Outspoken Pastor and the General Overseer of Latter Rain Assembly,
Pastor Tunde Bakare who was once a member of the church condemned the
punishment meted out by the church, describing it as wicked. Said Pastor
Bakare: “I personally did not see what they have done wrong. A man is
entitled to his own authority in his own home.1st Peter Chapter 3. A
wife should dress to please the husband and not the members of the
church or public. It’s sheer wickedness to the couple, they should leave
them to enjoy their honeymoon. They should not squeeze them to the
modus operandi of a particular organization. I did not see anything
wrong in the wedding. The bride was not naked or dressed inappropriately
and the groom didn’t. Esther the queen was beautifully dressed in the
bible to gain the king’s attention. They should not make mountain out of
a molehill. I was in the Deeper Life Bible Church for five years and
nobody compelled me to dress the way I dressed. My wife was with me in
the church though we weren’t married then. She wears earrings and
dresses nicely. All this talk about this couple should stop.”
In
the same vein, a leader of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN)
in Osun State and General Overseer of the Royal Family Life Ministry,
Pastor Sam Segun-Progress described the suspension of John Kumuyi and
his wife from the church as a wrong decision taken by the leadership as
capable of sending wrong signals about Christianity to the public,
especially non-Christians.
He said: “dressing in any way does not
affect the faith of any individual. Putting on earrings and making up
do not by any way mean sinful acts. It’s not against Christian faith to
dress the way the woman dressed. But it was actually against the
doctrine of Deeper Life Bible Church, and since the church is not the
Kingdom of God, the couple should be allowed to do that which pleases
them and their belief.”
According to him, the Bible states
clearly that, “there is no condemnation to them who are in Christ
Jesus,” adding, “for any church leader to condemn a member contravenes
the standard of the scripture, which is the symbol of our Christian
faith. The doctrine of any church has nothing to do with the kingdom of
God. Every individual should be allowed to do that which pleases his
faith,” he added.
The Osogbo-based Christian leader who noted
that the church should be a rehabilitation centre, said “I would have
appreciated it better if this affected couple were just disciplined
within the church and were not suspended,” saying that the suspension of
the two notable members of the church was capable of sending them out
of the church and Christianity totally.”
According to him, “all I
can deduce from what happened in the Deeper Life Bible Church is
hypocrisy and this is not too good for our churches and the church
leaders. I will urge the leadership of Deeper Life Bible Church to read
the book of Exodus and see what God says about hypocrisy. The
development in the church was a bad omen for the body of Christ and did
not portray the church well before the public, especially the
non-Christians.”
The Pentecostal preacher maintained that, “It is
the wish of God that everybody comes to repentance. Jesus Christ during
his eventful ministry on earth did not send anybody away. Even sinners
ate with him and he did not condemn them. Why should we now suspend
people and send them out of the church for an act which was merely
against the doctrine of the church and which no one can prove was
against the kingdom of God? Is any Church the kingdom of God? Or can
anyone assume the position of God?”
He urged Christian leaders to
live above hypocrisy and allow the spirit of God to direct them in
their dealings with fellow human beings, even as he called for genuine
acts, saying, “God cannot be mocked and God cannot be deceived by
anyone.” He counseled Nigerian leaders to learn from the development in
the church and serve with genuine hearts, saying the country needs
genuine and purpose-driven leaders in a time like this.
Corroborating
the views of Pastor Progress, a leader of the Cherubim and Seraphim
Church in Osun State, Apostle Durodola Michael expressed worry about the
development in the Deeper Life Bible Church and declared that the
decision of the leadership of the church was not only harsh but
contradicts Christian faith, which he said places premium on repentance.
He
said “the leadership of the church should have forgiven the couple who
after realizing their mistakes tendered an unreserved apology to them.
Christianity teaches us forgiveness and one of the tenets of the
Christian faith is forgiveness. The couple after apologizing to the
leadership of the church needed not be punished again if the church will
follow the teaching of our Lord Jesus Christ.”Show your nature beauty
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According
to him, “the only area where I noticed that the church leadership erred
was their lack of forgiving spirit. It was reported that the couple
apologized and that should have been the end if the church would go by
the teaching of Christ. The action of the church was capable of sending
the couple out of the church system.”
He noted that the doctrinal
practice of the church might not stand the test of time considering
developments in the world and the expansion in the church, especially
its location in most western countries now.
“The church cannot
continue with its practice. I don’t think the practice can last. Before
now, it was a sin for members of the church to have televisions in their
houses, but today they don’t only have them, but the General
Superintendent of the church even ministers via the television to his
members and others across the world. So, such practice can’t last.
For
Mr Tony Okafor, Chairman, Law Students Forum, Anambra State, “the world
has grown beyond a period when somebody will hold one to the traditions
of one’s father. People should be allowed to exercise their freedom
without any form of chains or handcuff. It’s natural that after parental
tutelage, the child should be allowed to exercise his or her right upon
growing up.
“The constitution of this country is very clear that
everyone has freedom of religion; it is a fundamental right that cannot
be derogated by anybody, including parents. So I think Kumuyi and his
church should allow the young couple exercise this rights as enshrined
under Section 38 of the Nigeria Constitution.
The lesson for the
leadership of the church is that there is a limit within which you can
put people in a cage and expect them to be quiet all the time.”
Apostle
Lawrence Achudume of Victory Life Bible Church, Abeokuta said the
development reveals that some things some churches are holding on to are
no longer relevant. He said “I was once in the Deeper Life many years
ago. I know some of them are no longer practicable in the 21st century.
For the son of General Superintendent who was raised in Pastor Kumuyi’s
house and the girl in question who is the daughter of another General
Superintendent of the church in Jamaica, to come and negate the rules
shows that something is wrong with the doctrines they are enforcing. The
couple can’t claim to be ignorant of the doctrines of their father’s
church. The couple can’t claim that they have not seen how those who
have married before them in the church did. The lesson I want the
leadership of the church to learn from this is that they should not go
ahead preaching or forcing things their children or congregation can’t
follow. The world is changing.”
“The suspension itself on a
global society is an infringement on their fundamental human rights. The
couple has apologized openly; why the suspension? Will the suspension
rewind or cancel the wedding if the church had been silent on it? The
couple deliberately wanted to do what they did, and they have done it.
By their pedigree, they knew the rule and they deliberately broke the
rule. It’s also a lesson to Nigerian parents. We should not be too rigid
or harsh on our children; we should give them an element of freedom,
because time is changing from the time we were born.”
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