Today's Christless Christians

The views expressed here may appear iconoclastic. If you are one of those who have allowed their mind's eye develop myopia, I'll advice you close this article now.

If on the other hand, you are a free-thinker, feel free to proceed.

Nigeria is a largely cosmopolitan society. We are of different tribes and tongues. There are documented 250 of such ethnic groups. I suspect there are more actually. One thing however serves as a common denominator. That thing is Religion.

I stand to be corrected, but Nigerians strike me as one of the most religious people on the face of the planet today. For the purpose of this epistle, I will restrict myself to the Christians. Not that the other major creed is perfect but I'm a Christian so I can relate with our Churches.

I'm one of the firm believers in the hypothesis that Nigeria is today in such dire pathology due to the failure of our 'Churches'. Recognizing fully that we, you and I, ARE the Church makes it obvious that we are the ones who have failed. How?

Our Spiritual leaders have not particularly led by example. I will refrain from mentioning names and I will simply air my opinion. If you perceive that the characters I describe shortly sound like your Pastor then maybe he is actually the one in question. For that, I have no apologies.

Everyday since I was a child in Sunday School, I always wondered why Jesus came into the world as a carpenter's son. Everything from his birth to his death typified indigence. It befuddled me. Jesus, who we claim we serve, lived on this same Earth and was poor. Born in a manger, in the midst of herbivores, Jesus lived by example. Everything about the story of His life pointed to humility. He was unassuming. He was direct. He was compassionate. He was truthful. While I understand that He was only passing as a mortal and following his mode of daily living may be a bit difficult especially in today's Lagos, I assume we should at least strive to emulate His ways.

It thus baffles me when I read that Christian leaders are listed in Forbes magazine in view of their humongous wealth. A young man I know who works for a Pastor once described to me his shock when he took his boss to a Minister's Conference. He was amazed at the caliber of vehicles he saw parked in the lot. The Ministers certainly had good taste in automobiles and they took no prisoners while flaunting their toys. I'm not a Bible student but I believe there's a part of the Bible that infers that it will be harder for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter Heaven. I assume I will be told Jesus was speaking figuratively when He said this?

Our parents went to Mission schools and had fantastic education. These days, schools founded by Churches are largely beyond the reach of by the average Church members themselves. Interestingly, the Church members are not perturbed by this seeming aberration. Apparently, there are two standards of living. The man of God has paid his dues so he does not struggle for bread anymore. He now lives in opulence and he is experiencing prosperity. The average Church-goer however, is still at the stage of paying his dues. He fasts and prays for the prosperity Pastor talks about every Sunday on the pulpit. He is reminded there is a champion in his inside who must sow into Church Building Fund and some other projects to experience God's manifold benisons. They keep sowing. Some have even resigned to fate that harvest will probably be in Heaven, if somehow, it does not come in this life. We are that religious.

As followers, we have not particularly exemplified the life of Christ also. I once saw a family driving to Church on a Sunday morning. An okada rider had inadvertently crossed the car on the road and the Adam of the household rained curses on the okada man. Again, I wondered if this didn't constitute being 'provoked to anger'. I found it amusing. There he was rushing to fellowship with God and there was still enough time to use derogatory words on another mortal. Some of us go to Church to set P. Some go to Church because there are business networks to be tapped into. There's a Church on the Island where I was invited to just to come and see 'babes'. I was truly amused.

In the eight months that have passed in 2012, my admiration for the man called Tunde Bakare has grown immensely. I'm not a praise singer. I'm too cynical to even 'wash' anybody. I'm simply a rational human being. Standing for what is just and true irrespective of who is involved is a remarkable trait. Before our President was confirmed as Acting President, a cabal kept him away from the seat. People like Bakare stood up and publicly clamored for the then Vice-President to be allowed to assume office as stated in our constitution. Today, that Vice President is now President and Mr Bakare has not minced words in reprimanding him when necessary. That is exemplary. 

Evil they say thrives when good men do nothing. Let us read history, Martin Luther King was not listed on Forbes. Mahatma Gandhi was not chauffeured around in Mercedes Benz jeeps. Mother Theresa lived and died serving humanity. Even if we claim Jesus was only temporarily mortal, at least these ones were flesh and blood. 

I am not asking for my Pastors to give away all their money to charity. That will not be pragmatic. I am asking Churches to start living like they are not worshipers of material wealth. We must ask questions. When a man who becomes a Federal Minister comes for thanksgiving simply because of his political appointment, do we ask exactly what the man is thanking God for? Is it that he has 'hammered' or that he has been given an opportunity to improve his society? When this Minister starts coming to Church in Rolls Royce and Bentleys when he was driving a Peugeot 504 prior to his appointment, do we ask if Rolls Royce Phantoms now come with the new portfolio or we just help them dedicate the cars and move on?. Olabode George went to jail for corruption, he came out and a CHURCH hosted his thanksgiving service! Some arrested bank executives are deacons in some Churches as we speak and they are heavy project launchers.

A businessman in Oil and Gas gave a testimony in his Church bulletin last Sunday. He said he was thanking God that his company was not indicted in the subsidy probe. When I read it, I just laughed and shook my head. Dear Sir, the statement got me curious. First, is it that your company was involved in the scam but God somehow enabled you to escape being punished?. Secondly, if you were not involved in anyway with the subsidy scam, why exactly did you believe your company could have been indicted? Is it me or does it just sound funny?

Anyway, these are just some of the many things that continue to bemuse me about my Christian brothers. There are several others.

Christianity is and will never be relative. It is either Christ is seen in the way you live or He is not. Its not enough to block the whole of Ikorodu Road and Lagos-Ibadan Expressway once every month. It is not enough to know when and where Reinhard Bonnke is going to be holding his crusade in Nigeria. It is not enough to 'fry' your hair because Pastor does the same. It goes beyond disposing of jewelry and other worldly paraphernalia. 

Our answers lie in learning and applying what we study in our Bibles. Every man is his own Pastor. Open your eyes. Either literally or figuratively, the Bible gives an answer for everything. I have not said don't go to Church. I have said, be a Church first. Then, there'll be a point to the whole exercise.

My timeless Gandhi quote says 'I like your Christ but I do not like your Christians, because your Christians are nothing like your Christ'.

Gandhi must have known many Nigerians.