Will I ever come to terms with the directive
given by the Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) to its
members to come out and join the rented crowd at the
expected declaration of President Goodluck Jonathan’s
intension to continue rudderlessly ruling the country beyond
2011? The rude announcement was made in most Anglican
churches on Sunday 12th September 2010.
The presiding priest of St Andrews Anglican
Church Kubwa asked those willing among the congregation to
join the President Goodluck Jonathan’s campaign train to
write down their names to enable in the adequate provision
of “logistics”, as free transportation to Eagle Square would
be provided. Also promised, were meal tickets and T-shirts.
My findings also showed that the same announcement was made
in other Anglican churches in Kubwa Diocese.
My fear about the use of the pulpit as a
political platform is that it would balkanise the faithful
and it’s umbrella body CAN. What happens to the unity of the
faithful should a Catholic or a member of another wing of
the Christendom emerges as a running mate to any other
presidential candidate? With the commercial way the Church
has been giving out Knighthood, are there no Anglicans in
the campaign team of Buhari, Atiku and IBB? There is no
scientific enquiry that all Anglicans are supporters of
Goodluck Jonathan. Before this sudden romance by the Church,
how many people knew that Goodluck Jonathan is an Anglican?
What becomes of the Anglican Church, should
Goodluck fail to win the 2011 Presidential Elections? The
Bible is clear on the relationship between the Church and
political office holders. The Church while on the watchtower
should warn the leaders of impending doom due to their bad
leadership style, does not get involved in the manipulation
of who becomes King. In as much as it is the duty of the
church to be socially relevant by grooming citizens that
will obey the laws of the land, it is evangelically suicidal
to pitch their tent with a politician. They should have
taken the part of voters education and encourage their
members to vote for only credible candidates with a well
defined programme to enable the people eat the fruits of the
land. Even if Goodluck is running on evangelical platform,
what are the programmes that he intend to make paramount
that will make evangelically minded people and liberals to
support him?
What happens to the unconverted in other
politicians’ camp? Will they respond positively to an
evangelism team from the Anglican Church pointing the way to
Christ? When Samuel wanted to interfere in the selection of
David to replace Saul that died (no mischief intended or
reference to how we got here), Samuel first settled for
Eliab based on the political/leadership hereditary culture
of the Jews wherein the eldest son automatically qualifies
for the mantle of leadership. But God rejected this
arrangement and went for the unthinkable.
Because the Prophets didn’t soil their hands
with the processes of who becomes a King, they could
fearlessly denounce the King whenever he erred from the
Constitution (God’s Words). With this support by the
Anglican Church, can they call Goodluck Jonathan to order
should he win the 2011 General Election and refuse to
guarantee basic rights to people? Was Obasanjo not a self
proclaimed Born Again Christian? What did Nigerians get in
return?
My heart bleeds for my generation over the
kind of spiritual leaders we have been plagued with. Those
we turn to for succour are giving us poisoned Chalice. If
it is not those telling us we are poor because we are
sinners instead of challenging the bad leadership that makes
us paupers in the land of milk and honey, we are confronted
with those that can not differentiate between seeking the
face of the Lord and the crumbs from stained pockets of
politicians.
The books of Hosea and Amos to mention but a
few have a comparable political-economy to Nigeria under the
leadership of Goodluck Jonathan. Had the Anglican Church
called Jonathan to order in the face of social and economic
injustice in the land? By promising meal ticket to those who
would go, it was obvious that the Church had agreed that
there was hunger in the land. If these Anglicans were going
out based on religious/political conviction, they would have
found their way sacrificially to Eagle Square. But the
Church knew that Nigerians are hungry and jobless hence the
bribe and like Rebecca, they are aiding in the sale of
birthright.
What Nigerians want is a credible leader who
may be a worshiper of anything, so long as he has a defined
workable roadmap to get us out of the woods of
underdevelopment and give us a visible voice in the comity
of technologically advanced nations. After all, when the
chips are down your relationship with God is a personal
affair.
©Che
Oyinatumba
|
Published
September 17th, 2010
