African Plume

By Akin Ojumu Healthy confidence says, “I have value.” Narcissism, on the other hand, insists, “I am more important than others, and they should recognize it.” Narcissism is a pattern of excessive self-focus, an inflated sense of importance, a strong need for admiration, and limited concern for other people’s feelings or needs. Malignant narcissism is a psychological term describing an especially destructive pattern of narcissism. The word malignant means harmful or destructive here—it has nothing to do with cancer. Someone fitting this pattern may display: Grandiosity and entitlement: believing they are exceptional, superior or exempt from ordinary rules. A strong need for admiration, loyalty and control. Exploitation: treating people as instruments for achieving personal goals. Severely limited empathy or remorse: showing little genuine concern about the damage they cause. Antisocial conduct: lying, manipulating, intimidating or repeatedly disregarding other people’s rights. Paranoid...

“Baba Adeboye Feeds His Followers With Doctrinal Excrement” By Akin Ojumu Few passages have been more frequently removed from their context and pressed into the service of the prosperity gospel than 2 Corinthians 8:9. This is a Bible passage of choice of the “Name It and Claim It, Blab It and Grab It” bunch. 2 Corinthians 8:9 “For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich.” People like Baba Adeboye interpret Paul’s words to mean that Jesus surrendered material wealth so that every Christian might possess material riches. According to this interpretation, financial prosperity is a redemptive entitlement purchased through the atonement. Hear him in his own words in this video clip: “One fellow was saying. ‘You must not seek Jesus Christ for wealth; that I want to become a Christian so that I can be rich.’ I said, ‘Of course, we all know that. We seek Jesus Christ for salvation. We see...

By Akin Ojumu Often, just as discouragement begins to creep in—when it feels as though I am merely speaking into the void and making no real impact—God, in His providence, brings a message like this across my path. In an instant, my spirit is lifted, my focus is renewed, and I am reminded that the labor is not in vain.  Receiving feedback like this is a beautiful reminder that this work is making a meaningful difference. It is deeply encouraging to know that, somewhere in the world, a life is being touched by what God has enabled me to do. I remain forever grateful to God for these gracious reassurances. Romans 9:16 “It is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy.” If, by God’s grace, this work touches just one life at a time, that is more than enough. I will continue to put in my shift and leave the rest to God.

“The Perils of Pursuit of Supernatural Power” By Akin Ojumu The visible Church is suffering from a deadly disease: an unwholesome preoccupation with supernatural power. As has so often been the case throughout human history, the average churchgoer today is fascinated by the miraculous. Consumed by the desire to witness spectacular manifestations, many Christians chase after anyone who claims to possess unusual spiritual abilities or to live a “naturally supernatural” life. Beneath this obsession lies something far more sinister than innocent curiosity. Much of the modern Christian fascination with supernatural power is rooted in unbelief—a refusal to rest in the sufficiency of God, His Word, and His providence. The relentless pursuit of miracles, signs, wonders, secret revelations, and extraordinary experiences often reveals a heart that is not content with God as He has made Himself known. At its core, this quest for power is an ancient temptation: the desire of mortal men to become l...

  By Akin Ojumu Rick Warren’s  purpose-driven drivel is an ear-scratching, people-pleasing, seeker-sensitive , man-centered gospel that is focussed on self. Its message revolves around I, me, and myself—my purpose, my dreams, my significance, my success, and my personal fulfillment. The Christ-centered Gospel that Paul and the original Twelve Apostles of the Lord Jesus Christ preached is radically different. It does not scratch itching ears; it heals a deadly infection. It confronts sin, exposes the corruption of the human heart, and points sinners to Jesus Christ—the only remedy for guilt, judgment, and eternal death. Which of these two religious systems do you belong? Are you with Warren or Paul?

“The Holy Spirit Does Not Produce Chaos” By Akin Ojumu Many Charismatic meetings resemble circus performances more than assemblies of Christian worship. They are boisterous, chaotic, unruly, and emotionally volatile. The typical gathering of the “Penterascals,” much like the disorder Paul condemned in the Church at Corinth, is combustible—charged with explosive emotional energy, heavy-handed manipulation, theatrical displays, and a great deal of theological gobbledygook. These gatherings are frequently characterized by an apparent loss of bodily and emotional control. People jerk violently, scream, holler, babble incoherently, collapse to the floor, laugh uncontrollably, or claim to have been rendered helpless by “the anointing.” The central question this commentary series seeks to answer is this: Can such behavior legitimately be presented as evidence that a person has been “overpowered,” “intoxicated,” or “possessed” by the Holy Spirit? Can we reasonably conclude that someone experie...

“Strange Fire and Counterfeit Revival: Testing Spiritual Manifestations by Scripture” By Akin Ojumu What do the Azusa Street Revival of 1906–1915, the Toronto Blessing of 1994, and the Brownsville Revival—also known as the Pensacola Outpouring—of 1995–2000 have in common? Each movement was marked by highly charged religious excitement: rapturous singing, ecstatic dancing, unintelligible utterances presented as speaking in tongues, and large numbers of people shaking, jerking, writhing, collapsing, or lying motionless on the floor. All these manifestations were attributed to the power and presence of the Holy Spirit. For many Pentecostals and Charismatics, these events represent some of the greatest outpourings of the Spirit in modern Christian history. The unusual manifestations are regarded as evidence that God visited His people in extraordinary power. But unusual behavior is not, by itself, proof of divine activity. Similar manifestations can be found in non-Christian religious trad...

“The Holy Spirit, Self-Control, and the Test of Spiritual Manifestations” By Akin Ojumu Does the Holy Spirit cause people to lose control of themselves—to fall repeatedly, writhe on the floor, jerk uncontrollably, laugh hysterically, scream, or enter a state resembling delirium? Can such behavior legitimately be presented as evidence that a person has been “overpowered,” “intoxicated,” or “possessed” by the Holy Spirit? Can we truly or reasonably conclude that the person who manifests these euphoric and ecstatic episodes  “ filled with ”  or  “ under the influence of ”  the Holy Spirit? The biblical answer requires both discernment and theological balance. Scripture unquestionably teaches that an encounter with God may profoundly affect a person’s emotions and physical strength. People may tremble under conviction, weep in repentance, rejoice with great gladness, fall down in reverence, become physically weak, or cry out in anguish or praise. However, Scripture does ...