government wear a badge of godliness but denying the faith.
The men in cassock have long sermon to demonize poverty and eulogize riches to the extent that the younger ones in the church now see themselves as sinners without wealth and make the pursuant of riches a do or die mission.
Where are the prophets of old who can look into the eyes of the leaders and tell them the truth according to the word and instruction of the Lord?
Where are the reformers of old who stood against the oppression of God's people and called the rulers vipers without blinking because they knew that their messages to the leaders were inspired by the Holy Spirit.
Where are the John the Baptist of our generation who have the strength of character to confront the Herod of our time with the evidence and judgment of their wrongdoing, and are not mindful of the consequences of being persecuted by the power that be.
Where are the prophet Nathan of our day, who feared no one, but chose to speak truth to power, who dared the authority of David with God's judgment because of his commitment to the message of the one who sent him.
Where are the prophets of old who were assured of God's truth behind them and ready to confront the iniquitous generation of leaders who are stealing our commonwealth, leaving the people in abject poverty thereby rendering the truth of the word of God of no effect.
Where are the prophet Elijah of today, who would be willing to confront those in the position of authority with the message of truth and ready to expose the wickedness of the vipers generation ruling our land and tell them of the wrath to come upon them if they fail to desist from their evil ways.
The church is the light and the salt of the world, but the Nigeria church leaders have dimmed the light so much that the people are not longer able to see the evil doers who devour the vine and turn the truth of the gospel to shame.
The church leaders have turned their salt into sand because of pecuniary gains from the crumbles falling from the politicians table without regards to their roles in reforming the society.
The church has so long deceived her devotes, telling them this world is not their own, yet they keep amassing wealth through their unscrupulous support for the corrupt devourers of the vine.
The church has become like Prophet Eli who could not tame his children because he was the chief beneficiary of their evil and at the end partake in the judgment that swept them away from the temple.
The church has become like the prophet Balaam who was hired to curse the Lord anointed people and ended up with the curse upon him.
The church in its present form has lost track and can no longer hold the torch up for the world of evil to be exposed; the church has made itself as the conduit for the bleeding of the blood of the weak and hapless.
Does the entire church in Nigeria fit into the above description of an enabler of corruption; of course not. But the image of the whole body has been tainted by some of those who are in the forefront and the visible ones; like the adage that says whatever happens to the eyes, affects the nose.
It is time for God to arise in His mercy, otherwise the church will be swept away with the corrupt and oppressors of the Lord's flock.
It's time for the church to purge itself of the spirit of Balaam and remove from its fold those who bring reproach and dishonour to the body of Christ and go back to the place of repentance that the Lord may have mercy upon it.
It’s time for revival to spring forth and bring back sanity to the sanctuary, that the church upholds the righteousness of God like a specter and proclaiming the liberty that comes with the gospel and do away with the darkness that pervades our land.
The church must return the torch that beams the light of the gospel to the world, where no evil can hide in its sanctuary and where the blood of the innocents shed are avenged speedily.
The church should returns to its position of old where the Ananias and the Sappahira of this world can no longer lie with impunity and the Judas of this world cannot get away with wrongdoing.
This is the church that Christ will be happy to return to and embrace as His bride and not the present ones that are tainted with corruption and hands soiled with blood because its leaders have been rendered rudderless due to their iniquitous ways.