Tag: Politics
The Political Dimension Of The Church (Part 1)
The church is a spiritual federation. The architecture of the church is similar to that of the internet. There’s no single point of failure. The gates of hell cannot prevail. Matthew 16:18. The brand architecture of the church is what we will call endorsed brand architecture in my line of work. There are various forms of brand architecture but the one employed by Jesus is endorsed architecture. It means Jesus endorses each ministry franchise with his brand name. Pastors are franchisees. The franchise model allows for local variations and adaptations; it also allows for the personality of the pastor. […]
The Church And State
The year 2018 was annus horribilis for the Pentecostal movement. It was the year the image of the Pentecostal pastor sank so low many pastors dropped the honorific from their social media handles. The word “pastor’ became synonymous with greed, avarice and exploitation. It was the year of the concerted crusade against the payment of tithe. The income of many ministries dropped.
Why Is The Church Politically Weak?
For you to move the dial in a democracy you must have numbers, money, intellect, structure and network. The church has all five elements and yet she’s politically weak. The question is, why? There are a number of reasons the church is politically weak. Some of the factors are structural, some conceptual. […]
What If Jesus Ran For Governor In Ibadan
Going by banners and posters the city of Ibadan in western Nigeria has to be the most interesting political landscape in the run up to the 2019 gubernatorial election in that nation. The city has always had colourful politicians. There was Adegoke Adelabu of the “Penkelemes” fame in the First Republic. For the uninitiated, “penkelemes” Read more about What If Jesus Ran For Governor In Ibadan[…]
The Political Mission of Jesus
Religiosity is an amazing thing. It locks us into a mind-set, blinds us to the patently blatant. It is religiosity that blinds us from seeing Jesus as a political figure, even when almost every page in the Bible screams the fact. “Messiah” is a political figure not a religious figure. “Messiah” means “anointed one.” Anointing is political investiture of power and authority, it is not a cold feeling coursing through your veins reminiscent of the downing of a very cold bottle of Coke.
The Political Church
If we want to create a difference in the destiny of Nigeria the church must re-strategise. Those Elijah-ic pronouncements from pulpits are not working. At best they’re moral voices. Though needful more is required. Our cause is not helped by misconception of what Christianity is. And there are several misconceptions about Christianity out there, even by Christians. […]
Photizo
There is a very curious piece of scripture you’ve probably read several times but probably not paid much attention to. It has a depth of meaning unimaginable, and it helps us to understand the world. It is John 1:1-9.
John 1:1-9 NLT: “In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. He existed in the beginning with God. God created everything through him, and nothing was created except through him. The Word gave life to everything that was created, and his life brought light to everyone. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it. God sent a man, John the Baptist, to tell about the light so that everyone might believe because of his testimony. John himself was not the light; he was simply a witness to tell about the light. The one who is the true light, WHO GIVES LIGHT TO EVERYONE, was coming into the world.” John 1:1-9 NLT. […]
The Church and Politics (Part 16): The Christian President
We continue the series, The Church and Politics. If you’ve not been following the series please go to www.myilluminare.com/the-church-and-politics/ to read the last fifteen instalments.
Christians naturally want a Christian on the dais of power, just as adherents of other faiths want their faithful on the dais of power. There is a significant desire among Christians for a Christian President therefore. The advantage of a Christian President to the Christian community is obvious. He or she will protect the faith. And some imagine such a President will proclaim Christianity state religion as the political resolution of the great commission. This is of course impossible in a true democracy without trampling on rights. Besides, the idea of proselytization by compulsion is alien to Christian doctrine. […]
The Church and Politics (Part 14): The Four Freedoms
We continue the series, The Church and Politics. If you’ve not been following the series please go to www.myilluminare.com/the-church-and-politics/ to read the last thirteen instalments.
The paradox of Christianity is that it is at once an inclusive and exclusive concept. The inclusivity of the Christian worldview lies in the fact that God threw an open invitation for salvation to the whole world: “This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his one and only Son. And this is why: so that NO ONE need be destroyed; by believing in him, ANYONE can have a whole and lasting life.” John 3:16 MSG. And he backed that initial invite up with yet another invite, like some sort of confirmation: “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28 NLT And so in Christianity everyone is welcome – the rich, the poor, the tired, the weary, the socially disadvantaged, the intellectual, the simple, the troubled, the depressed, the messed up… everyone is welcome! […]
The Church and Politics (Part 13): The Money Factor
Welcome to this instalment of the series, The Church and Politics. If you’ve not been following the series please go to www.myilluminare.com/the-church-and-politics/ to read the last twelve instalments.
However much we hate the fact, money is the lubricant of politics. Money gives you a seat at the table. There’s an economic cost attached to changing people’s perspective. If you want to change a point of view, or cause people to switch allegiance in a democracy, there’s required spending. Man responds to his material makeup. He responds to images because he’s made from an image. He responds to words because he’s made from words. Genesis 1:26-27. Imagery and words are tools of political persuasion. They cost money, a lot of money. Media costs money. The richer the country the more expensive media is. But the poorer the people the cheaper it is to persuade them to vote a particular candidate. They’re focused on survival. They’re desperate. Third world politicians know how to exploit this factor. And so the people cast their vote in a particular direction in exchange for something as basic as a loaf of bread. It’s Esau Syndrome – the trading of birth right. The Bible calls such foreign exchange transaction profanity. Hebrews 12:16 KJV. Some ingeniously label this “stomach infrastructure.” It’s essentially vote in exchange for food – an intestinal affidavit of poverty.