Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor "The first is to encourage people, as individuals and groups to seek the face of God on who to vote for at each level. Our goal ought to be to cause the body of Christ to use the ballot to enforce the will of God; not our individual preferences. This is a critical assignment. The second level is at the level of influencing those who might not be spiritual enough to discern the voice of God and do not trust other vessels. The church must provide a kind of issues platform for such people. For instance, such a platform might include a demonstrable commitment to eradication of illiteracy; a welfare policy that assists the poor and the weak; denunciation of corruption, including public declaration of assets; and commitment to scriptural position on sexuality and sanctity of life."
Two major triumphs in recent history, I have suggested, have brought the Nigerian Church to these defining moments – an historical juncture where it is being presented with options and opportunities from which it must, of necessity choose; a choice, which once made, will define its place in the national scheme of things.
The triumphs as pointed out in the earlier parts of this serial, were the successful transition from the former executive of Christian Association of Nigeria to the current Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor-led executive, in spite of the initial acrimony that attended the process. The second was the convening of the Christian Consultative Forum of Nigeria, which met, dispassionately surveyed the status quo, read Christians and their leaders something akin to the riot act in a communiqué and was mandated to draw up an action plan to refocus the body of Christ.
As stated last time, “of the several fronts where the church must make critical choices and take courageous actions, the April general elections and the opportunity for the Nigerian nation to chart a new course politically, economically and socially that they present. And as recent events have confirmed, there’s also the never-been-more-urgent need for the protection of the lives and rights (religious and civil) of Nigerian Christians particularly in the north of Nigeria”.
And as has also been explained, 2011 and the first few years of this Jubilee decade have become of such strategic historical significance, essentially because of the comparative state of readiness of the Church as exemplified by the recent battles and victories already referred to. To put it as we did the last time, this writer is of the conviction that “for the first time in a long, long time, the Church seems willing in these days of the Lord’s power” (see Psalm 110:3).
The CCFN communiqué, I have been saying, clearly indicated “a dispassionate and, I believe, largely Holy Spirit-led diagnosis of the situation we faced then and still do today” and “can…provide the way forward for the Church as it seeks to be “salt and light” to our nation. The CCFN was a body convened by Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor as President of Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria, during the political crisis, which resulted from the ill-health and subsequent death of the late President Umar Yar’Adua.
We noted last time that the communiqué emphasised in virtually every clause, the need for the Church to put its house in order, if it’s going to be able to “lead in the transformation of our nation…”
In this connection, it says, “the Church cannot be transformed if it has not been working to develop its own leaders and champions amongst its members. The church must therefore instil discipline amongst its members, sanction erring members and develop new leaders in the way of the Lord… restore the right values, re-establish high standards in corporate and public governance and social behaviour, and to adopt good discipline, and establish a reliable system for ensuring consistently good performance… its leaders must lead with integrity, honesty of purpose, and speak out forcefully against the ills of country’s leaders. The church must also teach and develop its members into leaders and must promote integrity and discipline, encourage austere living and generosity and discourage…materialism.”
Now, it is not clear how far the Forum has gone with its action plan. But one thing is certain, there is no better time to birth that plan than now when the convener of CCFN is the helmsman at the umbrella body, CAN and at this point where virtually everybody expects the Church to play a critical role in taking the Nigerian nation to the next level. To delay any further is to miss an historical opportunity to preserve this nation. Irrespective of the prevalent opinion that prognosis to the effect that the corporate existence of the nation is under severe threat, the reality is that those prognosis can only be dismissed to our peril. And you see, dear reader, it’s not just about our politics and economics; it’s about the morality, the values, the spiritual force that drives both.
The election provides the church an opportunity to step in with the force of Christian ethics to enable us get it right this time. For instance, the Register-Select-Vote-Protect (RSVP) campaign is quite good and the enthusiasm with which Nigerians are trooping out for the current voter registration exercise is indicative of a welcome change. But, I tell you, the Church must offer guidance to its congregation about how to select and vote. This needs to be done at two levels.
The first is to encourage people, as individuals and groups to seek the face of God on who to vote for at each level. Our goal ought to be to cause the body of Christ to use the ballot to enforce the will of God; not our individual preferences. This is a critical assignment. The second level is at the level of influencing those who might not be spiritual enough to discern the voice of God and do not trust other vessels. The church must provide a kind of issues platform for such people. For instance, such a platform might include a demonstrable commitment to eradication of illiteracy; a welfare policy that assists the poor and the weak; denunciation of corruption, including public declaration of assets; and commitment to scriptural position on sexuality and sanctity of life. If this takes a Manhattan Declaration type of document, so be it.
Space, unfortunately does not allow me to take on the issue of protection of the lives and properties of Christians in the nation, generally but in the north of Nigeria in particular. As I write this, reports of fresh killing of our brethren in Maiduguri was hitting the airwaves and calls on Christians to “defend yourselves” were already going out. Do I agree with such calls and what choices are available to the Church? Please join me as I conclude (finally) this serial next week. Thank you.
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