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Ghanaians are losing trust in churches – Rt. Rev. Dr. Anyani-Boadum

By Alexander Nyarko Yeboah, GNA   

Tema July 18, GNA – The Superintendent
Bishop, Jesus Generation Ministries, says Ghanaians are losing trust in the
Church due to the ungodly activities of “some men of God”.

Rt. Rev. Dr. Nana Anyani-Boadum says, “There
is contentious distrust concerning the motives of some men and women of God in
this country;  there is a great
disenchantment with organized religion in this country; there is so much of
cynicism in the public space against the Church of God, cynicism that is born
out of painful disillusionment.”

He said this during the launch of the
thirtieth anniversary of Manna Mission Incorporated at Manna Mission Church,
Teshie.

Rt. Rev. Dr. Anyani-Boadum stressed the
seriousness of the public’s posture against the church by saying, “Not that
anybody wants to be too hard on the church. People see that the church that
Jesus formed is deviating.”

In that vein, the Cleric informed that there
were clear defining negative experiences in the public space that provided the
empirical evidence for the level of distrust against the church to the extent
that state legislators were getting worried about the activities of the church.

Rt. Rev. Dr. Anyani-Boadum informed that the
Church in Ghana was a century old, “And like a vintage wine, it is expected
that the older the wine gets, the better it tastes, but what is the public
image of the Church in Ghana today?”

The Right Reverend observed that “there was
no end result in life that provides limitless possibilities without some
parameters. Should we provide the Church in Ghana that limitless possibilities
to do whatever we like? So pastors, the notion that you can operate without an
unfetted freedom is not a virtue.”

Rt. Rev. Dr. Anyani-Boadum insisted that
commercialization of religion and the abuse of human rights in the name of
religion must be frowned upon by the apostolic fathers of Ghana.

“We need some sort of apostolic oversight to
help promote peer review among the smaller churches that are coming up, and we
need some corrective measures in a positive tone to help these churches,” he
informed.

On the debate on whether government should
regulate the activities of the church due to the activities of some miscreant
pastors, he insisted that the worry about the church was not misplaced, but
believed there were enough laws in Ghana to deal with the shortcomings of the
clergy, “Because any attempt to go beyond the laws and introduce new
legislations may infringe on our civil liberties.”

The President of Manna Mission Incorporated,
Rev. Dr. Seth Ablorh, in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) after
the launch, agreed with Rt. Rev. Anyani-Boadum by insisting that, “Government
cannot regulate the Church of God. The Head of the Church is Jesus. Jesus led
apostles, and the apostles led leaders to govern the church; if something goes
wrong and some young people say we will come and make discipline happen, no
matter how sincere they are, it is wrong.”

Rev. Dr. Ablorh said just as discipline in
the nation belonged to the police and other security agencies, discipline in
the Church of God belonged to the Christian Councils, therefore government
should empower the Councils to discipline their home by insisting that all
churches belonged to the councils.

Rev. Dr. Ablorh informed that the Church
will resist any attempt by the State to regulate her activities because the
Church was capable of strengthening her internal mechanisms for addressing
flaws in church practices.

GNA

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