‘Establishing churches in Africa is easy because members are naive’

A number of Christian journalists were treated to a private screening of ‘Divine Intelligence’ in London over the weekend.

Relevant excerpts from an interview conducted by Redeemed Christian Church of God journalist Adenaike Chika (AC), with the film director Sammy Ankrah (SA), after the screening, is outlined below:

AC: Wow! Thank you Sir. What a masterpiece. You've really entertained us, educated us and enlightened us as you said in one of your videos. I've really enjoyed it. We can actually identify with this film.

SA: Thank you too. We've only done what we believe the Lord commissioned us to do, while putting our skills and talents to display.

AC: I'm not too sure but I think I heard Pastor Ashimolowo or Pastor Mensah Otabil's name mentioned in a scene or two. Please tell me, were they sponsors of the movie so that you were promoting or giving them credit for their sponsorship in such scenes?

SA: No. They were not sponsors of the movie, and their names were not scripted. If such names were mentioned then it was mentioned by passing by the relevant actor, just to stress a point or something, and not to promote or credit them.

It's like Kevin Sorbo playing Professor Radisson in "God's Not Dead" and making mention of real life Professor Stephen Hawkings' name just for reference to stress a point.

These men of God, in my opinion, do not need anybody to promote them in any way or form. Dr Mensah Otabil, for instance, I see and regard as a father, and he will forever remain so to me.

Not just because I got born again through his church, but also the practical impact and investment that his ministry has had on my educational and personal development will forever remain indelible on my mind. People may have their personal opinion about him, but for me, I will always uphold him as such.

AC: Wow! What a testimony. Sir, before the screening, I think I heard you tell one of my colleagues that running a church in Africa is easier than in Europe because followers in Africa are naive and gullible. Did I hear rightly?

SA: No. I didn't say that. One of your colleague journalists made that inference from what I said in response to some question they asked me. I was making reference to something that a pastor from a country in Africa told me some time ago.

The said pastor was recommended to our head pastor by another pastor who knew our head pastor, to give him the opportunity to preach in our church while he was on a visit to the UK.

Our head pastor was not in church on the day that this pastor came to minister. After finishing preaching, the pastor told me that the ground in Europe (referring to the church members) seemed to be very hard because he had preached in another church before ours and the response was about the same.

"Man of God (telling me), I don't know how you people do it here. I don't think I can pastor a church in Europe, specifically in UK. I have done all I could and yet the people are not moving. Back home, no hustle at all. I only need to make just one or two declarations, give one magical prophecy and the response is massive.

You people need to come back home to run your church, trust me. Maybe you have a way of doing it that I don't know?" I believed he had assumed our ideology about church was the same as his, and so was telling me that without any reservation. Your colleague then responded that "so he meant to say then that back home in Africa the church members are gullible and naive."

AC: Hmmm!

The trailer of the yet to be released movie which is making waves and even being given political tagging by some supporters of the two main political parties in Ghana can be viewed via the link below.