The average Nigerian father that I know is a funny character, a thief; a robber and a murderer.  He is so much given to calling himself and parading himself, before children of God as a father, riding roughshod over the injunction of Jesus Christ who warned: “Call no man your father upon the earth; for one is your Father, which is in heaven.” (Matthew 23:9)

Has the holy scriptures not stated unequivocally that children are an heritage of the Lord (Psalm 127:3) but the Nigerian father lays every claim to the ownership of the child (even if it would take him to prove it through DNA) instead of understanding the fact that he is only a custodian who willy nilly, must give stewardship to his creator and God who is Our Father who hath in Heaven.

There is little wonder why he continues to read upside down, matters concerning:” profit withal ” as laid down on gifts, (1 Corinthians 12:7 ) thus equating children as gifts of the womb to be exploited for selfish gain .

Mind it, his number One prayer is consciously to convert children as direct retirement benefits, lusting wishfully in exploiting the proverb that says: “when a rabbit becomes old it is the breast of its little ones which it sucks voraciously.” Another way of reaping where he had not sown for, would it not amount to vanity building a house which foundation God has not laid?

It is for this same reason why he revels in misconceiving and misinterpreting the meaning and purpose of education (educare: lead out the potentials )  where-in he goads the innocent child into choosing a career that serves only his own ego and lust because he wants to be referred to in public as: “Baba doctor,” his delight being propelled to breed doctorate degrees after the young man who was naturally caught out as a genius in the world of music, art and drama.

When you hear Jesus Christ saying in John 10:8 that all who came before Him were thieves and robbers, He is referring to the Nigerian father, wearing the direct pictures of old prophets and priests who, in the old Testament, were fond of fleecing the sheep while fleeing, tails between their legs at the approach of danger, persecution and threat to their lives, leaving the fold, tail between their legs as sheep are left without a shepherd.

READ ALSO: Tinubu: W’Africa must turn demographic strength, others into jobs

Who is a thief but one who lays claim to and defend what does not belong to him.  Do prophets who run away and abandon their sheep at the approach of danger or death the owner of their lives to which they are apparently clinging to?

You have heard nothing yet. The Nigerian father shares the same Ministry with the Biblical thief who cometh to steal, kill and destroy the Nigerian child. In Nigeria, he is a replica of his great, great grandfather, author of lying and lies; the same man who steadily accomplished his deadly mission in the Garden of Eden, He stole furtively into the place of pleasure and overturned the table of God’s love, setting the union between God and man, asunder.

Masking himself in the guise of a wise serpent, he concealed his identity, pretending to be a friend of Adam and Eve while bringing before Eve the television of deceit, replacing the radio of obedience which God first placed in the hands of Adam.  It was for this reason, satan appealed more to the vision of Eve, who indeed confessed that the Tree of knowledge of good and evil about which the antagonist canvassed before her equivocally was “pleasant to look at.”

Do you get the import of the message? “To obey is better than sacrifice.” This was the same voice of God which warned King Saul who was guided more by his running appetite for spoils of office than by the instruction communicated to him through Prophet Samuel.

Let’s break it down linguistically because “In the beginning was the Word, the Word was with God, and God was the Word.”

The word: “Obey” and “audio” belong to the same cognate family, as both of them share same Latin root, “oboedire “.

It was from this same linguistic context that Yoruba language and the English language are brothers of the same parents where-in “Igboran” in Yoruba language and “Obedience” in English language appeal more (than any other thing) to hearing by the ear .

Entering inside Eden through the window like a thief (Joel 2:9) Satan, playing the Nigerian father, plotted man’s downfall in which he presented the tree meant to be avoided into the sweet embrace of both husband and wife .

For Jesus Christ, wearing humanity in order to touch humanity, has thus described His second coming on earth, like the coming of a thief. ( Matthew 24:44).

Alas, the average Nigerian Christian and father is a funny character; he is afraid of continuing to be a disciple of Moses’ School of Tit for tat; an eye for an eye in which sinners are stoned to death in the Old Testament…

He has thus become a “thief ” for our sake; wearing our iniquities in order to stop the evil work of the first thief and father of lie. It was not for fun that He died between two thieves; one thief of satan, pompous as the Nigerian father, lay by His left hand side of the Cross of Calvary while the other thief, understanding the work of salvation, worked in humility and self-denial and entered Paradise with Jesus Christ same day.

Wondering how the Nigerian father becomes a murderer like his great, great grandfather?  A thief is a thief but he becomes a robber (and a murderer- in the wait) as soon as he employed violence, and once his identity and heinous mission are detected, detested, revealed and exposed, he would stand at nothing towards killing his victim. This is because, in his bid to cover up what is already exposed, he becomes desperate and violent and would not hesitate to eliminate the man behind his exposure.

