African Plume

“When Scripture Is Forced to Endorse a Hunting Story” By Akin Ojumu In Part I of this commentary, we examined the extraordinary theological claims Poju Oyemade made while preaching at the recently concluded Annual Youth Conference of the Christ Apostolic Church, held at the Sheraton. Using Colossians 2:6–7 and Ephesians 3:16–17 as his starting point, Oyemade informed his audience that murmuring and complaining attract demons, while thanksgiving and praise attract angels. According to him, demons respond to the sounds of human dissatisfaction in much the same way that predatory animals respond to the distress cries of trapped prey. The source of this extraordinary piece of supernatural intelligence was an alleged revelation received by an American preacher following a hunting expedition with a bishop friend. The two men had reportedly spent six hours in the bush waiting for animals to appear. When the bishop began imitating the distress cries of prey, predators supposedly emerged. From ...

“The Revelation that Came from the Bush” By Akin Ojumu Preaching as a guest speaker at the recently concluded Annual Youth Conference of the Christ Apostolic Church (CAC) Sheraton Hotel Assembly, Poju Oyemade took his audience to two passages of Scripture: Colossians 2:6–7 and Ephesians 3:16–17. Colossians 2:6–7 “Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.” Ephesians 3:16–17 “That according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love.” Now, these are two magnificent passages of Scripture, rich in theological meaning and profound in their implications for the Christian life. In Colossians, Paul exhorts believers to continue walking in Christ, firmly rooted in Him, built up in Him, established ...

“How Hebrews 5:7 Gets Turned into Theological Play-Doh” By Akin Ojumu Courtesy of Instagram’s ever-resourceful algorithm, I recently stumbled across a post containing a quote attributed to Lou Engle: “Pay close attention to your tears because your tears point you to your destiny.” – Lou Engle For those unfamiliar with Lou Engle, he is a prominent figure within the prophetic-apostolic stream of modern charismatic Christianity and has long been associated with the New Apostolic Reformation (NAR) milieu – a fast-growing heretic movement within Pentecostal and Charismatic Christianity that teaches that God is restoring the governing offices of modern-day “apostles” and “prophets” to lead the Church. Engle is also known for his extraordinarily intense preaching style—the animated gestures, the violent rocking back and forth, the shaking, the groaning, and the highly charged prophetic theatrics that frequently accompany his public ministry. So, when I saw the statement that “your tears point...

“Touch My Wife and My Daddy Will Make Sure You Don’t Wake Up” By Akin Ojumu In Part I, we examined what the Lord Jesus Christ and His Apostles taught about how Christians should respond to those who offend, persecute, mistreat, or seek to harm them. The verdict of Scripture was unmistakable. Love your enemies. Bless those who curse you. Pray for those who persecute you. Do good to those who hate you. Repay no one evil for evil. Never avenge yourselves. Overcome evil with good. These are not optional commandments reserved for exceptionally spiritual Christians. They are the moral obligations of everyone who professes allegiance to Jesus Christ. And Christ Himself demonstrated them.  When He was reviled, He did not revile in return. When He suffered, He did not threaten. While His executioners nailed Him to a Roman cross, He prayed: Luke 23:34 “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” Stephen followed His example while being stoned to death. Paul instructed Christians t...