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ANOINTED ONE? (Left to right) Museveni, Kayiwa, Imelda Namutebi Kula and her husband (far right) pray at Namboole stadium |
WILD and weird allegations and counter-allegations of witchcraft, conning followers and cooked-up miracles continue to be rife among some so-called ‘born-again’ churches.
Members of the general public are confused about what is going on. They are waiting for the Government to say or do something about it. Will the Government set up a commission of inquiry so that the truth is established, innocent ones cleared and those found guilty brought to book?
Some born-again church leaders blatantly endorsed President Yoweri Museveni as their preferred presidential candidate during the recent elections, dubbing him, “God’s gift to Uganda”.
A number of massive prayer conferences and vigils were held at Namboole and Lugogo stadiums, at which leaders of the National Fellowship of Born-Again Churches anointed Museveni as their official candidate.
This was in contrast to the Church of Uganda, Roman Catholic Church, and Orthodox Church, who under their umbrella organisation, the Uganda Joint Christian Council (UJCC), openly criticised the amendment of the Ugandan Constitution to give Museveni a third term.
Why are the views of the two Christian groups so different? Who are the “born-agains”? How different are they from the other pentecostals, like Kampala Pentecostal Church or Full Gospel Churches of Uganda, or the mainstream traditional Christian denominations?
Different lifestyles
Whereas the UJCC members are seen as staid and conservative, the born-again are viewed as progressive, entrepreneurial and rebellious break-away groups. They have been accused of attracting impressionable young people and sometimes the “sheep stealing” of dissatisfied adult Christians from the traditional churches.
They tend to be aggressive and enthusiastic in their evangelism campaigns, using chic marketing and publicity at their crusades and lunch-hour meetings in cinema halls, theatres and hotel conference rooms.
Their church meetings tend to be joyous celebrations with loud music, clapping and dancing akin to festivals or carnivals. Their messages tend to be simplistic and populist, appealing to the basic needs of the masses like miracles of healing, success in business, getting marriage partners or succeeding at school.
The pastors are treated as celebrities with all the trappings of big churches, big cars and expensive clothes and they are expected to bring about “big miracles”.
They claim to have millions of supporters across the country that if mobilised would vote as a block the candidates endorsed by the leaders. President Museveni’s campaign strategies became aware of this and engaged many of their leaders as campaign agents to bring in the born-agains’ vote en masse.
It has not always been popular to be born-again. In fact it used to be mostly the poor, uneducated unglamorous that were born again. In the 1980s they used papyrus make-shift shelters with hard benches on dusty floors in slum areas, back streets or swampy wetlands.
All this has changed. They now boast of having graduates, professionals, business executives, high-ranking government officials and politicians without leaving out the poor and uneducated ones.
Born-again is hip
In fact the First Lady, Mrs. Janet Museveni, and her daughters have joined this movement. You can include former ministers Tim Lwanga, Dr. Nsaba Buturo, Hon. Ezra Suruma, Miria Matembe, Sarah Kiyingi and Jehoash Mayanja-Nkangi. Uganda Revenue Authority Commissioner-General, Allen Kagina, army stalwarts like Elly Tumwine, Mugisha Muntu and Aronda Nyakairima are all said to be among the born-again. Celebrities like Roger Mugisha and former Kampala mayoral aspirant Peter Sematimba have all helped make being born-again glamorous.
During the last 20 years of Museveni’s regime there has been a transformation in the fortunes of the born-agains. From the papyrus makeshift worship centres, they have moved to magnificent cathedrals like Rubaga Miracle Centre, Kansanga Miracle Centre, Christian Life Church in Bwaise and Abundant Life Church in Bunamwaya.
Some of their leaders have become media savvy and now own Lighthouse TV, Top TV, Top Radio, Kampala Radio, Impact Radio, Spirit FM, Family Radio and Power FM, to mention but a few.
The freedom of worship allowed to flourish has enabled them to get in touch with American televangelists, whom they have hosted at crusades and conferences. They have modelled their ministries after the Americans and adopted them as their mentors and role-models.
These have tended to be the prosperity gospel type/brand of Christians, also dubbed the Word of Faith Movement adherents. They emphasise material success of health, wealth, faith healing and other miracles. They underplay the importance of repentance from sin, integrity and social welfare for the poor or supporting development projects like the mainstream Christian denominations do.
The presence of American prosperity gospel moguls on Trinity Broadcasting Corporation (TBN), which is broadcast 24-hours on Lighthouse TV, has popularised their doctrines and practices. The chief proponents of the “prosperity gospel” allegedly include Kenneth Copeland, Benny Hinn, Fredrick Price, John Avanzini, Robert Tilton, Marilyn Hickey, Charles Capps, Jerry Savelle, Morris Cerullo and Paul Crouch.
