Our Churches Have Gone Mad

After the choreographers finished dancing vigorously to the hip-hop tune, the congregation waited patiently as the liturgist came to announce the coming of the head pastor cum preacher of the day. The trumpeters started blowing in the admiration of all,for a second I thought it was the second coming of Christ: I said to myself, is that the long awaited rapture of the son of man? A cloud of smoke amidst sparkling papers caught my attention and arose me from my thoughts about the rapture. In the cloud of smoke was the head pastor cum preacher who sat in a basket which had metallic ropes which rose to the sky. People were amazed by the glorious sight as the pastor descended from the basket.

One gentleman moved swiftly to the side of the pastor before his feet could reach the ground and placed an electric scooter there. For a moment, I wondered what that was going to be used for until I saw them place the pastor's feet on it. I stared in amazement. I got startled by a cold hand that touched me and asked, " I believe you are new here because you seem surprised by everything?". I answered in the affirmative and he replied, "Our pastor is super powerful and wonderful, his feet must not touch the ground". This statement immediately reminded me of that pastor which I saw in the newspaper whose feet doesn't also touch the ground and is carried around in a chair even during sermon delivery.

The Bible I brought to church became almost useless as I never heard him tell the congregation to open their Bibles to this or that. All I witnessed was prophecies upon prophecies and the rush for " The blood of Jesus oil" as they called the pastor's specially blessed anointing oil, handkerchiefs which were thrown into the crowd after the pastor has wiped his face with them: that was the healing towel. People were called according to the magnitude of their problems and they made money offerings to the feet of the pastor according to the magnitude of their problems and blessed. It was finally time for offertory and baskets were taken round and it was surprising how people waved their monies for offertory in the air before placing them in baskets for everyone to see their monies. I quickly crumpled my one cedi and placed it into the basket. The lady with the basket kept looking at my face that I felt embarrassed. I left the church in shame about what the house of the Lord has turned into.

The house of the Lord is now worse the market. It is worse than the people who were selling in the house of God that got flogged by Jesus. It's becoming a place of instant wealth as pastors preach wealth and make wealth forgetting the message of truth and salvation. It's difficult to go to church now if you don't have money or even a collection of different clothes in your closet. Our Bibles are becoming useless in the church now due to the fact that the word is no more preached. Most people are establishing churches now not to preach but to make money. The congregation forsake the word of truth and salvation and join the rush hour for water, anointing oils and handkerchiefs amidst the back to senders.

Who wants to lose all his congregation to improper dressing, and improper attitudes? A few now preach decency because they wouldn't want to lose their congregation. I had always thought that the church was a place for correction and their basis was on the Bible but it's overwhelming to even see what the pastors' wives wear to church not to talk of the congregation and they hide behind the Bible verse that we worship God in our hearts forgetting that it's the same Bible that says that out of the abundance of the heart....

The message of truth have been bought and paid for. Have you ever wondered why crime still persists despite the numerous churches?, Why the poor continue to increase in number while our pastors get richer, build schools and hospitals which even charge higher than the non-pastors? During the days of Paul, the monies were given back to the poor, orphans, widows and widowers, etc. Until you and I seek the truth, we will continue to be led down the streets of hell. Until our churches do the right thing,...

I am Mercy Asamani a.k.a Mercedes and I write on social issues. You can visit my blog, mercedesrowe.blogspot.com or my column on modernghana @ http://www.modernghana.com/author/MercyAsamani

You can also email me @[email protected] or reach me on 0263640914