Synagogue Collapse - Don't Judge TB Joshua!
On September 12, 2014, a building owned by the Synagogue, Church Of All Nations (SCOAN) collapsed, leaving hundreds of church-goers dead and injured. Its founder, famous Nigerian minister and televangelist, TB Joshua has immediately become a subject of scrutiny and heated debates. What is the true reason behind the collapse? Where is the line between true faith and religious entrepreneurship? Naij.com reader Sunny Ikhioya stands solidly and boldly behind TB Joshua and says Don’t judge, so that you won’t be judged.“I
have followed the series of reactions trailing the disaster at the
Synagogue, Church Of All Nations (SCOAN) with shock and disbelief,” Mr. Ikhioya begins. “It is as if some people have been waiting for the man of God to fail, forgetting that he is a mortal, like the rest of us.”
“It is not for us to judge, let us leave judgement to God. The matter of religion is a very sensitive one. It is not for any person to judge, it is an individual experience.
“Even men of God who cannot have a handle on their matrimonial affairs are involved in the business of criticising TB Joshua. Christian leaders must show example by doing and not criticising. Criticising is like disobedience. And disobedience. according to the Bible, is worse than witchcraft.
“Our men of God are the ones holding the reins of this nation in the midst of glaring governmental neglects of its citizens, at all levels. We should give them their dues. TB Joshua should be left alone,” Mr. Okhioya concludes. Recall that earlier, Naij.com has published another opinion piece concerning TB Joshua. In it, Naij.com’s guest contributor Gabriel Osamwonyi voiced a completely different point of view:
“It is a point of honour to condone the misdemeanours of leaders of Nigerian churches. Exposing them is treacherous. This thinking is hinged on a misunderstanding of the scriptural injunction, ‘touch not my anointed’. In fact, some Christians equate polite, nonjudgmental comments about clerical malfeasances with ‘the unpardonable sin’. They think it is a taboo to lovingly admonish religious leaders via news media. Refusal to keep mute when a religious charlatan behaves badly makes one an anti-Christ, enemy of the church, and accuser of the brethren. This ought not to be. We should expect and demand accountability from leaders. Otherwise, it would create room for the spirit of lawlessness to rule.”
Which opinion do you support more, and why?
“Why are Nigerians trying to bring TB Joshua down?”
Nigerian men of
God, Mr. Ikhioya writes, make a huge impact to the world, alongside our
entertainment industry. Their contribution to our society goes “beyond the religious”.
They are the ones attracting dignitaries into the country, helping the
economy and posting a positive image about Nigeria. Still, narrow-minded
individuals, who criticize only for the purpose of bringing down, treat
them with disdain, Mr. Ikhioya laments.
Since his arrival in Lagos in the 1980s, he has traced “the barrage of criticism following TB Joshua” and the attacks “purely meant to destroy him”. Up to this day, Mr. Ikhioya notes, TB Joshua’s ministry is growing, while the pastor himself has never responded in kind.
“American
crusaders like Kenneth Hagin, TL Osborn, Billy Graham, Oral Roberts, and
others preached prosperity, and this has made America great. But I’ve
never seen a write-up that ridiculed any of them,” Mr. Ikhioya says.
TB Joshua is an icon in Nigeria, Mr.
Ikhioya says, granting scholarships to indigent students, feeding
deprived families, providing succour and shelters for the homeless, with
heads of states and Nigerian rulers seeking his counsel.
“Those of us criticising him now,
what have you done for humanity? I challenge all of those criticising TB
Joshua to compare their ‘contributions’ to humanity to his.”“This is not only TB Joshua’s tragedy”
“It is well
known that majority of Nigerians do not receive approval from the
authorities before commencement of building projects. SCOAN must have
followed this pattern because of the terribly slow bureaucracy involved
in the process of securing approvals and the attendant corruption and
extortions that pervade the whole system,” Mr. Ikhioya explains. “Do
not forget that amongst the congregation are qualified architects and
building engineers of all kinds. TB Joshua must have received
professional advice from them. We should, therefore, not rush into
conclusions. We must allow a thorough investigation to be done and
causes of failure identified to avoid a re-occurrence. We must eschew
sentiments.
“The majority of those that met their demise in this tragedy were foreigners.
This time calls for sober reflections and absolute patriotism. It is an
unfortunate incident, and the whole nation should mourn with the
congregation of Synagogue. What happened at the Synagogue was basically
an accident. Most accidents are caused by human error and nobody should
feast on the Synagogue tragedy for further destructive or ‘pull him
down’ purposes.”
“Men of God should not be criticized”
Mr. Ikhioya stresses the importance of religion and faith in our lives, and condemns the numerous “sanctimonious and self-righteous critics in this country” who want only their opinion to hold sway. “Why are fellow Christians criticising TB Joshua when he openly uses the name of Jesus Christ in his ministrations?” Mr. Ikhioya asks rhetorically.“It is not for us to judge, let us leave judgement to God. The matter of religion is a very sensitive one. It is not for any person to judge, it is an individual experience.
“Even men of God who cannot have a handle on their matrimonial affairs are involved in the business of criticising TB Joshua. Christian leaders must show example by doing and not criticising. Criticising is like disobedience. And disobedience. according to the Bible, is worse than witchcraft.
“Our men of God are the ones holding the reins of this nation in the midst of glaring governmental neglects of its citizens, at all levels. We should give them their dues. TB Joshua should be left alone,” Mr. Okhioya concludes. Recall that earlier, Naij.com has published another opinion piece concerning TB Joshua. In it, Naij.com’s guest contributor Gabriel Osamwonyi voiced a completely different point of view:
“It is a point of honour to condone the misdemeanours of leaders of Nigerian churches. Exposing them is treacherous. This thinking is hinged on a misunderstanding of the scriptural injunction, ‘touch not my anointed’. In fact, some Christians equate polite, nonjudgmental comments about clerical malfeasances with ‘the unpardonable sin’. They think it is a taboo to lovingly admonish religious leaders via news media. Refusal to keep mute when a religious charlatan behaves badly makes one an anti-Christ, enemy of the church, and accuser of the brethren. This ought not to be. We should expect and demand accountability from leaders. Otherwise, it would create room for the spirit of lawlessness to rule.”
Which opinion do you support more, and why?
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