AFRICAN PLUME

“The Faith That Was Handed Down To The Saints” By Akin Ojumu Decadent. Debauchery. Depraved. Licentious. Heartbreaking. These are the words that come to mind when I think about the modern-day church. And believe me, I have thought hard and long about this. That this is near and dear to my heart is evidenced in the numerous commentaries and lamentations I have penned on this subject.  One of the many things that God has blessed me with is the gift of being able to find sleep no matter what. The Scripture that says, "God giveth His beloved sleep," is one that is actively operational in my life. Whenever and wherever I lay my head down on the pillow to sleep, I do it with relish - snore, drool and all - with no sleeping pills necessary.  The sad state of the Christian church is one the few things that keep me awake at night. There’s no moment that goes by that I’m not reminded of what has become of the Christian faith. The peculiar mess that the Household of God has become leave

By Akin Ojumu April 2020: US COVID Totals: 200,000 Cases | 4,076 Deaths Kenneth Copeland "Prophetically" Declared: “COVID-19! Pheeewww!!! I blow, the wind of God, on you. You are destroyed forever. And you will never be back.” December 2021: US COVID Totals: 53,403,250 Cases | 821,935 Deaths Kenneth Copeland "Prophetically" Declared: “And I knew in my spirit, and I said it out loud with my mouth. Our breakthrough has come. And glory to God, the destruction – the final takedown – of this synthetic virus that has been made by men as a weapon, has…has fallen. It's destroyed.” When, 20 months ago, Kenneth Copeland turned a firehose of germ-laden saliva on the camera and his cameraman and boldly pronounced a permanent destruction on COVID-19, the hero worshiping followers of the self-acclaimed prophet jumped for joy and shouted “Hallelujah!” With a fervency as unshakable as Mount Zion, these dyed-in-the-wool fans of the false prophet believed God Himself had spoken

Ghanaian Police Service Statement On Communication Of Prophecies And Their Legal Implications As the year 2021 draws to a close, the Ghana Police Service wishes to draw the attention of Ghanaians, especially religious groups, to the fact that whereas we have the right to religion, freedom of worship and free speech, all of these rights are subject to the respect for the rights and freedoms of others according to our laws. Over the years, communication of prophesies of harm, danger and death, by some religious leaders, have created tension and panic in the Ghanaian society and put the lives of many people in fear and danger. We want to caution that under Ghanaian law, it is a crime for a person to publish or reproduce a statement, rumour or report which is likely to cause fear and alarm to the public or to disturb the public peace, where that person has no evidence to prove that the statement, rumour or report is true. It is also a crime for a person, by means of electronic communicatio

By Akin Ojumu Benny Hinn is one of the foremost proponents of the prosperity gospel. The Supreme Commander of the “name it-and-claim it” forces had an epiphany a few years ago. In what can only be described as a Road-to-Damascus experience, Benny Hinn admitted that his past teachings were “grieving the Holy Spirit.” On a subsequent Facebook Live Event, the preacher told an audience: “I’m sorry to say that prosperity has gone a little crazy, and I’m correcting my own theology.” Well, Uncle Benny’s epiphany was ephemeral, and his Come-to-Jesus moment was fleeting. Shortly after his mea culpa, the dog, as it were, went straight back to its vomit. Having been threatened by his comrades in arms and reminded of all the money he stands to lose if he continued in the chosen path, Benny Hinn quickly retreated. The prosperity gospeler resumed spreading his prosperity message. I suppose grieving the Holy Spirit is more palatable than grieving mammon. Here is the patron saint of worldly goods dish

“The Coming Purge of God's House” By Akin Ojumu Now, I don't want to belabor this point, but it’s incredibly important and it needs to be said and re-emphasized.  I have no personal grievance whatsoever against any man of God, and my harangue is nothing personal. Also, you’d be grossly mistaken if you thought my jeremiad is just an over-the-top exercise in nitpicking every little mistake, or a needless forensic scrutiny of every little slip, a preacher makes. True ministers of the Gospel, who are humbly devoted to teaching the truth of the Word of God, have my utmost respect. The ire I raise is against the deliberate propagation of error and the scuffle is with the systemic dissemination of deceit. Impostors – “clouds without water, carried along by winds; autumn trees without fruit, doubly dead” – who have infiltrated the Church and are desecrating the altar of righteousness are the targets of my remonstrations. The habitual and perpetual proliferation of erroneous doctrine is

