CELEBRATING ADEBOYE…

That is why in spite of the fact that this man stands for everything they love to hate: the preeminence of the Holy Spirit in the affairs of man even today; a strong belief in the miraculous; the inviolability of Scripture and a strong moral code based on its dictates, Adeboye could not be excluded from the list. In spite of the fact that what Newsweek saw was "euphoria", when "hundreds of people rushed toward the stage from every corner of the arena" in response to the altar call, after "Adeboye and his ministers preached 12 hours straight to a crowd of 30,000…at a recent revival meeting in London", they couldn't deny the honesty of this man of God. Wrote Ms Miller, possibly with a tinge of regret: "Behind Adeboye's extraordinary success is his reputation for honesty. While other Pentecostal pastors, including some Nigerians, have been accused of financial misdeeds or faking supernatural powers, Adeboye remains above the fray…”

The Bible, the engrafted word of God, is forever true. When it says in
the book of Proverbs that "When a man's ways please the Lord, he maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him" (Proverbs 16:7), it has to be true. That's demonstrated very powerfully by the inclusion of Pastor Enoch Adejare Adeboye in Newsweek 50, the international magazine's list of the most influential persons on the face of the
earth at this moment.

It was grudging, to say the least. He was number 48 on a list that
featured such names as Iran's Ayatollah Ali Khamenei (11), North
Korean dictator, Kim Jong Il (12) and the enigmatic evil known as
Osama bin Laden (42). To the discerning, the headline was cynical and
the writer, Lisa Miller apparently laboured through the assignment. If
you doubt that, let's read it together.

Headlined, A Pentecostal Preacher from Nigeria Has Made Big Plans to
Save Your Soul, you could feel sarcasm dripping from the partly
uninformed piece, which is the result of the ultra-liberal worldview
of its writer. Read that headline again.

The introductory paragraph put out verifiable facts and figures only
as claims by the man of God. It reads in part: "…He boasts that his
church has outposts in 110 countries. He has 14,000 branches—claiming
5 million members—in his home country of Nigeria alone. There are 360
RCCG churches in Britain, and about the same number in U.S. cities
like Chicago, Dallas, and Tallahassee, Fla. Adeboye says he has sent
missionaries to China and such Islamic countries as Pakistan and
Malaysia. His aspirations are outsize. He wants to save souls, and he
wants to do so by planting churches the way Starbucks used to build
coffee shops: everywhere."

Ms Miller quoted Adeboye as telling Newsweek: "In the developing world
we say we want churches to be within five minutes' walk of every
person. In the developed world, we say five minutes of driving." She
then cynically added: "Such a goal may seem outlandish, but Adeboye is
a Pentecostal preacher: he believes in miracles…"

Lisa, Newsweek's Society/Religion Editor, whose most recent
contribution to religious education through the magazine, was a pack
of lies, laden with deliberate scriptural misquotations arguing that
gay marriages can be Biblically supported, proceeded to pour scorn on
Pentecostalism.

Under the guise of the sound professional practice of backgrounding a
story, she wrote: "Modern Pentecostalism was born in America in the
early 20th century, when a former Methodist minister named Charles
Parham began teaching that Christians who were filled with the Holy
Spirit could, like the disciples of Jesus, speak in tongues. (The
sound, for those who have not heard it, is extraordinary: like
crooning or keening or jibber jabber.) From the start, the faith
appealed across ethnic lines to the poor and the marginalized. Its
lack of denominational structure meant 'you didn't have to have a
highly trained and educated clergy with a long graduate education,'
says Vinson Synan, dean emeritus of the divinity school at Regent
University. 'Common people [were] pastoring common people.'
Televangelist healers like Oral Roberts helped keep the movement
growing."

To Lisa's trained liberal ears, when Pentecostals, of whom Adeboye is
an acknowledged leader, speak in tongue, they sound "like crooning or
keening or jibber jabber." Then of course, this brand of Christianity,
according to her and those of her school of thought, to whom she
turned for authentication of her views, appeals only to the "poor",
"marginalized" and "uneducated."

