African Plume

“You actually have to be insane to have a choice about leaving Nigeria and then elect not to go. You actually have to be functionally insane to remain in Nigeria. ” “ In fact, it is my thesis and argument that if you truly want to know the insane Nigerians, look to the ones who have a choice as to where they will live, and who can afford to live abroad, but elect to stay behind in Nigeria. ” “ Anyone you know who can afford to live abroad and has refused to go and has stayed behind is a madman, the person has to be insane.” Before you go and do enu dun ro efo to Chief Afe Babalola or do amebo to Tony Elumelu, just know say no be me talk am o.

By Akin Ojumu There you are a permanent fixture at the so-called Holy Ghost Conventions. As far back as you can remember, there’s no Shiloh Encounter that you’ve missed. In the past two decades, you can’t count the number of miracle crusades you’ve attended. There’s no week that goes by that you don’t find yourself in one prayer conference or anointing service or special program or the other. When they asked people to bring combs to the Holy Ghost Convention for the special anointing prayer that would turn the combs into talisman of good wishes, you cheerfully brought a box full. Since then, you’ve been combing your hair every day, multiple times a day. Even now that you no longer have a single strand of hair left on your head, you still continue to comb your bald head with the magic comb anyway. Do you remember the time when people were told to come with handkerchiefs to the miracle crusade? You joyfully arrived at the campground 4 days before with bundles of white handkerchiefs. As s...

By Akin Ojumu Contemporary Church is like the Roman mob.  Conjure up a razzmatazz for them, and you’ll get them quickly captivated.  Stir up magic for them, you’ll find them easily enchanted. Whip up their emotions, and they get readily merismerized.  Rouse up their greed, they become handily delighted. Modern-day Church is like a gullible horde. Rob them of their last farthing, and they’ll still roar in ecstasy. Bewitch them with stirring words, and they’ll soar in rhapsody. Take away their freedom, and they’ll screech is exhilaration. Lead them in the broad road to destruction, and they’ll sheepishly follow in jubilation.  The Church of our time is a transactional marketplace. Their beating heart isn’t Christ or His Word. It’s the murky mire of mammonism and the sinking sand of materialism.  You bring them death and destruction of corrupted gospel, They’ll worship you and sing your praise to the highest heavens.

By Akin Ojumu There’s no joy in swimming against the tide. You can’t expect to make many friends when you choose to stand athwart traditions and long-held cherished beliefs. Unfortunately for me, that’s exactly the position in which I find myself.  Like Don Quixote of La Mancha, I’ve been engaged in a quixotic quest to wrest my brothers and sisters from the clutches of false theological beliefs for quite some time now. Concerned that they are being misled and duped by the people to whom they entrust their soul, I have been trying again and again to open their eyes to see the truth, but to no avail. To my chagrin, I have come to the realization that this is a thankless undertaking. The whole endeavor has been one of frustration and heartburn, to say the least. Many a time, I’ve considered calling it quits altogether. Nobody likes to be known as a glum dour downbeat killjoy.  But it’s at those low moments of self-doubt and near surrender that God seems to remind me that I have g...

“People Who Long to be Rich Plunge into Ruin and Destruction.” By Akin Ojumu Truth matters. Without truth, we are doomed. In a world polluted by the toxic fumes of obfuscation, truth is the oxygen that keeps us alive. Stop the flow of oxygen of veracity, we all suffocate on the carbon monoxide of prevarication. There’s no truth in a gospel that promises divine health and abundance of material wealth to the listeners. A preacher who comes to you telling you that it’s your divine destiny to be stinkingly rich and permanently healthy is a lying scoundrel. To such, godliness is nothing but a means to great gain. 1 TIMOTHY 6:5 “People who are depraved in mind and deprived of the truth, imagining that godliness is a means of gain.” Those who view spirituality as a business venture or a money-making adventure are false teachers depraved in mind and deprived of truth. These wolves in sheep’s clothing often come to you sounding devoutly godly and looking piously holy. Yet, in their soul is a se...