“Sharks and Shylocks In The House of God” By Akin Ojumu Religious titles are like costly apparel that men love to wear. In a world enamored with glitz, the pulpits are crawling with men who parade themselves around with litany of titles around their necks like a man given to flamboyance and bedecked with an extravagance of jewelries and assortment of fine linen. For a generation smitten with glamor, men and women accessorized with titular golden bling bling and shining ornaments lord it over hapless souls who feed their bloated egos. “These are hidden reefs at your love feasts, as they feast with you without fear, shepherds feeding themselves; waterless clouds, swept along by winds; fruitless trees in late autumn, twice dead, uprooted; wild waves of the sea, casting up the foam of their own shame; wandering stars, for whom the gloom of utter darkness has been reserved forever.” (Jude 1:12-13). Professing to be apostles and prophets of our age, these modern-day sons of Sceva contemptuo

“The Ambulance-Chasing Christianity” By Akin Ojumu “Now faith is the assurance (title deed, confirmation) of things hoped for (divinely guaranteed), and the evidence of things not seen [the conviction of their reality – faith comprehends as fact what cannot be experienced by the physical senses].” (Hebrews 11:1). Faith, trust, and contentment are the hallmarks of the true Believer. If you trust God to be enough for you, you won’t pursue man to tell you what the future holds. No true seeker of God consults the arm of flesh to divine what lies ahead. Only slaves and strangers need an intermediary to approach their Master. Those who are children of God, who genuinely belong to Him, would go to their Father directly to ask for whatever they need. And their Father in Heaven always answers. The proof of true belief is to fervently hold on to God’s promises even when it looks foolish to do so, and especially when everything says otherwise. For such a belief is firmly rooted in the knowledge t

“Gazing Into The Perfect Law of Liberty” By Akin Ojumu Therein lies the foundation of all false religions. The lie that God is not enough is the pillar that holds up the house of iniquity in which all false prophets and false apostles dwell.  Those who, through divinations, profess to know tomorrow, are of their father, Satan. Anyone who claims to be able to gaze into a crystal ball or read a palm and foretell the future, is operating by the spirit of demons. The supposed prophets and apostles who, allegedly in the name of Christ, assert to know what lies ahead, are sons of perdition who have sold their soul to principalities and powers. End-of-year prognosticators are perpetrators of falsehood, and the predictors of events that will happen in the coming year are purveyors of things of which they have little knowledge. Quit buying what they are selling. Now, in a world given to theatrics and easy believism, there are those who see nothing wrong in soothsaying or predictions about the f

By Akin Ojumu It is time to begin to question the "Omoluabi-ness" of Governor Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State. For whatever reason, the gap-toothed governor seems to have lost his marbles. Or how else do you explain this? Recently, Dr Fayemi was called out to his face about the deplorable condition of the road between Ado Ekiti and Akure by, of all people, a non-indigene, in the person of Governor Wike of River State – a state which is more than 500 km away and a Governor who has no dog in the fight of the people of Ekiti State and their sufferings. Governor Fayemi's response to the slap on the face was sheepish and embarrassing. His explanation for the dreadful road between his State Capital and the Capital of Ondo State was, "Don't worry about that one, it is because we are solid democrats." Don't worry about that? So, he knows the road is bad and he just doesn't care? We are solid democrats? What does that even mean? How does being a solid democrat

“Rebellion Is the Root of Soothsaying” By Akin Ojumu ‘Tis the season of the phonies. From here on till the end of the year, we enter the silly season of spurious prophecies about the coming year. Impostors of all shapes and sizes will be crawling out of the woodwork to inveigh about falling rain, flooded streets, road accidents, plane crashes, riches made, election wins, election losses, and someone dying in 2022. Duh! Even with their notorious track record of being widely off the mark, these fortune tellers continue to capture the imagination of simple-minded folks who, having traded their sense of reason, succumb to fascinating fantasies and fantastic fairy tales. Rather than being encumbered with sound mental judgment, these consumers of hocus-pocus conjuring choose instead to surrender themselves to wishy-washy wishful thinking. You can chalk it all up to the human penchant to want to know tomorrow. The fault is encoded in our genes. Constrained by the limitations of the space-time