Conversely, the Nigerian father whose crave for “chop and quench” appetite, becomes the minister of the Gospel, where-in, rather than being contented to be a custodian of the gifts of God in the church, soon turns his calling into a saccharine Gospel of prosperity and convert  God’s own house into a cathedral of mediocrity, selling prayers and turning the whole place into dens of thieves and robbers. He got walloped for it by the No-nonsense Christ Jesus who invaded his synagogue with “bulala ” beating hell out of him and his prayer merchants, black and blue .

No wonder why, having been identified by Jesus Christ at the Master’s last supper, Judas Iscariot, hearing the bold words of his master which said point blank : “Do it quick ” and urging him to kill Him quick, went for thirty pieces of silver and sold Jesus Christ to the most excruciating pain in which He was crucified between two thieves.

If there be a place where the true father is meant ideally to be revealed, it should be in the church of God.  The church should be the model in which the change from the parochialism of the patriarchs should yield ground to the altruism of the kingdom father.

In his Bible Study at the assembly, Rev. Dr. Harry Boer, (speaking on “Justice and the Kingdom of God – present Reality and Future Hope) defined justice as “equitable human relationships  especially in the economic, political and social spheres.” He also said that “the centre and chief means of extending the Kingdom of God is the church.”

According to his own address, “Equality Before God” delivered at the occasion, Modupe Oduyoye similarly remarked: “It is too easy to take up placards and inscribe slogans on them and demonstrate in Nigeria that ‘all men are equal’. We do not solve the problem of Nigeria without starting somewhere.  Let us start with the church.  Let us in the Church study to treat all men with the equality which God will like to apply to them. Let us make the Church a foretaste of the Kingdom of God.”

In the collection of speeches and reports presented at the 16th General Assembly of The Christian Council of Nigeria in August, 1973, christened “Vision For A People”, Rev. Canon Edmund Ilogu in his own contribution titled “Being A Christian Today ” charged theologians, preachers of the Gospel and leaders of thought to use their knowledge in interpreting the signs of our culturally changing society.

“The wind of change is blowing very fast and vehemently and interpreters of the Gospel of Jesus Christ are needed to help Nigerians have the proper view of the changing society and order aright the priorities by which we cope with the change,” he emphasized.

Alas, the average Nigerian Christian and father is a funny character; he is afraid of continuing to be a disciple of Moses’ School of Tit for tat; an eye for an eye in which sinners are stoned to death in the Old Testament, while he is equally tired of his enrolment in the discipleship of Christ Jesus’ School of turning the other cheek, to live Christ life in the New Testament. No wonder why he continues to propound Doctrine of substitution and selective obedience, playing the Spiritual Nihilist whose theory is neither here nor there.”

It is however easy to cast the first stone at the Nigerian father, but three questions which we must individually ask ourselves, lest we play the  proverbial teacher of morality (who speaks like an angel but live every day like mere mortal) are:

(1) Would the impacts which I am making today as a father, cut across generations to come, even rippling positively into centuries?

(2) Am I truly a father in the real spiritual sense, if I am a father, only in the mouths of my own biological children?

(3) Would non-biological children, through my acts, ever be glad to call me “Father”?

Just thinking aloud.

The post Nigerian fathers: Thieves, robbers and murderers appeared first on Frontpageng.

The usual controversy that surrounds Jesus Christ during this period of the year is whether or not He was born on Christmas Day. There are religious sects and scholars who posit that Jesus could not have been born in December but somewhere in October or November. He was born all the same – and that is all that is important! Other controversies over His Divinity; whether or not He married and raised children; and whether or not He died on the Cross, rose from the dead and ascended into heaven will take, for many, His second coming to dispel or confirm!

However, none of these is our pre-occupation here today. For me, apostle Paul laid all controversies to rest when he posited that while we are yet in this mortal frame and on this earthly plane, we can only know in part and prophesy in part; until we shed mortality for immortality and the corruptible for incorruptible (1 Corinthians 13: 9, 10, 12). The snag, however, is: If anyone waits until he gets there to find out which is which, it might be too late to engage the reverse gear if a need for it becomes desirable!

The other day, someone said relying on scriptures alone to convince believers and unbelievers alike will often hit a brick wall. And my mind went back to those days when the Jehovah Witness people would visit me at home and we would trade tackles from morning till evening. As they quoted one scripture after another, I countered with quotes from Marxism textbooks and the fiery speeches of Marxist heroes – Karl Marx, Frederich Engels, V. I. Lenin, Fidel Castro, Che Guevara, Mao Tse-tung, Amilcar Cabral, among others.

