Lockdown of churches: Pastor Poju Oyemade believes Oyedepo, Oyakhilome are wrong
The Senior Pastor of The Covenant Nation, Poju Oyemade, has once again pitched his tent against his colleagues in the pulpit – Bishop David Oyedepo of Living Faith Church aka Winners Chapel and Pastor Chris Oyakhilome of Believers Loveworld aka Christ Embassy over their condemnation of the lockdown order to contain the spread of COVID-19.
In recent sermons streamed live via their church’s YouTube pages, Oyedepo had condemned the lockdown of churches across the country despite the ease of lockdown, while Oyakhilome attacked pastors for shutting down churches in compliance with the government’s ban on religious gatherings. But Oyemade is suggesting that their position is wrong.
The Federal and State Governments had imposed a lockdown on the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Lagos and Ogun States for five weeks which was eased on Monday May 4, 2020. President Muhammadu Buhari, however, said despite the ease of lockdown, the ban on large gatherings which affects religious and entertainment centers will remain while a curfew from 8 pm to 6 am was also imposed on the states.
In Lagos where the churches have thousands of worship centers, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu had said markets and business organisations will only be allowed to operate for six hours daily while large gatherings of more than 20 people remain banned.
Oyedepo frowned at the decision and suggested that it is an attempt to wage war against the growth of the church.
Oyakhilome had said: “Is the church of Jesus Christ not a place of healing? In different cities, ministers of God gathered together and shut down the congregations of the Lord. How many said, let us pray; give us time to pray? They consulted you in different nations and states. How many of you said, let us pray? Instead, you said oh yes.”
The positions of the two pastors have sparked internet controversy. In his reaction via an Instagram post, Pastor Poju Oyemade said closing the doors of a physical building does not stop the ‘anointing of the Spirit from working’.
“The sick we see healed in the book of Acts were healed on the streets, in people’s homes, in public places and not within the four walls of a Church,” he said
“There is nowhere in Jesus’s ministry where the healing of the sick was preceded by a congregational service. In the Book of Acts, the sick were healed predominantly on the streets with no fanciful service going on. Closure of a church building does not stop the rivers of living water from flowing out of your belly. It resides in our inner man.”
The cleric also said churches who complied with the order are not weak, “criticizing others doesn’t attest to the fact that you have strength,” he said.
This is the second time in the last one month that Oyemade will be countering Oyakhilome’s claims on COVID-19. In April after Oyakhilome gave credence to the conspiracy theory linking 5G technology to coronavirus, Oyemade and Pastor Sam Adeyemi of Daystar Christian Center in a live Instagram session subtly countered the claim and educated Nigerians with the 1918 influenza epidemic which also led to the lockdown of religious centers.
There are increasing fears that calls by the pastors for the reopening of churches may lead to the case of South Korea where, according to statista, 48.3% of the country’s 5,212 COVID-19 cases (as at May 4) were linked to the Shincheonji Church of Jesus where thousands had gathered to worship in defiance to social distancing order.
88-year-old Lee Man-hee, the leader of the Shincheonji Church, at a news conference in March, got on his knees and apologised to the nation for the disease’s spread.
“Although it was not intentional, many people have been infected. We put our utmost efforts, but were unable to prevent it all.” Man-hee said.
