The-Ave.US

Chinazor Onianwah  So in 1990, I had this inspiration to study theology and become a minister. Luckily I was ordained and hired at a growing congregation. This was right in the prime of Afrocentrism. But what inspired me to minister was the word of Jesus, “the truth shall set you free,” and I was determined to set myself and many free in the name of Jesus.

There was clamor for African approach to the scriptures and I met the need. I was assigned to minister to the youths. This teenager asked a question point blank: is it a sin to be homosexual? I could tell he was asking the question for himself but I pretended not to know that. And I gave him a point blank answer: No. It was his turn to be shocked. He expected that as a minister, I should have said yes. The rest of the kids snickered as teenagers do.

The kids expected me to elaborate. So I reminded them how Jesus answered the question from a Pharisee if they should pay tax to Caesar? ….give to Caesar what is Caesar….” I told the class that there is God’s law and there is man’s law and Jesus reminded the Pharisee to obey God’s law and obey Caesar’s law.

The greatest conflict in doctrine today arises where the pulpit teaches that God’s law is above man’s law and then those who don’t share the same doctrine but are under the authority of men who share that doctrine start a conflict. Sharia is a good example of that. According to the laws of the United States, you have a right to be who you are, but if you belong in a group and they believe it is wrong you have to decide if you want to belong in that group or not.

At that time I did not know he was the son of the pastor who hired me. Well I was relieved of my position for teaching the kids the wrong gospel. Since then, many churches and prominent pastors have reversed themselves. They now teach tolerance for homosexuality and it is now lawful for gays to be married in the United States.

I wasn’t expecting the pastor to call me back. His congregation is now about 10,000. Even if he called me and apologized I still wouldn’t go back. I quit the pulpit a while back. While they may have reversed themselves on homosexuality, they are still obsessively focused on extracting every dime from the congregation and I can’t stand it. However, the bastion of hypocrisy, greed and lies from the pulpit remains Nigeria. I cannot think of any place besides Nigeria, where intelligent people flock like sheep to a slaughter house to be lied to by thieves and the politicians who invested in the churches. It’s even worse when they pay tithes to be lied to.