Copyright © 2011 by Femi Bitrus Adeleye
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STEP PUBLISHERS Copyright © 2011 by Femi Bitrus Adeleye Published 2011 by HippoBooks, an imprint of WordAlive, ACTS, Step, and Zondervan. WordAlive Publishers, PO Box 4547, GP0-00100, Nairobi, Kenya www.wordalivepublishers.org Africa Christian Textbooks (ACTS), TCNN, PMB 2020, Bukuru 930008, Plateau State, Nigeria www.africachristiantextbooks.com Step Publishers, PO Box AN 11150, Accra-North, Ghana www.stepbooks.org Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49530 www.zondervan.com Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Adeleye, Femi. Preachers of a different gospel : a pilgrim's reflections on contemporary trends in Christianity / Femi Bitrus Adeleye. p. cm. Originally published: Kampala, Uganda : IFES Anglophone Africa, 1999. Includes bibliographical references. ISBN 978-9-966-00315-7 (softcover) 1. Christianity--21st century. I. Title. BR121.3.A34 2011 270.8'3--dc22 2011006832 All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage or retrieval system without permission in writing from the publisher. All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, Today’s New International Version®, TNIV®. Copyright © 2001, 2005 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. Cover design: Luz Design, projectluz.com Book design: To a Tee Ltd, www.2at.com 11 12 13 14 15 16 /DCI/ 26 25 24 23 22 21 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 9966003150_PreachDiffGospel_int_cs5.indd iv 3/25/11 2:26 PM CONTENTS Acknowledgements. vii Abbreviations . ix The Gospel According to the Modern Preacher . xi 1 Introduction . 1 2 Strange Times, Strange Gospel. 5 3 Between the Cross and Champagne . 15 4 Charismatic Renewal and Confusion . 29 5 The “Modern” Preachers . 41 6 Misreading the Scriptures. 51 7 Counterfeit Faith . 61 8 The Delusions of Prosperity . 75 9 The God Man Uses . 107 10 Phoney Christianity . 117 11 Authentic Christianity . 129 Notes . .143 PPreachersDifferentGospel.inddreachersDifferentGospel.indd v 33/22/11/22/11 33:02:02 PMPM THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO THE MODERN PREACHER Strong on Pentecost … but weak on the cross. Strong on celebration … but weak on contemplation. Strong on rejoicing, weak on refl ection; strong on vocalising, weak on meditation. Strong on power and authority … but weak on submission and humility. Strong on the place of noise and shouts … but weak on the role of silence in the formation of the saints. Strong on external forms of spirituality but weak on inner renewal. Strong on deeds … but weak on being. Strong on faith … but weak on patience. Strong on the gifts of the Spirit but weak on the fruit of the Spirit. Gullible on prosperity … but frugal on integrity. Gullible on possessing … but frugal on renouncing. Strong on self gratifi cation but weak on self sacrifi ce. PPreachersDifferentGospel.inddreachersDifferentGospel.indd xixi 33/22/11/22/11 33:02:02 PMPM xii Preachers of a Different Gospel This strange gospel … strong on zeal but weak in knowledge and purity. Turned from faith in God … to faith in faith. Turned from trust in God to trust in man. Did someone once say, “Seek ye fi rst the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you”? This strange gospel says, “Seek ye fi rst the riches of this world and the fullness thereof, and the kingdom of God shall be added unto you.” PPreachersDifferentGospel.inddreachersDifferentGospel.indd xiixii 33/22/11/22/11 33:02:02 PMPM 1 INTRODUCTION grew up being taught that, “If anyone is in Christ, the new creation I has come: the old has gone, the new is here” (2 Cor 5:17). The lady who led me to Christ, Mama Mary Frank-Kirkpatrick, made me understand this truth. I believed it wholeheartedly – and still do. Her simple but clear explanation of that verse was just what I needed. Even though I was only thirteen, I knew something was wrong with my ability to do right or please God. Having been brought up in a strict Baptist home, I had a good understanding of the difference between right and wrong, and desired to do right to please both God and my parents. But much of my attempt to please my mother was a failure. I knew most of what I should not do, but I kept doing it all the same. I wanted to please God and go to heaven but I realised if I could hardly please my mother by doing the right things, there was no way I could meet the standards of a righteous God. So when Mama Kirkpatrick told me Jesus was able to