AFRICAN PLUME

By Akin Ojumu Although originally preached in 2016, Abel Damina ’ s  “ God does not live in Heaven ”  sermon was one of the most egregious doctrinal errors I encountered in 2022. It ranks among the topmost heinous heresies I have ever heard preached. Speaking at the 2016 Faith-to-Faith Conference of the House on the Rock Church, Lagos, Nigeria – with the host pastor and his wife, Paul and Ifeanyin Adefarasin, listening in rapt attention and watching in utter awe – Dr Abel Damina, Senior Pastor of Power City International Church, Uyo, Nigeria, declared, with all the chest pumping arrogance he could muster, that: “God does not live in Heaven. So, that's why your goal should not be Heaven. If your goal is Heaven, it’s a stupid goal.” Upon hearing that garbage, the congregation went wild. They jumped so high, they almost hit the ceiling. In the ensuing raucous, some rushed to the pulpit just to fall before and kiss the feet of the man of God.  Paul and Ifeanyi Adefarasin, not...

 

By Akin Ojumu Finally, the silly season of religious wackiness has officially kicked off. Between now and December 31st, many Christian and quasi-Christian denominations will hold various daily events that will culminate in the New Year Eve’s crossover service when the curtain is drawn on the Year 2022. These religious events, many of which last all day long, are often festooned with spurious prophecies and bedecked with specious proclamations. In made-for-TV histrionics that would have given the Oracle of Delphi a run for their money, soothsayers of all sorts crawl out of the woodwork to mesmerize their captive audience with outlandish predictions for the new year. For the next few days, the gurus that run the religious establishments will inundate their congregation with wild claims of: “Thus says the Lord…” “The Lord told me…” “I heard it directly from Daddy…” “Daddy told me to tell you…” Claiming to have received a direct message from the Almighty God, these fortune tellers will be...

By Akin Ojumu The Ways and Means Committee of the United States House of Representatives has finally released to the American public a report on the Federal Income Tax returns declaration made by Donald J. Trump and his wife Melania Trump for the 6-year period from 2015 through 2020. These are the highlights: Trump and his wife, Melania, filed joint Federal Income tax Returns for married couples. Tax Year 2015 Total Income: negative $31.7 million (i.e., declared a loss) Taxable Income: $0 Federal Income Taxes Paid: $641,931 Tax Year 2016 Total Income: negative $31.2 million (i.e., declared a loss) Taxable Income: $0 Federal Income Taxes Paid: $750 Tax Year 2017 (Trump as POTUS) Total Income: negative $12.8 million (i.e., declared a loss) Taxable Income: $0 Federal Income Taxes Paid: $750 Tax Year 2018 (Trump as POTUS) Total Income: $24.4 million Taxable Income: $22.9 million Federal Income Taxes Paid: $999,466 Tax Year 2019 (Trump as POTUS) Total Income: $4.4 million Taxable Income: $2...

“Church of the Walking Dead” By Akin Ojumu Shadowboxing is a combat sport exercise in which a person throws punches at the air as though there is an opponent. Practiced primarily in boxing, it is used mainly to prepare the muscles before the person training engages in stronger physical activity (Wikipedia). The thing is though, a boxer can shadowbox all he wants, the fight is won or lost only inside the ring when he faces a real opponent. No boxer is crowned a champion until he defeats his opponent in a real duel. And as Mike Tyson famously said, “Everyone has got a plan until they are hit in the mouth.” Tragically, shadowboxing has become commonplace in the Body of Christ. Christians everywhere throw spiritual punches in the air in a self-deluding belief they are engaged in spiritual warfare against an imaginary enemy. These folks have submerged themselves in an illusion of spiritual combat, a world of make-believe. The Church is full of Christians who run around aimlessly chasing gho...

“Is  God Credible?” By Akin Ojumu The instant a man surrenders his life to Christ, he switches allegiances and swaps alliances. Immediately, he trades Satan’s military fatigues for that of the army of God. Right there and then, the new Christian is handed the weapons of warfare, as he is thrust into the frontlines of the war against the kingdom of darkness. A genuinely born-again believer is an enlisted soldier in the armed forces of God’s kingdom. Like a good soldier, he is required to endure hardship. Because no active-duty soldier gets himself all caught up in civilian pursuits, the things of this world lose their allure to the new recruit. Having sworn an oath to support and defend the precepts of God against all enemies, within and without, the true soldier immersed himself in his military assignments. Obedience to God’s orders becomes an all-consuming passion, and his life’s purpose is to please the One who enlisted him. Tragically, not all Christians understand or accept thi...

 

“Satan ’ s Distraction Leads to Destruction” By Akin Ojumu Legend has it that Christianity was brought from Jerusalem to Alexandria on the Egyptian coast by Mark in 60 AD. From Egypt, the faith gradually spread to cover the entire continent. As it advanced over the African landscape during the course of many centuries, Christianity progressively transformed to assimilate the cultural milieu. Today, African Christianity has its own distinct indigenous flavor.  The sights and sounds of the Christian faith on the African continent are unique in every aspect. Dripping of vestiges of the pagan cultures of African societies, the theologies and liturgies are syncretic mixture of Biblical Christianity and the rites and practices of the numerous traditional African religions. Woven into the sermons are native beliefs and infused into the songs are indigenous customs. When an African Christian prays, it’s as though he is reading a script from one of many traditional African mythologies. Buoy...

