Greedy Priests are making christianity unpopular

I would like to respond to Mr Shem Godwins’ article published in The Standard on February 27, 2020.

The following issues that he raises caught my attention:

#Islam, which is currently the second-largest (religion) after Christianity has only one identity.

The writer compares and contrasts the two religions, praising Islam for its unity and castigating Christianity for disunity.

I am not here to compare and contrast these religious movements, but it must be pointed out that Islam also has its divisions.

Has the writer heard of Sunni Muslims and Shi’ite Muslims? It would appear not, and he needs to find out what divides Muslims along these lines.

#In responding to a question about faith, a Christian has to specify the denomination (they belong to).

That is not what the Bible teaches Christians to do, and anyone who does that is wrong. The Bible teaches that Jesus Christ is the author and finisher of our faith. No denomination died for our sins on the cross - Jesus Christ did.

Membership to a denomination cannot wash away our sins – only the precious blood of Jesus Christ can do that. Salvation is only found in Jesus Christ. Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6)

#Their main source of income and target are those who lack spiritual intelligence and thus rely on them for biblical interpretation.

The writer is talking about rogue church leaders and the people they mislead. Let me say it straight away – no one lacks spiritual intelligence. Spiritual ignorance is a choice. We have Bibles but we are either too busy or too lazy to read them.

Spiritual con man

Hence, we are easily taken in by every spiritual con man who comes around. Jesus said that there would be wolves in sheepskins around us, and urged us to be vigilant.

Many of us, though, have chosen to slumber spiritually. Do not be surprised therefore, when you become easy lunch for spiritual predators.

#To highlight how some preachers take advantage of their flock, some time back KTN exposed a famous pastor whose punchline was ‘310’.

Any careful observer will note that particular stories about a handful of the so-called rogue preachers keep being circulated in the media time and again, ostensibly to illustrate how rotten preachers have become.

Out of the tens of thousands of preachers that we have in this nation, only the tired stories of a handful keep getting press coverage. There is a name for that kind of phenomenon – sensationalism.

It has been said that bad news sells. If that be the case, stories about upright preachers who adhere to the word of God are unlikely to excite newspaper readers, radio listeners, or TV viewers. Faithful preachers are ‘boring’, which explains why we only keep hearing about ‘310’. A lot of dishonesty and prejudice characterises the discourse in the press about God and the Church.

Dead religion

#Many Christians have said goodbye to religion

We need to distinguish between dead religion and a living relationship with God. Dead religion is nominal religion. People in dead religion are religious in name only; their actions and professions are anything but religious. I applaud the many Christians who have said goodbye to dead religion and said yes to a personal relationship with our Saviour and Lord, Jesus Christ.

#Islam will be the only outstanding religion if Christianity does not find its purpose

One more time, I do not advocate dead religion. Religion, in and of itself, cannot make a person better; only Jesus Christ has the power to do that.

True Christianity is actually not a religion, but a personal, living relationship with the Maker of all things – the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

That said, let me conclude by pointing out that Islam, just like Christianity, has some people who work hard to soil its name.

Have you, for example, noticed that some terrorists claim to be adherents of Islam and purport to do the things that they do in the name of Allah?

The good thing is that Muslim leaders denounce such acts of terrorism. They point out that Islam does not sanction acts of terror, and that the Quran does not advocate that kind of ‘jihad’.

The writer needs to take note of this – there are moderate Muslims and there are fundamentalist Muslims, which is another aspect of division among Muslims.

Finally, Godwins must have noticed how disunited Muslims in Kenya can be when it comes to breaking the Ramadhan fast. They cannot seem to agree on when the moon is sighted to signify the end of the holy month.

Mr Wambua works in the book publishing industry