give me a new heart and make me a brand-new person, I was quite ready for that to happen. Her simple but clear explanation of the gospel gripped my sinful heart and brought a new light into my life. I went on to trust Jesus as my Saviour and Lord. My life was changed. Mama Kirkpatrick also taught me that without holiness, no one shall see the Lord. I believed it wholeheartedly – and still do. All through high school, preliminary college and university, I affi rmed a gospel that emphasised repentance, renewal, and Christ-likeness. We honestly sang, “Things are different now, something happened to me when I gave my life to Jesus.” That something was transformation. Our goal was to be like Jesus in all of our life. We were well taught and believed that, “Blessed are the pure PPreachersDifferentGospel.inddreachersDifferentGospel.indd 1 33/22/11/22/11 33:02:02 PMPM 2 Preachers of a Different Gospel in heart, for they will see God” (Matt 5:8). Also, “He who says he abides in him ought himself also so to walk just as he walked” (1 John 2:6). Through the ministry of the Fellowship of Christian Students (FCS) and later the Nigeria Fellowship of Evangelical Students (NIFES), we were well-schooled in the meaning of Christian commitment and discipleship. We were also given rigorous discipleship training by Calvary Productions (CAPRO), an indigenous mission group, and by Scripture Union (SU). These were signifi cant foundations which have remained irreplaceable. Now, you must realise those were ancient days. These are modern days and things are quite different now. Really, really different. Let me illustrate: An advert for an evangelistic crusade in Zaria, one of the major cities in Nigeria, read something like this: Are you barren? Come to Jesus, Are you a failure? Come to Jesus. Are you poor and want prosperity? Are all your plans not working out? Are you sick? Are you being attacked? Come to Jesus, Come and be healed. Claim your inheritance and prosperity. On the surface, this appeal seems all right. But a man who examined the list of needs on the poster might decide that he didn’t fi t into any of those categories. He would conclude that he did not need Jesus. But let us assume that this man went to the crusade and all the needs listed were met. What would happen then? He would have been helped to escape some of the realities of life but might remain lost in his sins. Is this evangelism? The danger is not just that the means and methods of evangelism have become cheap and commercialised but that the very heart of the gospel is being corrupted. The popular trend is that people are no longer attracted to Jesus for who he is or because they need a Saviour to save them from their sins. Rather, they are lured to Jesus for the blessings or benefi ts they can claim from him. Welcome to the gospel according to the modern preacher. PPreachersDifferentGospel.inddreachersDifferentGospel.indd 2 33/22/11/22/11 33:02:02 PMPM Introduction 3 It is not too diffi cult to discern that there is a new gospel in town. Its impact is refl ected in the songs sung in fellowship meetings and some churches. Several years ago, it was common to hear saved people sing, I have decided to follow Jesus I have decided to follow Jesus I have decided to follow Jesus No turning back, no turning back Or If I gained the world but not the Saviour … Songs like these have been overtaken by songs like, “I am a millionaire”, or “I am a winner” and even “I shall not die”. In the past Christians sang, “With Christ in the vessel, I smile at the storm”. Today, no storms are expected in a Christian’s life. Life is meant to be trial-free if one is in Christ. Whereas even non-Christians sang, “This world is not my home”, it is more common today to sing, “This is my Father’s world, why should the devil have all the riches?” The same difference is noticeable in the favourite memory verses of the day. Whereas verses like, “He must become greater; I must become less” (John 3:30) were once popular, today it is more popular to assert, “We shall be the head and not the tail” (Deut 28:13), even when we have not worked enough, or “We are gods” in gross misinterpretation of the context of Psalm 82:6 and John 10:34. The shift from a Christocentric gospel to one that appeals more to the satisfaction of our immediate appetites has produced what has been described as “adulterated” or “fraudulent” Christianity. It has also been called a “fl uffy” or “cross-less” gospel. One pastor bluntly calls it the gospel of greed.