IN THE words of the good disciple Mark: “He said to them, go into the world and preach the gospel. . .”
Forgive me for sounding like I am giving a sermon, but evangelism is the essence of this week’s column. The 21st Century has seen the emergence of some of the world’s biggest evangelists. Television has become one of the biggest mediums for spreading the gospel.
Everyday church services are broadcast live and are beamed to us in the comfort of our living rooms.
The forerunner in televangelism was probably Jimmy Swaggart who rose to fame in the late ’70s and early ’80s.
However, the ’90s and noughties have brought us more colourful and charismatic pastors in the legion of Thomas Dexter (TD) Jakes, Temitope Balogun (TB) Joshua, and Joel Osteen, Joyce Myers, just to name but few.
These televangelists have their own churches with a following so big they have been christened mega churches.
They are a movement unto themselves and have the popularity that supercedes many celebrities as thousands are drawn to their church services.
They are a brand and have successfully marketed themselves with merchandise ranging from books to bottled spiritual water.
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Those televangelists who offer faith healing are a sought-after breed. Just as Jesus healed the crippled, cursed and chronically ill, many of these televangelists and so-called prophets have also performed similar miracles. Those who were blind were given sight.
Those who were plagued with terminal illnesses like HIV and cancer are healed with the touch of a hand. Not only are they said to cure health problems, but financial ones too which is why they are said to preach the health, wealth, prosperity gospel.
In Africa, TB Joshua is clearly the mega prophet in the healing stakes. He influence spreads across borders and knows no bounds. So who is TB Joshua? The evangelical preacher was born 51 years ago in Ondo state Nigeria.
Like the humble origins of Jesus, TB Joshua had a poverty stricken childhood. TB Joshua says his calling to ministry came through a trance which lasted three days.
It is during this time he is purported to have encountered Jesus, the disciples and some of the Bible’s iconic prophets. In deference to his prophetic vision, TB Joshua established his ministry which he christened “The Synagogue Church of All Nations” (SCOAN) with all but eight members.
Now Forbes estimated his net worth at $15 million (2011).
This is a far cry from his humble beginnings. This is why many televangelists are viewed with suspicion and are accused of fleecing their flock.
The televangelist claims to have prophetic abilities and is said to have predicted the Malaysian Airlines MH17 plane crash, the Boston marathon bombings and the deaths of many famous individuals like Michael Jackson.
In spite of all his prophetic powers he, however, apparently did not foresee the collapse of his own church building.
His evangelism turned explosive last week when what seemed like an aircraft circled a building which forms the guest wing for foreign visitors to SCOAN following which it collapsed into a heap burying many of his flock.
Conspiracy theories began to abound that this was an Islamist attack. It is common knowledge that Boko Haram has been doing the rounds in Nigeria.
However, some quarters have dismissed these assertions citing ungrounded and illegal construction as the cause of the building’s destruction. Three more storeys were being added to the two-storey high building.
It could be possible that the foundation of the existing building could not support the additional weight of the new floors. The Lagos state governor has been quoted saying that the church had not been granted a permit for the extension of the collapsed building.
However, members of the church are adamant that this is clearly the work of the devil working to bring TB Joshua down with the negative publicity that has clearly arisen following this disaster Anyway, we will all continue to speculate as to what happened on September 12.
As people hunger for more information, investigative reporting has been frustrated as many of the media have not been allowed access to the site.
Where it has been granted, it has been limited, which has led many to view the church with even greater suspicion. To date we hear that 84 South Africans have been presumed dead following this tragic incident.
It makes you wonder whether South Africans were the only foreigners at his services. Or was it only South Africa that had been militant in locating its citizens?
Ultimately there has been a tragic loss of lives and where there is loss there is an accompanying pain. Our thoughts and deepest sympathies lie with those families whose loved ones met their demise in the collapsed building.
Sue Nyathi is the author of the novel The Polygamist. You can follow her on Twitter @SueNyathi