It is madness for anyone to think that the Holy Bible will contradict Jesus. (Mark 3: 22 – 27). For instance, I find it imperative to pay tithe, give offering, sow seeds, help the poor, give to our leaders not because the bible says so but because that is what I necessarily do in other areas of my life. It is the right thing to do to support whatever organisation we belong for it to run well, e.g. our alma mater, social club, village or residents’ association, to mention but a few. There is hardly any one who does not commit financially or otherwise to one or more of such groups.

The Jehovah Witness guys were stunned to learn that the Church not only endorsed the criminal and inhuman enterprise called the Slave Trade but also provided justification and philosophical underpinning for it! Between that disclosure and Marx’s statement that religion is “the opium of the people”, you can imagine which enraged them more!  But both statements are the truth!

The Roman Catholic Church defined the black man as chattel and three-fifth human who, therefore, could be traded as mere commodity or cargo; and who could be bought and sold like common goods or articles of trade, devoid of the same rights as a normal or full-blooded human being! And they found a way of smuggling that into the bible (Ephesians 6: 1). From then up till now, religion has been used as an opium to conquer and subjugate people through colonial rule, neo-colonialism and the modern-day slavery called capitalism masquerading variously as democracy, free trade and globalization.

READ ALSO: Oyeweso-led council and the renaissance at OAU Ife

This must be why Marxists generally are atheists – but they make a costly mistake throwing away the baby with the bath water! Rather than equate religion with oppression, the same religion can, and should, be used to fight oppression like Christ himself did. Marxism and Christianity are not mutually exclusive; in fact, I submit that they are not only complementary, Christianity was also the forerunner of Marxism! Any follower of Christ with no Marxist inclination does not understand what he or she believes or practises. Similarly, any Marxist who detests Christianity drives a very potent ally into the arms of the enemy.  Christianity (the variant called Liberation Theology) can be a potent liberating force, which Jesus Christ himself exemplified.

There was no way Jesus could have been a capitalist like today’s Church fathers who keep amassing wordly materials as if they will take any to heaven – or hell! Jesus was not from the privileged class; his earthly parents were not tax collectors, publicans, Pharisees or Saduccess. The earthly father of the only begotten Son of God was a lowly carpenter and carpentry was not a respectable and upper class profession in those days (John 6: 42). It would appear as if God’s pattern throughout scriptures is to favour the underdogs – Moses, Jacob, Leah, David, Esther (1 Corinthians 1: 27).

The reason for this yuletide season, in my view, is not the merrymaking, the puerile pontification by Church leaders or the deceit of fleecing their pauperized congregation even more but for Church leaders to speak up for the suffering masses as well as follow the example of Joses in Acts 4: 36, 37: Sell what you have and distribute to the poor and, by so doing, lay up treasures for yourself in heaven (Matthew 6:20).

Joseph and his wife (just imagine the social status of a girl that would marry a carpenter!) could qualify as those that we describe as multi-dimensionally or desperately poor in today’s Nigeria. When their “baby” was to be born, they could not procure the services of the best hospitals or inns or reserve a suite in a five-star hotel! The Saviour of the world was born in a manger!

So, Jesus was from a very poor family background and he never made any effort to transcend it, although he had opportunities to do so. This is where he differs significantly from many of the Christian fathers of today who claim to follow in the footsteps of Jesus but who, once the opportunity presents itself, jettison their old social status and class and climb the stairs to join the class of the nouveau riche while abandoning the masses to their fate.

Jesus was also not a conservative element; rather, he was a fire-spitting and fire-eating radical (Matthew 12: 34 – 35). Jesus railed against the oppression of his own time. He did not mince words but called a spade a spade (Matthew 23:4). Jesus did not accumulate earthly riches like the Christian fathers (and mothers) of today (Luke 3: 11). If Jesus were to repeat the same advice he gave the young, rich ruler (Luke 12: 18 – 23) to Nigeria’s Christian leaders today, how many would comply? The likelihood is that many of them, if not all, will go away sad like that young, rich ruler!

Jesus had biological sisters and brothers; four of them (James, Joses or Joseph, Judas or Jude, and Simon) were male but none of them inherited his ministry. Rather, the mantle of leadership fell on Simon “Peter” Bar-Jonah (Matthew 18: 18). Many Church fathers who claim to follow Jesus have only leveraged religion (as an opium, to quote Karl Marx again) to build vast business empires for themselves and their families.

