Christian leaders have been advised to apply wisdom in ministering the word of God.
According to the Bukere District head pastor of the Church of Pentecost, Rev. Francis Amogre, although there are no clear-cut rules for ministering the gospel as well as seeking divine fortification and miracles, the Christian clergy must endeavour to ensure that their religious activities do not contravene the laws of the country and endanger the lives of others.
“God has given us senses so that in every point in time, when you’re about to do something, you must add wisdom to it. (You ask yourself) ‘this thing that I am doing, what will be the effect, the consequences as I am praying that the person will get healed, in case that healing doesn’t come, will my action cause rather negative impact on the life of the one I’m trying to help or it will be otherwise’”.
Rev. Amogre gave this advice on the back of the jailing of a pastor and his congregants for abusing an infant in a viral video.
Kwabena Atogpeelige Akongeyaane, head pastor of the Jesus Spanner Miracle Church at Balungu in the Bongo District, his wife, Mary Akongeyaane and 4 members of his church were on Friday arrested by police after a video showing an infant being manhandled at his church emerged on social media.
The self-styled pastor, prior to his arrest, justified the abuse of the child, claiming that the incident was a ritual the Holy Spirit instructed him to perform to fortify new-borns against evil forces.
He was, however on Monday, arraigned together with his wife and the 4 others before a Bolgatanga District Court and subsequently convicted on their own pleas.
While his wife, mother of the victim and the woman seen in the viral video subjecting the baby to torture were slapped with fines of GH¢2,400 and GH¢3,000 respectively, he and 3 other male congregants were handed a one-week custodian sentence in addition to a fine GH¢2,400 each.
Reacting to this in an interview on State of Our Nation, Rev. Amogre condemned the incident, stating that religious practices must be in line with the culture and laws of the people.
“Before you execute anything that maybe you claim God might have instructed you to do, you must also consider laws of the law. Because the Bible must be relevant in the people’s culture. So the church I belong, our mission statement says we must be culturally relevant”.
