The Charlatan Pastors

"5 Days Prophetic Evangelistic Crusade" by Prophet Bishop...";
"9 Days Healing and Deliverance Service By The Renowned Evangelist, Prophet Dr...";
"6 Days Miracle Encounter With The Anointed Man Of God, Rev. Dr Bishop ...."
"15 Days Miracle Crusade By Very Reverend Dr Apostle...."

Talk about sheer playing with adjectives and you will not be far from describing the Holy Ghost Phenomenon in the country. It is not uncommon these days to come across such banners as one drives through major cities in the country. To add to these, there are also radio and television commercials and newspaper publications to sell the image of one church or the other and their self proclaimed authority to the general public.

All these are good signs of spiritual awakening in the Ghanaian society. The results should have been a real positive change; both physically and spiritually. However, the opposite is true; church related crimes, pastors in business scams, fraudulent visa acquisition deals and general morality both in and outside the church is at its lowest ebb.

To face the truth, many churches are having little or no positive impact on society these days. This is the result of rogues parading the cities as "Men of God" and "making noise" about absolutely nothing.

The kaleidoscopic view of the media in the country leads one to ask a number of questions: Is it an era of empty barrels making the most noise? Can we say that "crooked" and empty pastors are making the most noise in Ghana today?

These charlatans have succeeded in playing mostly on the gullibility of women and the innocence of the youth. They promise women good husbands, children and happy marital homes while the youth are promised glamorous life in these hard times.

The seriousness of the situation would be best appreciated if viewed against the backdrop that most of these quack priests and their cohorts often spend all the seven days in the week at church meetings.

Professor Ayi Kwei Armah, "Baa he ote" - "You have been proved right!" You aptly portrayed the situation in your book - "Fragments". You said when the masses are in distress and turn to God for relief and salvation, the crooked men of God rather milk them dry.

Count the economic cost of the "pray for me syndrome" in the country. Some workers these days run away from their offices to attend mid-day prayer meetings. Quite good to be spiritual but productivity should not be sacrificed on the altar of fake spiritual expeditions.

The lyrics of "Asem Yi De Ka", one of the titles of the compositions of Dr Ephraim Kweku Amu, the renowned Ghanaian Musicologist, literally translates: "This issue needs to be addressed. The big question is: Who bells the cat?"

The Church as a sacred institution has succeeded in building a spiritual barricade around itself. Its operations, accounts and pertinent issues are beyond the reach of ordinary mortals. In some churches only the pastor, the spouse and a few core members act as cartels and are privy to inner information; any member who attempts to get beyond the bounds is branded as radical, rebellious and disrespectful.

This stigmatisation has created unnecessary fear, culture of silence and sycophancy in most churches as any attempt to openly discuss church issues would be resisted by those who stand to benefit from the crumbs that fall from the Pastor's table

Others also fear they would be called names while others also think that it is a Biblical prophecy that at the end times false prophets will arise. Some also say that the Bible says we should allow both the wheat and the weeds to grow together until the harvest time.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, the Church today is a divided house of sycophantic obedient servants of pastors, coerced and hypnotised members, ignorant zealots claiming to have been filled with the Holy Ghost and a few Doubting Thomases but who are too scared and bemused to confront the cartels.

Whichever category you find yourself in, the question to you is: How long will you continue to sit down for these charlatans to lead you and others astray? Know for sure that if you fail to act now their blood will be required from you.

Now some of these men of God have adopted specialisation in the ministry; which is quite good but unfortunately, their area of specialisation gives cause for worry, some are only called to wash the belly of pregnant women and to arrange for marriages between singles. If you are looking for a life partner just go and see them and they will get you one. Some are also visa and passport pastors praying for people who want to travel outside. Others have mustered in the canning, shooting and hooting at Satan.

They have adopted all kinds of tricks to entice people into their churches - false testimonies; promises of financial success and prosperity. The rate at which these charlatans are able to hold sway has led to the speculation that most of them had mastered the art of mass hypnotism or mental enthrallment.

Using well-designed psychology, these "Azaa Men" of God play on the emotions of people to follow them. They capitalise on the social and economic situation in the country to promote their trade. They are making money out of the ordinary man and the government. They collect monthly tithes, but how much tax do they pay?