We can count Church fathers who died and their families inherited the church and its vast business and financial empire. Jesus never did that. The only inheritance Jesus handed over – and this to everyone and not to his family members alone – was salvation and the gift of eternal life.

From cradle to the grave, Jesus was a radical who railed against the privileges of the upper class and made his home with the homeless and the poor (Luke 9: 58). Compare this to the palatial residences of today’s Church fathers! Jesus went against the established order (Matthew 12: 1-2). He went in to sinners (Matthew 9: 10 – 13). He dined with the poor. How many of today’s Church fathers can eat the kind of food that the poor eat? They will suffer food poisoning and stomach upset instanta!

Jesus was not puffed up; had no airs and did not carry his shoulders heavens’ high. Jesus was the human rights activist par excellence of his own time. He was the defender of the defenceless. He was the voice of the voiceless. Unfortunately, as it is in our own time, so it was in Jesus’s own time: the same people he fought for were those who sided with the rulers to betray him. “He came unto his own, and his own received him not…(John 1: 11 – 13).

There are so many bible quotations that resonated with me as a fresh convert because I had memorised similar quotes in my Marxism days at the university. Paul said in Romans 8: 38 -39: “For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Fidel Castro said in his allocutus (In “History Will Absolve Me”): “The fact is, when men carry the same ideals in their hearts, nothing can keep them isolated: neither walls of prisons nor the sod of cemeteries. For a single memory, a single spirit, a single idea, a single conscience, a single dignity will sustain them all.”

Che Guevara left us with these immortal words: “Whenever death may surprise us, let it be welcome if our battle cry has reached even one receptive ear and another hand reaches out to take up our arms.”

Apostle Paul said: “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet, not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God who loved me, and gave himself for me (Galataians 2: 20). In Philippians 2: 22 he adds: “For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.”

When Comrade Nelson Mandela was offered conditional freedom to renounce his people’s struggle for freedom, his response was: “During my lifetime I have dedicated myself to this struggle of the African people. I have fought against white domination, and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal which I hope to live for and to achieve. But if need be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die.”

When Peter and the other disciples of Jesus were offered freedom on condition that they stopped preaching Christ, check their Mandela-like response in Acts 4 : 1 – 37.

Now, the first system of government practised by the disciples after Christ’s departure was communism! Marx described communism (stateless and classless) as the highest stage of socialism! Most bible readers are familiar with the story of Ananais and Sapphira in Acts 5: 1 – 11. Read the story from the preceding Chapter 4: 34 – 37. “Neither was there any among them that lacked: for as many as were possessors of lands and houses sold them, and brought the prices of the things that were sold, and laid them down at the apostles’ feet: and distribution was made unto every man according as he had need.”

The times that we are in demand such but how many of today’s Church fathers did similarly during this yuletide period? It was the greed and deceit (Capitalism) of husband and wife that scuttled the best system of resource-control and resource-sharing that would have ensured a just and egalitarian society. The early Church adopted a communist/communal lifestyle, which Karl Marx later formulated into the slogan: “From each according to his ability and to each according to his needs”

Scripture did not tell whether Peter and the others continued with the system after Ananais and Sapphira but from what we read of Paul’s letters, it doth appear that everyone henceforth were left to their devices and were allowed to keep what they had, making provisions to the Church as they deemed fit.

What the disciples of Jesus received from Him was what they handed down (1 Corinthians 11:23). It is the best system of government where everyone had one another’s back (Genesis 11: 1-9) as against the prevailing system of survival of the fittest where, like Jimmy Cliff crooned, “too many people got nothing (while) too little people got everything”

The reason for this yuletide season, in my view, is not the merrymaking, the puerile pontification by Church leaders or the deceit of fleecing their pauperized congregation even more but for Church leaders to speak up for the suffering masses as well as follow the example of Joses in Acts 4: 36, 37: Sell what you have and distribute to the poor and, by so doing, lay up treasures for yourself in heaven (Matthew 6:20).

In accordance with the examples laid by Jesus Christ and the early disciples, let us all “put our conscience to the test and remake the world” as counseled by Cliff.

Compliments of the season and a happy new year!

*Bolawole (turnpot@gmail.com 0807 552 5533), former Editor of PUNCH newspapers, Chairman of its Editorial Board and Deputy Editor-in-chief, was also the Managing Director/ Editor-in-chief of the Westerner newsmagazine. He writes the “ON THE LORD’S DAY” column in the Sunday Tribune and “TREASURES” column in the New Telegraph newspapers. He is also a public affairs analyst on radio and television.

The post Jesus Christ would have been a Marxist; don’t you think?! appeared first on Frontpageng.