The planned visit of Nigerian televangelist and founder of Synagogue Church of All Nations, T.B. Joshua, to Israel for a special event, has suffered a setback as many churches in the city of Nazareth have kicked against it.
The Joshua’s church event is tagged “Nazareth Meeting with TB Joshua,” and billed to hold on June 23 and June 24.
But the event has been roundly criticized by the people of the area and stakeholders, including churches.
According to an Israeli publication, Haaretz, campaigns were ongoing to prevent people from attending the event.
“We beg you not to play in the hands of those organizing this type of festival which is an affront to the principles of Christianity, and our national identity, and deals a blow to the social fabric of a city like Nazareth,” the people are quoted as saying.
To support their position, the churches were said to have quoted text from the New Testament about the need for believers to be wary about false messiahs who might want to convince people they were performing miracles.
Except the Catholic church, the publication wrote, Christian and Muslim leaders were opposed to the T.B. Joshua event.
The source of Joshua’s wealth, the publication stated, was the concern of the Hadash and Youth for Change parties in Nazareth.
Said the party: “We have asked to take an in-depth look at this issue, at why a city like Nazareth would receive such a person who is denied entry to many countries on grounds of criminal suspicions and given his links to the extreme right in Israel.
“What’s more, the man is known to have grown wealthy in a way that has raised many questions and therefore we view such a visit as an illegitimate step which contaminates the city and its historic heritage.
“And we absolutely reject the mayor’s claims that such an event would bring $1 million to the city and would see such a sum were it to actually materialise as an illegitimate contribution that would contaminate the city.”
