The rise of charismatic church ministries owned by individual preachers has become problematic. These clerics account to no one but themselves. In simple terms, they are a law unto themselves. As a result, they do as they please.
Last year, a Pretoria-based preacher made his followers eat grass like cattle. According to the preacher, he made them eat grass to “bring them closer to God”.
Is this a new or creative way of bringing believers closer to God?
The world was shocked by the preachers’ unconventional way of practicing miracles. But he remain unrepentant. He since has pulled another stunt: he supposedly turned petrol into juice and made his followers drink it. Interestingly, in the videos that are in circulation, we’ve never seen the leader eating grass or drinking petrol-turned-into-juice. I wonder why.
Since then, spiritual leaders who perform miracles in an unusual way have multiplied. Interestingly, most of them are from Pretoria, especially in Soshanguve – no pun intended. In addition, they are young and charismatic.
The recent case is that one of Prophet Penuel Mnguni of End Times Disciples Ministries, in Soshanguve. Mnguni made his followers eat parts of a snake, saying it would taste like a snake.
He asserted: “We have authority to change everything into anything and it will obey because of our authority.”
There are media reports that a pastor in Brazil, Picano Valdezi convinced his church that his sperm is “holy milk”. According to media reports, Valdezi had to sleep with a woman to release the holy milk. The man is nothing but a sex maniac. It’s a relief that he has been apprehended for raping his followers. Are these the signs of end times?
It is clear that these leaders thrive in controversy. They crave for attention and publicity. More interestingly, they are popular and treated like celebrities. What are they being celebrated for? For misleading the world?
There is no doubt that they have brought the gospel of Christ into disrepute. However, there won’t be consequences for them. That’s the sad reality. Meaning that they will continue doing what they are doing with impunity.
These preachers are giving Christianity a bad name. The world does no longer take Christians seriously because of them. The world sees believers as gullible fools who are being taken for a ride by ambitious pastors.
Christians should wake up and smell the coffee: they are being used by these unscrupulous leaders for their selfish reasons. And there is no one who is going put a stop to this nonsense either than Christians themselves.
The ball is in their court.