Even when she conceded some good to the movement, Lisa was
condescending: "An emphasis on prosperity and healing attracts
converts without savings accounts or health insurance. The emphasis on
Biblical inerrancy and on rigid social rules—no drinking, no smoking,
no premarital sex—offers structure for people whose lives have been
devastated by addiction or illness…" In Lisa's world, if you had a
savings account and can afford health insurance; if you are addiction-
or illness-free, Pentecostalism will hold little or no appeal to you.
In other words, Pentecostalism is for the scum of the earth.

For Newsweek and its Religion editor and columnist, it must have been
unthinkable, even painful that one of the leaders of this movement in
Africa could find his way into a group of people they describe as
Global Elites. They would rather have included many more notorious
terrorists and others of satanic influence, under the pretext of being
balanced, than to include this wonderful man of God. Incidentally,
Pope Benedict XVI is the only other Christian clergy man on the list.
But, like we said, the Bible remains true forever and ever. "When GOD
approves of your life, even your enemies will end up shaking your
hand." That is why in spite of the fact that this man stands for
everything they love to hate: the preeminence of the Holy Spirit in
the affairs of man even today; a strong belief in the miraculous; the
inviolability of Scripture and a strong moral code based on its
dictates, Adeboye could not be excluded from the list.

In spite of the fact that what Newsweek saw was "euphoria", when
"hundreds of people rushed toward the stage from every corner of the
arena" in response to the altar call, after "Adeboye and his ministers
preached 12 hours straight to a crowd of 30,000…at a recent revival
meeting in London", they couldn't deny the honesty of this man of God.
Wrote Ms Miller, possibly with a tinge of regret: "Behind Adeboye's
extraordinary success is his reputation for honesty. While other
Pentecostal pastors, including some Nigerians, have been accused of
financial misdeeds or faking supernatural powers, Adeboye remains
above the fray. Nigerian government leaders seek his input on pressing
social issues. He recently made a public-service announcement
condemning discrimination against people with HIV… He distributes his
message globally through Facebook and MySpace…and a digital-cable
channel called Open Heavens TV."

Cynical to the end, Miller concluded her strangely ironic citation by
recalling what she described as a "miracle recently." We know it is no
longer recent! According to her, he was driving on a long and
dangerous stretch of highway near Lagos, when his car ran out of gas,
and the gas stations were empty. She quoted the man of God as saying
that God told him to keep driving and thereafter drove 200 miles on
empty. Doubting, she asked, could his gas gauge have been broken?
According to her, "No, he insists, God intervened 'because of the need
… in a crisis.'"

As the Bible clearly stated, whom God has lifted, nobody can pull
down. Therefore, to Pastor Enoch Adejare Adeboye, OON, General
Overseer, Redeemed Christian Church of God worldwide, Kingdom
Perspective says a hearty congratulations, sir.

…AND KAKÁ
Also included in Newsweek 50 is a young man I have celebrated in this
column before. Kaka, the 2007 World Footballer of the Year was number
on the list and mercifully, Newsweek found an unbiased writer to
handle his citation in Kasey Keller, a four-time World Cup goalie for
the US who currently plays for the English Premiership club, Fulham.
Keller recalled his first encounter with Kaka during the 2003 CONCACAF
Gold Cup. He said he felt he was "something special"; and that he "had
the tools to become one of the world's top players".

He has not disappointed, he said as he has since then been "named
both FIFA World Player of the Year and European footballer of the year
in 2007" and "helped his club, Italy's AC Milan, to European and world
titles last year. He's an attacking midfielder with tremendous
technical ability and great size, and is good in the air. He is the
total footballer."

Continuing, Keller said "there is, however, more to him than sport. In
2004, Kaká became the U.N. World Food Program's youngest ambassador.
And he is devoted to his faith. An evangelical Christian, Kaká has
talked publicly about becoming a minister when he retires from the
game. After winning the European Champions League final last year, he
took off his jersey to reveal a T shirt that read, 'I Belong to
Jesus.'"

His conclusion: "I might question whether soccer stadiums are the
right venue for promoting religion, but in an age in which many
professional athletes care more about cars, women and controversy,
it's refreshing to see one who is committed to having a positive
impact on the world around him."
Bravo, Ricardo Izecson dos Santos Leite, aka, Kaka.