“When Desire Turns into Greed” By Akin Ojumu As I explained in Part 1 of this commentary, what prompted me to write this screed was the inscription on the T-shirt that Emmanuel Olumide was wearing in a video interview I found on one of the social media sites. In the video, the man who calls himself the Guru of Commonsense spotted a T-shirt with the words, “KINGDOM BILLIONAIRE” plastered across the front. In addition, he had on a face cap that had “JESUS” written on it. Horrified by the blatant greed and the derision of the Name of the Lord, I couldn’t help but comment. “Kingdom billionaire? Really? Which kingdom exactly? How many of the Apostles of Jesus, the people who actually laid the foundation of the Christian faith, were billionaires? How many of them were millionaires? How many were thousandnaires? How many were hundrednaires? How many were even kobonaires? This shallow and hollow, ear-scratching mammon gospel will only keep you on the broad road that leads to destruction.” Offe...

“Who Wants To Be a Kingdom Billionaire?” By Akin Ojumu Prosperity preachers, as well as the victims of their scam, like to throw up names of Old Testament saints such Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Job, David, Solomon, Hezekiah, Boaz as important worshipers of YAHWEH who were extremely wealthy. In the New Testament, they often refer to Joseph of Arimathea, Lydia the seller of purple, Philemon, and others as examples of wealthy people who believed in Christ. Because there are these wealthy individuals mentioned in the Bible who believed and worshiped the LORD God Almighty, messengers of the health, wealth, and success gospel consider this as evidence that God wants all Christians to be wealthy beyond their wildest dreams. They’ll tell you that God wants you to be stinkingly rich, period. It’s as though to stink is something to be proud about. Of course, this type of argument is based on extremely flawed theology about which I have written several commentaries. But I’m going to repeat ho...

By Akin Ojumu When the Gospel is preached in its purest and unadulterated form, there’s really nothing glamorous about it. The proclamation of the Good News doesn’t invigorate, exhilarate, stimulate, or animate. What you often find is that it condemns, offends, crushes, dismantles, exposes, and frightens the hearer. ISAIAH 53:1-2 “Who has believed what he has heard from us? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? For He grew up before Him like a young plant, and like a root out of dry ground; He had no form or majesty that we should look at Him, and no beauty that we should desire Him.” Where it’s preached raw and unfiltered, unsoiled by seeker-sensitive theatrics, people-pleasing histrionics, or ear-scratching melodramatics, the Gospel inflames outrage, triggers antagonism, and provokes hostility. It hits the soul with such an overpowering force that those who hear it reflexively want to block their ears, shut their eyes, and pick up stones to pummel to death the one who br...

By Akin Ojumu When they are not vehemently defending the accuracy of demonstrably erroneous teachings, advocates of false teachers are quick to play the sincerity card. In the rare instance when they concede that what their favorite preacher is teaching is unbiblical, their argument is often along these lines: “He means well. He really believes in what he is teaching. Nobody is perfect. Anyone can make a mistake.” Sadly, apologists of false teachers fail to understand a simple fact. When it comes to the truth of the God, rationalizing error on the basis of the sincerity of its purveyor is untenable. Using “good intentions” as an excuse for accommodating false teaching doesn't pass muster. 2 TIMOTHY 3:13 “Evil people and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.” False teaching is false teaching. Under no circumstances is it ever acceptable. There’s no scenario under which erroneous teaching is ever excusable or justifiable. It’s immaterial that the false...

By Akin Ojumu Welcome back from Church. How was service today? I hope you had loads of fun…or blessed beyond your wildest dreams…or whatever it is Church folks say to each other these days. But seriously, why did you go to Church today?  What made you get up from bed, put on your bottom of the box, accessorize yourself with all those costly trinkets, and douse your body with the expensive alabaster?  What was your motive? I mean, your real motive. JOHN 6:26-27 “Truly, truly, I say to you, you are seeking me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For on Him God the Father has set his seal.” Be honest. Why do you really seek Him? Roof over your head? Clothes on your body? Empty pocket? Hungry belly? Sick body? Bigger house? House rent? Next car? Children ’ s school fees? Flagging business?  Failing marriage? Barren w...