Materialistic Gospel Message in Contemporary Nigerian Churches: A Critique

Abstract

There is no gainsaying the fact that an important; but also current issue in Christendom that has caught the interest of the general public, and which is urgently calling for scholarly attention in contemporary Nigeria, is the phenomenon of materialistic gospel message that is being peddled by many “men of God” today, designed to defraud and exploit the sick, poor and biblical illiterate Christians. It is therefore pertinent at this stage of Nigerian socio-economic difficulties and its attendant quest for material security, to take a look at this new dimension of African Christianity and the contributing factors induced by some modern pastors to the social and economic upheaval in the society. This study delved into the structural roots of materialistic gospel message in Nigeria and discovered, amongst other things, that most materialistic gospel preachers are driven by the love of money and not love for God, Jesus, the people or the gospel. Their teachings are so toxic and demonic and it is corrupting and destroying lives. The study also found out that one of the reasons for this false teaching is because the verses and passages of Scriptures are taken out of context and promulgators refused to learn the principles of biblical interpretation such as hermeneutics, exegeses, homiletics and use of Bible resources such as Bible dictionary, encyclopedia, and other Bible references for study. This is coupled with the poor Bible reading habits of some Christians. The study concluded that materialistic gospel message is the worst kind of materialism and deception ever conceived by Satan and his cohorts to lay the foundation of greed and social discontent, and which, perhaps, the society is yet to come to terms.

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