By Akin Ojumu Church by the Glades (CBG) is an entertainment-driven showbiz organization that calls itself a church. They are located in Coral Springs, Florida.  Their typical service is like a rock concert with extravagant lightings and loud sounds that can blow the eardrum. A shallow pool of white smoke covering the stage creates a surreal visual experience.  CBG worship services have featured performances of songs by Grammy Award winning secular artists such as Michael Jackson, Tina Turner, Alicia Keys, Adele, Bruno Mars, etc.  People go there for the thrill and entertainment and not to get their conscience pricked and soul washed by the pure undiluted Word of God.  A few years ago, David Hughes, the leader of the organization gave a mind-blowing justification for why, as a "church", they have full-on embraced Halloween and Halloween-themed series. In his pastoral point of view, celebrating the Halloween is not any different from celebrating the birthday of Jesus on Decemb

“The Reward of Righteousness” By Akin Ojumu “The blessing of the LORD brings riches, And He adds no sorrow to it” (Proverbs 10:22). God knows us more than we know ourselves, and He’s a good judge of our strengths and weaknesses. God will not give a Believer riches if those riches will undermine his journey to eternity. Likewise, God will not allow any of His own to be poor if, as a result of poverty, the person will end up in hell fire. If marriage will be the undoing of a Christian, God will not give him a wife.  A Christian may not get the 6-figure paying dream job or the multi-million dollar contract because God knows they'll hinder him from making heaven. The blessing of Jehovah Jireh always enriches without any associated downsides. Whatever benefit accrues to the Believer, it is such that won't sabotage his eternal destiny. In Philippians 4:19 we read, “And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.”  The “need” in this passage is

By Akin Ojumu One of the two statements below is a doctrinal error that contradicts the fundamentals of the Christian faith. Can you tell which one is it? Are you Biblically savvy enough to detect a doctrinal error? Statement 1: There is one God, Creator of all things, infinitely perfect, and eternally existing in three manifestations: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Statement 2: There is one God, Creator of all things, infinitely perfect, and eternally existent in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. One of these two statements is Modalism (aka Sabellianism), which is a Scripturally erroneous view of the nature of God and the Trinity. The doctrine originated from a bishop in the early church, a guy by the name Sabellius. The difference between the error and the truth in the above statements is so subtle it is easily missed. Yet, it's so dangerous with profound implications that strike directly at the heart of the Christian faith, and it is a devastating assault on the foundati

By Akin Ojumu Seth Dahl, a pastor at Bethel Church, narrated an experience he had a few ago, when Jesus came to him, hugged him tightly, and begged that Seth should forgive him. Hear him in his own words. “A Pastor I…I really respected said some words and hurt me so bad. And one time, I was laying on the floor – actually I was in this room – I'm laying on the floor. And in…and in…a vision – in an encounter with God in a vision – Jesus picks me up and holds me so close that I can't see anything. And he holds me so close, and Jesus starts to weep. And he says, ‘Please forgive me, please forgive me.’ So, what are you talking about please forgive me. He said, ‘When that pastor hurt you, it's as if I hurt you, 'cause he's a member of my body. Please forgive me.’” This comment is a complete distortion of Scripture. Since only someone who has sinned and committed an offense would so tearfully ask for forgiveness, implicit in that statement is the erroneous notion that Jesu

“A Cosmic Killjoy, God Is Not” By Akin Ojumu “Can it really be that God has said, ‘You shall not eat from any tree of the garden’?' (Genesis 3:1). With that seemingly innocuous and sympathetic statement, the Devil destroyed the destiny of man. That question continues to reverberate through the ages. The duplicitous inquiry that brought humanity down to its knees still haunts the offspring of Adam from generation to generation. It was at that very first encounter between man and Satan in the Garden of Eden, that the seed of a deadly idea was sown in the heart of men. As the millennia have gone by, the tiny seed of doubt about the character of God planted that day has grown into a mighty forest of giant oak trees that inhibit the world from seeing God for whom He really is. What Satan did on that fateful day was to create, in the imagination of man, a bogeyman of an untrustworthy character out of God in the eyes of man. This gremlin of a Supreme Being is a wicked God who enjoys your