By Akin Ojumu Thirty years ago, give or take.  That was when this iconic photograph was taken at a photo studio in Benin City, Nigeria. When I look at the photo now, I cannot even begin to plumb the depths of the profundity of feelings coursing through the veins of my mind right now. This picture stirs up many sentiments, and it stirs up a deep well of emotions within me. Dupe, Ziggy, Emmanuel, Tochi, Amaka, Chinyere, and Rosemary. For me, the picture represents the best of affection and brotherhood. Seeing these lovely faces again, what strikes me the most is the purity of purpose, genuineness of motivations, and sincerity of intentions. Those were the days of child-like innocence.  Yes, we were young and naïve. But we were uncorrupted by societal prejudices and untainted by chivalrous rivalry. We existed in a bubble impenetrable by the corrosiveness of hate and the divisiveness of bigotry. Apart from two people, none of us in this photo are biologically related. We come...

“Discerning Satan’s Wiles” By Akin Ojumu Scripture is the Word of God and food for the Christian soul. “Your words are what sustain me; they are food to my hungry soul” (Jeremiah 15:16, The Living Bible). The Lord Jesus Christ is the Bread of Life. In order for the Christian to grow and mature in the faith, he must feed on the Word of God, for the Word of God is the Living bread. “It is written, ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out through the mouth of God.’” (Matthew 4:4) The faith of any Christian is as strong as his understanding of God’s Word. Proper understanding of the Word of God comes only from studying Scripture one verse at a time...contextually, historically, and grammatically. I’m just a learner, like any other student of the Bible. This commentary comprises of notes from my personal study. I hope it’ll be a blessing to anyone who reads it. As he concluded his letter to the Church at Ephesus, Paul felt the need to remind these Christians...

 

“Nigeria ’ s Ruling Class Are Like Rats from a Sinking Ship” By Akin Ojumu Just like the human body, sovereign states (or sovereign nations) are made up of groups of people who share a lot in common and live within defined and internationally recognized geographical boundaries. Many nations (defined as culturally homogeneous groups of people which share a common language, institution, religion, and/or historical experience) often exist within a sovereign state.  In order for a sovereign state to survive, the people groups within it cannot afford to take on the mentality of cancer cells. The prosperity and wellbeing of the sovereign state depends entirely on the existence of peace and concord between the constituent nations. For the sovereign state to thrive and rise the people that make up the nations will have to live together in harmony and work together in unison for the greater good. A broken nation is like a broken body, it’s a byproduct of broken harmony. Without a rapprochem...

“Nature Abhors Chaos” By Akin Ojumu Whether you are a diehard Darwinist or a dyed in the wool Creationist, it’s impossible to look at the human body and not conclude that there is an intelligent mind behind its design. Composed of nearly forty trillion cells intricately organized and arranged into tissues, organs, and systems all working and functioning in one accord, the human body is, without a doubt, the most complex and complicated piece of engineering there is on earth. The Maker of the human body is inventive of mind and dexterous of hand. Like a grand orchestra, the organization of the human body is a masterful arrangement of complicated melodies, harmonies and rhythms producing rich and luxurious music. His creative genius and skillful craftsmanship manifest in the more than 40 trillion chemical processes that occur in the human body every passing second. The One who weaves all of the structures, functions, and processes together in perfect harmony is a Grand Maestro of 40 tril...

By Akin Ojumu Donald J. Trump is a grifter. Always has been, always will be. As an incorrigible conman, his instinct is to defraud. He simply can’t help himself. Knowing that a vast majority of his followers sees him as someone who can do no wrong and will sheepishly do whatever he tells them to do, he’ll never stop exploiting their ignorance for his own profit. He will perpetually prey on them until they make him stop. Two days ago, Trump teased a BIG ANNOUNCEMENT. In a short video showing him as superman with eyes shooting out golden laser beams, he cartoonishly posted on his social media platform that he was going to make a major announcement the next day, i.e., on Thursday, December 15, 2022. As you would expect, the whole MAGAsphere went into a cannibalistic frenzy. The extreme right wing echo chamber was agog with the QAnon talking heads tripping over themselves trying to speculate on what Trump had up his greasy sleeves. Prepped and pumped, the entire MAGAscape was buzzing with ...

“The Uncomfortable Truth” By Akin Ojumu Perhaps more than any other Old Testament prophet, Jeremiah was the target of great ridicule, fierce persecution, cruel mockery, and relentless abuse from the people to whom he delivered God’s warnings. His fire and brimstone message did not enjoy much popularity amongst the populace. While other prophets at the time painted a rather rosy picture of the future, Jeremiah’s prophecies were in stark contrast. He boldly proclaimed exactly what God told him to tell the people. Jeremiah warned that a great destruction was imminent and that the people needed to repent. For daring to preach a message that made people uncomfortable, Jeremiah was ostracized and socially isolated. Because they found his message of doom and gloom offensive and insensitive, the people turned on him and made his life a living hell. After a while, Jeremiah couldn’t take it any longer. The constant snipping started to weigh him down, and the ferocious attacks wore him out. Havin...

“Prophesying Doom in the Midst of Boom” By Akin Ojumu Craven sensationalism and cynical emotionalism are the hallmarks of modern-day Christianity. The Gospel has been vastly trivialized and the Word of God grossly superficialized by men and women who are supposed to be shepherds of God’s flock.  Ours is an era where people are drawn to ear-tingling sermons that promise them all the desires of their unregenerate hearts and then some. Messages of brokenness don’t garner a whole lot of likes on Facebook. If you are the type still hung up on holiness, don’t expect much traffic to your YouTube channel. You can be sure your Twitter followers will be limited to a handful of people if you insist on making righteousness a cause celebre. In a lot of ways, contemporary Christianity bears a stunning resemblance to the days of Prophet Jeremiah. When you compare the response to Jeremiah’s message to how people receive those who are blowing the trumpet and calling the Church to repentance today, ...