Crook pastors are a drain on the economy. Parliament should consider taxing churches whose annual income exceeds a certain amount as shall be determined by Parliament. Churches used to provide certain amenities in society that was why they had been exempted from tax but how many of these churches are still providing these communal services?

They also contribute to low productivity, as most members are weak the following day after the all night service. They either sleep at work or work below their capacity. Talk about the mid-day prayer meetings and their effects.

Former President Jerry John Rawlings lamented on the activities of these crook pastors and called on the charismatic churches in the country to purge themselves of the "charlatans" within their midst in order to protect the integrity of the church.

Jerry's advice was, and is still timely. However, one would have wished that he went a step further to initiate measures to contain the situation. It is not too late for the Light Brigade to advance to the bastion of the Dark Brigade and bring down it walls. If the Light Brigade refused to advance, the media might be forced to come in to bulldoze all edifices in the semblance of churches.

The purging of the churches must start from the many Bible schools in the country. They must screen properly all those who claim that they have been called before offering them admission. Though the call is spiritual, it is believed that the principals and heads of these Bible schools are also spiritual enough to discern false calls from the genuine.

One interesting phenomenon is the concentration of these "Men of God" in the cities and peri-urban areas. Perhaps the cities are where they can make millions of cedis and thousands of dollars and pound sterling. Pastors, are you interested in money or the souls of your congregation?

A former Regional Minister had decried the ostentatious living of a number of modern-day reverend ministers at the expense of the welfare of their needy church members. "Men of God" also need to be modest and not to lead ostentatious lifestyles. It seems they are living in a different world and only descend to their congregation on Sundays to collect the offering and then back to their haven.

A Ghana News Agency reporter assigned to cover an assignment in one of the churches heard the Pastor bragging: "I buy my suits from Europe and America, I don't buy suits made in Ghana, they are sub-standard." Surprisingly the more than 1,000 sitting capacity filled church hall, re-vibrated in a typical American accent "Aemon!"

This same "Man of God" stated that, to him a thousand-cedi note is a sign of poverty. So as soon as he sees one in his pocket he gives it out. Is it a case of transfer of poverty? A lot of things are happening in the churches but none dares to raise a voice against "The Anointed Men of God."

The call to expose the crook Pastors from the churches must go to all concerned, especially the women, who patronise these "modern" churches for deliverance and break-through. The youth must be enlightened to know the truth.

The media both print and the electronic have a bigger task to expose the activities of these crooks. The media must launch a crusade to purge the Christian society of the indiscipline that had rocked it.

The electronic media must not just allow anybody who parades as a "Man of God" to preach on their airwaves. The Registrar Generals' Department recently sounded the alarm bells with the astonishing revelation that between January and February 2002, more than 160 new churches applied for registration to operate.

Naturally, true men of God feel embarrassed when they hear about the nefarious activities of the crooks. The crooks must be exposed to protect the church and the holy office of the Royal Priesthood in Ghana.

People often use religion as a guide to making moral decisions. Adherents of various religious faiths and organisations have often said: "When we get the word from God, we will follow".

Religion's principal aim is to bring peace and concord between man and his Maker and fellow men and other living creatures. When there is no good order and balance between human beings and other living organisms, there is bound to be mischief and disaster on Planet Earth.

A Socio-Politico-Economic Commentator and Journalist, Kwesi Pratt Junior recently claimed in "Time With David" - a TV 3 interview programme- that "religion is the biggest industry in Ghana today". Perhaps there is some credence in that assertion.

A GNA enquires at these churches revealed that some of them charge for counselling services, deliverance and other extra "spiritual activities". The charges depend on the customer's social standing, influence and how desperate the victim portrays himself or herself.

The results of the 2000 population census indicated that 69 per cent of the 18.8 million Ghana population said they were Christians. The figures say 15.6 per cent belong to the Islamic faith with 8.5 per cent being followers of the African Traditional Religion.

In view of these developments religious authorities and the Christian world at large have a big problem to deal with even before the day of reckoning. They must wake up and protect the dignity of Christianity and the Royal Priesthood. As an aside, why hasn't the Accra Metropolitan Authority enforced its by-law forbidding worshipping in classrooms?