PASTOR ADEBOYE APOLOGIZES FOR SAYING NON-TITHERS WILL NOT MAKE HEAVEN
By Akin Ojumu
At a time when it seems the mushroom cloud from the tithing brouhaha nuclear explosion is settling down in Nigeria, Baba Enoch Adeboye is reluctant to let the sleeping dogs lie for reasons he is yet to disclose. With no apparent prompting or provocation, the old man has decided to stir the hornet’s nest.
As a keynote speaker at the plenary session held on Day 4 of the ongoing International Youth Conference of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, the General Overseer of the Church addressed the gathering of young people about dominion.
Using Matthew 11:12 as the anchor text, Pastor Adeboye taught the crowd strategies on how to dominate and take charge. In order for them to dominate and be in charge, they must learn to praise God violently, win souls violently, and pray violently.
In addition to the above three things that they must do in order for them to dominate, Pastor Adeboye also spoke of a fourth strategy. If they ever want to dominate, they must learn to give violently. And it’s in this context that the man of God gave what initially appeared to be a mea culpa about a remark he made years earlier to the effect that anyone who doesn’t pay tithe will not make heaven.
Here is Baba Adeboye in his own words.
“Now, I’m…I’m going to be talking to everybody as soon as God permits me. I’m going to be apologizing for making a mistake. For saying that if you don’t pay tithe you…you might not make it to heaven. I’m sorry, that’s wrong. That’s not in the Bible. What the Bible says is, “You have peace with all men and holiness without which no man shall see God.”
Before I could say, “Halleluiah,” Pastor Adeboye quickly muddied the waters of his apology by insisting that he can both be right and wrong at the same time. He proceeds to try to prove his “right and wrong at the same time” hypothesis to the crowd of young people by harking back to his former life as a scientist and professor of mathematics to produce an analogy about how light travels through space.
“Now let me tell you. Listen to me. You know it is possible to be right and wrong at the same time. I will prove it to you. I mean, I’m a scientist. So, I know that. For years we thought that light travels in straight lines. Now, is that correct? At least those of you who know a little bit of Physics will say, “Sure, but light doesn't bend at corners, it goes straight.” But later on, we discovered not just what…not straight as a rod. Light travels in waves. Going in one direction, but in waves.”
It’s at this point that the man of God did a double take. Like an elite gymnast in his prime, he acrobatically flip-flopped, and essentially tripled down on his erroneous beliefs on tithing. He made it explicitly clear to the crowd what he meant when said he made a mistake.
“It is wrong to limit you to 10% at the time where some of you should be 20%, 30%, 40%. 10% should be for beginners. At a…um…I believe God will give me an opportunity very soon to…to tell you the details.”
For those of you out there who’d like nothing more than to see a contrite Pastor Adeboye who has toned down his rhetoric on payment of tithes and making heaven, you better hold your horses. Before you shout, “Praise the Lord,” you ought to pay careful attention to the exact words spoken by the old man.
Pastor Adeboye is not admitting wrong in his views about tithe. He’s simply saying he wasn’t hardcore enough in what he believes. Where he got it wrong is him limiting you to mere 10%. The burden of 10% is not heavy enough. The man of God has decided to up the ante to 90%. If you really want to dominate, you must be willing to empty your bank account, strip yourself naked, and lay all the proceeds at Baba Adeboye’s anointed feet.
Don’t be fooled. This is a non-apology apology. Of course nothing has changed about Pastor Adeoye’s theology. In reality, the old man is still pushing his false ideology about a quid pro quo “god” who will do nothing for you unless and until you grease his celestial palm. If you thought the GO has recounted the demonic deception that says, “The more you do for God financially, the more you get from him materially,” think again.
Over the years, Pastor Adeboye has built an idol for himself and his followers. This idol is a cruel and cold-hearted god who will not lift a finger to help you unless you are a faithful tither who gives more than ten percent of your income on a regular basis.
Let there be no mistake about this. Do not confuse this idol that Papa Enoch Adeboye has erected with the God of the Bible. The Almighty God’s favor cannot be bought with tithes. Your offerings cannot purchase His blessings. He is gracious to whom He will be gracious, and He shows mercy on whom He shows mercy.
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