American dream
The American dream philosophy espoused by the Ugandan born-again is indigenised by the prevalent beliefs in spirits, ancestral worship and witchcraft. Many of their members are superstitious and live in fear of evil spirits and bad people who can cast spells on them. The born-again leaders claim to have powers over witchcraft, bad luck and special anointing from God for performing miracles. Many in need of miracles flock to them, give generously and claim to get better.
The born-agains are grateful for the peace ushered in by the Museveni regime because in the past regimes they were either ignored or were persecuted, harassed, arrested by state agents or had their crusades and night prayers banned.
When Idi Amin banned churches in the 1970s some were arrested and suffered in the dungeons of Nakasero State Research Bureau. Others out of fear, used to meet in secret. During the colonial period, it was only the mainstream churches that were recognised and had their leaders invited to state functions.
It is only after 1986 that Government ministers like Balaki Kirya could attend born-again church functions like anniversaries, fundraisings and hosting visiting preachers at crusades.
First Lady Janet Museveni has worked hard to invite and involve them in projects like the Uganda Youth Conference, which trains youth in life survival skills against drug abuse, HIV/AIDS and early pregnancies by emphasising virginity till marriage.
Through the First Lady connection, more and more born-again pastors gained access to State House. They would be invited to participate in the annual State House Christmas service and lead prayers at state functions like the Independence Day celebrations.
In turn, people like Apostle John Mulinde invited the President to participate in national prayer events to dedicate the nation to God at AfriCamp and even at the end of millenium prayers at Namboole. This was followed by people like Pastor Simeon Kayiwa inviting President Museveni to officially open his refurbished Namirembe Christian Fellowship, Robert Kayanja’s dedication of Rubaga Miracle Centre and Isaac Kiwewesi’s Kansanga Miracle Centre.
As the 2006 presidential campaigns heated up, and as the Roman Catholic Church, Church of Uganda, and Orthodox Church using their umbrella organisation, UJCC, strongly criticised the third term project, State House turned to the born-again churches for aid.
Quid pro quo
Efforts were put in place to organise a number of high-profile national prayer events where President Museveni would be invited, publicly acknowledged and endorsed. And they did not disappoint. Pastor Joseph Serwadda of Victory Christian Centre, Pastor Alex Mitala of Back to the Bible and Pastor Jackson Senyonga of Christian Life Church — all of them key leaders of the National Fellowship of Born-Again Churches, went into overdrive to arrange prayer vigil after prayer vigil at Namboole, Nakivubo and Lugogo stadiums and anointed Museveni as God’s man for Uganda for the future. In return they requested him to change the Non-governmental Organisations (NGOs) registration law that requires them to be registered and held accountable as NGOs. He promised them that when he won the elections he would do this.
Though the National Fellowship of Born-Again Churches is very adept at publicity and have made the use of the term “born-again” popular, including naming their member organisations as “born-again” churches, they are not the only ones who have “born-again” Christians as their members. The “saved” or Balokole are found in all other evangelical and Protestant churches like the Church of Uganda, Full Gospel Churches, Pentecostal Assemblies of God, Baptists, and even among the Roman Catholic Charismatics.
Insiders in the so-called “born-again” churches say that they are good at fundraising and getting donations from the faithful in their congregations and from abroad, but very poor at accountability. This leaves plenty of room for excesses, no accountability and abuse of the resources from the public. Their attempts at self-regulation have been dismal.
They also need to strengthen their leadership accreditation procedure because there are too many self-styled leaders with pompous titles. Who qualifies to be a pastor, an apostle, a bishop, a prophet, etc needs to be clarified to avoid quack ones who can use these titles to con innocent seekers and give a bad name to the genuine ones. Many of them wake up one day and claim that they have heard from God commissioning them to become pastors or prophets. They need to invest more in studying at Bible colleges so that they can be knowledgeable and professional in their chosen vocations.
Other critics say that hobnobbing too closely with politicians during campaigns in a multiparty system of elections is not healthy for the church. Their members who support a different candidate or party feel alienated. The Christian leaders need to play a prophetic role of speaking into the lives of the leaders when they go wrong or are involved in corruption or injustice. They will lose the moral integrity and strength to do this is they are seen as partisan and supporting one candidate or party.
The reverse is also true. Politicians who use Christian leaders for campaigns will find it difficult to hold them accountable if they misuse their spiritual powers to harass or cheat members of the public.
Now that allegations are flying around, will President Museveni’s Government have the courage to intervene and bring order and sanity to the group that claims to have voted him en masse?
Ends
Published on: Saturday, 13th May, 2006
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