African Plume

“2 Samuel 24:1, 1 Chronicles 21:1, and the Sovereignty of God” By Akin Ojumu Recently, I received an email from someone who had visited the African Plume blog and YouTube channel. The person wrote: “Nice to come across your YouTube channel (and blog before this). Let me know if you subscribe to TULIP (Calvinism). Also, let me know how you view 2 Sam. 24:1 and 1 Chron. 21:1.” This commentary answers his second question. And it is a good question. Because these two passages have sent more than a few people racing breathlessly toward the nearest microphone screaming: CONTRADICTION! CONTRADICTION!! Samuel says God incited David. Chronicles says Satan incited David. Case closed. Bible demolished. Christianity finished. Everybody go home. Except there is one small problem. There is no contradiction. What we have instead is something considerably more demanding than the bumper-sticker theology required to shout “Gotcha!” We have biblical providence. THE TWO TEXTS. 2 Samuel 24:1 “Again the ang...

“The Spiritual Elite Problem” By Akin Ojumu The problem with Arome Osayi’s statements is larger than a claim about stopping the rain. It is larger than a claim about making asthma go away. Behind both assertions lies a particular conception of spiritual power—one in which extraordinary abilities may become the possessions of unusually faithful ministers. And once that idea takes root, Christianity quickly becomes divided between ordinary believers who must ask God and spiritual elites who supposedly possess power. “IF YOU KEEP HIS LAWS” Osayi says: “There are some things he will give you…if it’s true you will keep his laws.” Christians must obey God. There is no dispute there. Jesus says: John 14:15 “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” Holiness matters. Faithfulness matters. Obedience matters. But spiritual gifts are called gifts precisely because they arise from grace rather than spiritual achievement. The Greek word charisma is related to charis—grace. Paul does not tell ...

“If I Stand Before Asthma, the Person Will Be Healed” By Akin Ojumu Arome Osayi’s claim that he possesses power over the weather is extraordinary enough. But his remarks go much further. After asserting: “I have power. I know I have that power.” Osayi declares: “If I stand before asthma, the person will be healed.” Then he explains: “I don’t need to…this…it’s given unto me. It is given unto me.” Those words deserve careful attention. Osayi does not merely say: “God can heal asthma.” That is unquestionably true. He does not say: “I have prayed for people with asthma and God has healed some of them.” That would be a testimony. He does not even say: “I believe God has used me in a ministry of healing.” Instead, he makes an effectively guaranteed assertion: If asthma encounters me, healing will occur. The decisive factor has become the minister’s presence. That moves us from faith in God’s ability to heal into a theology of personally possessed supernatural power. And Scripture gives us go...

“When Experience Becomes Doctrine” By Akin Ojumu Arome Osayi’s outlandish claim that he possesses power over the weather does not rest upon biblical exposition. It rests upon a story. It rained. He spoke. The rain stopped. He preached. He spoke again. The rain returned. From that sequence of events comes the theological conclusion: “I have power over the weather.” But this raises a fundamental question: Can experience establish doctrine? EXPERIENCE CANNOT CREATE DOCTRINE Osayi’s Port Harcourt story may be emotionally compelling. But testimony is not Scripture. Suppose we grant, for the sake of argument, that every detail occurred exactly as Osayi remembers it. It was raining. He spoke. The rain stopped. He preached. Later he spoke again. Rain resumed. What exactly has been proved? At most, we would know there was a sequence of events. We’d still have to establish that: 1. Osayi’s speech caused the rain to stop; 2. God supernaturally intervened because of his speech; 3. God gave him per...