I wanted to avoid the ongoing debate on pastors and fake miracles until I read about Kenyan pastor Paul Mackenzie, who was recently convicted for starving his followers to death and the murder of 190 children. As commentators, we have an obligation to drive public discourse on critical issues such as faith, culture and religion that shape society.
Lately, the East African social media space has been awash with stories of Mackenzie in Kenya and the feud between Ugandan pastors and businessman Frank Gashumba over the authenticity of miracles.
We cannot ignore these stories because lives are at stake, to the detriment of spirituality, morality and religion.
The debate started when the maverick pundit called pastors out over claims of healing patients without professional medical treatment, and promises of overnight wealth.
For the first time, netizens across all divides united behind Mr Gashumba and like minds to challenge stage-managed healings.
Amid the applause, I noticed retaliation from some pastors and Pentecostals against calls for transparency and accountability.
In my view, the abuses and curses directed at Mr Gashumba were uncalled for and beneath the ‘men of God’.
I expected restraint and intellectual engagement. They could have taken the biblical path of turning the other cheek (Matthew 5:39), or demonstrated a public healing as in Mark 2:11, where Jesus told a man, ‘I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home’ to silence the Pharisees and sceptics.
Failing to respond with logic, civility and spirituality, some pastors cited infringement on freedom of worship guaranteed under Article 29(1)(c) and Article 37 of the Constitution.
Article 29(1) (c) states that a person shall practice, belong to, or participate in the practices of any religious body in ways consistent with the supreme laws of the land, while Article 29(1) (b) guarantees freedom of worship and association.
However, Article 29 (1) (c) is increasingly being manipulated, which contravenes the Palermo Protocol, the United Nations instrument that was designed to protect human beings from all forms of exploitation.
By rejecting constructive criticism and accountability, these new reformation leaders are turning freedom of worship into freedom of exploitation.
Some neo-Pentecostal and oneness pastors have exploited Christianity for personal enrichment and power, tactically extorting money and property from the poor by promising jobs, better living standards, healing, travel opportunities and marriage partners.
Offerings and tithes were traditionally voluntary in Catholic, Anglican, Adventist, Orthodox and Islamic faiths until some new evangelical denominations began coercing congregations to give fixed, large amounts to earn blessings and miracles.
Yet no scripture shows God putting a price tag on miracles, mercy, forgiveness and blessings.
Lest we forget, Jesus Christ himself said in Matthew 21:13, ‘My House shall be called a house of prayer, but you have made it a den of thieves’, and in Matthew 7:15 warned, ‘Beware of false prophets that will come in my name.’
Can you imagine a prominent city Pastor promising energetic young men that they will become billionaires in just 90 days through sprinkled water? The irony is that the Pastor himself is not ranked among Africa’s billionaires.
Exploitation goes beyond empty financial promises. It is also psychological and becomes physical when some self-proclaimed men of God sexually harass young boys and girls, while others fuel faith and gender-based violence that breaks marriages and families.
I saw a viral TikTok video of a pastor in Zimbabwe purporting to be calling God directly on cell phone while a prophet in Kenya claimed to chat with God on WhatsApp during church service. These are no longer drama skits but pure deceit, intellectual insults and blasphemy.
And anyone who tries to hold them accountable is quickly reminded that, ‘Touch not the Lord’s anointed’ (Psalm 105:15)
Many African countries have not only refused to regulate the multimillion-dollar sector, but have gone ahead to religious leaders, firearms, bodyguards, monetary support, and public land.
Quote me well: there are genuine religious leaders who perform genuine miracles, but the idea of turning miracles into an attraction for followers has lured many pastors into faking miracles, thus turning the freedom of worship into exploitation.
It turns into exploitation when the public cannot hold perpetrators accountable.
When freedom of worship turns into exploitation, the spiritual pact is broken, the church becomes a fiefdom of pulpit merchants obsessed with wealth accumulation, and followers become slaves.