I support the stance that churches should be regulated.
Today preachers own churches and account to no one but themselves. So they do as they please. Should they be left to continue doing as they wish?
Not so long ago, Penuel Mnguni from Pretoria fed his followers a snake saying it tastes like chocolate.
Before that, his spiritual father Daniel Mosoue gave his congregants petrol that supposedly was turned into juice. And there were no consequences for the tricks they pulled. Isn’t that nonsense?
The Commission for the Promotion and Protection of the Right of Cultural, Religious and Linguistic Communities has set up an enquiry to investigate rogue churches. But pastors are up in arms opposing the commission conducting an enquiry into these churches. They are actually not against the investigation but the approach, they say. They feel consultation was not done widely enough, if at all. Maybe, maybe not.
My sense is that churches don’t want to be regulated. But it’s about time they be regulated. There is a desperate need for that. We cannot let the likes of Mnguni and Mosoue continue making a mockery of the gospel of Christ any longer. And also make a fool out of desperate believers.
Preachers openly manipulate their followers to give them money, and even brag about that.
There is also no financial accountability in the church. To make matters worse, there is no regulation against that. So the commission setting up an enquiry is a step in the right direction.
What do churches do with their money? Do they do what they are supposed to with church funds? There is a veil of secrecy. But if they don’t have anything to hide, let them take the public into confidence and open their books for scrutiny.
Will the commission get on with its duty on the matter? It appears to be having many hurdles to overcome. The toothless South African Council of Churches has requested the commission to halt the enquiry, bowing down to the pressure of bling pastors, until issues raised by the concerned pastors are attended to.
The commission must not be bullied by these powerful preachers and get on with its duty, as expected. And it must leave no stone unturned in its enquiry. But I doubt these preachers will cooperate with the commission. I also doubt if the commission will reach a satisfactory conclusion. We can only hope for the best.
