Churches Asked To Teach Way To Prosperity

Ho,(Volta Region) 14 Oct. Christian churches have been asked to teach their congregations the practical paths to material prosperity instead of doctrines of hope which have no practical foundation. The Rev. Dr. Gilbert Okechy, president of The Word and Spirit Divinity College of Ghana, made the call when he spoke on ''Keys to prosperity'' at an on-going Christian symposium at Ho under the auspices of the Pan-African Endtime Ministries Association. He said the poverty situation in African countries today have their roots in early missionary teachings which preached a doctrine of hope in which material prosperity was projected as evil. Many Christians, he said, are becoming disillusioned because from the beginning they were fed with messages of automatic prosperity as a reward for accepting Christ without being told the efforts they have to make to attain this goal. ''There are things to do spiritually and there are things to do materially. To confuse the two is to create problems", he said. Rev Okechy said it is important for Christians to be taught how to acquire knowledge and wisdom that could be applied to achieve material prosperity while still leading true Christian lives. Topics to be treated include the integrity of a Christian worker, how to settle church disputes, the benefits of Christian education in our society, women's position in the church and the unification of Christian believers, the church and society.