Even churches suffer from greed for power
May 19, 2003
SIR— The account, “Desecration of my kingdomâ€, by Pastor Moses Male, in the latest edition of Sunday Vision, leaves certain crucial things unclear.
SIR— The account, “Desecration of my kingdomâ€, by Pastor Moses Male, in the latest edition of Sunday Vision, leaves certain crucial things unclear. The account tells of malpractices in Kakande’s Church and that of the late John Obiri Yeboah at Katwe.
Of the co-pastors, the Kakandes (before the couple separated), Pastor Male writes that they “wrote and issued paper talismans; used stinking stuff mixed with water to sprinkle on followers to destroy enemies; and abetted their followers in animal sacrifices and the use of traditionally biased witchcraft materialsâ€.
It would help much if Male had spelt out the form that the alleged animal sacrifices took. The sprinkling of water or use of other material substances with the intention of causing harm to another person would constitute witchcraft and would go against the grain of the Christian faith. But we should guard against referring to the use of talismans, water or other material objects (including the Bible and the Rosary) or divination as unchristian practices unless the context in which they are used is calculated to cause harm to other persons. A feature of many Pentecostal or Charismatic churches in Africa is their tendency to appropriate features of the traditional or indigenous religions. Claims such as the one that John Obiri Yeboah left shoes or other items of clothing to a person are
simply claims of spiritual legitimacy similar to the Prophet Elijah in the Old Testament leaving his mantle to Elisha.
However, Male’s account reveals what many people already know, namely that the new Spirit or Born-Again churches are not immune to intrigue, manipulation and thirst for power, and that they need to be studied from a variety of scholarly perspectives.
Rev Amos Kasibante
Diocese of Leicester
Church of England (Anglican)
Of the co-pastors, the Kakandes (before the couple separated), Pastor Male writes that they “wrote and issued paper talismans; used stinking stuff mixed with water to sprinkle on followers to destroy enemies; and abetted their followers in animal sacrifices and the use of traditionally biased witchcraft materialsâ€.
It would help much if Male had spelt out the form that the alleged animal sacrifices took. The sprinkling of water or use of other material substances with the intention of causing harm to another person would constitute witchcraft and would go against the grain of the Christian faith. But we should guard against referring to the use of talismans, water or other material objects (including the Bible and the Rosary) or divination as unchristian practices unless the context in which they are used is calculated to cause harm to other persons. A feature of many Pentecostal or Charismatic churches in Africa is their tendency to appropriate features of the traditional or indigenous religions. Claims such as the one that John Obiri Yeboah left shoes or other items of clothing to a person are
simply claims of spiritual legitimacy similar to the Prophet Elijah in the Old Testament leaving his mantle to Elisha.
However, Male’s account reveals what many people already know, namely that the new Spirit or Born-Again churches are not immune to intrigue, manipulation and thirst for power, and that they need to be studied from a variety of scholarly perspectives.
Rev Amos Kasibante
Diocese of Leicester
Church of England (Anglican)