Last word
On Rogue Clergy
‘ Some of you have come here today , not because you love the Lord but to prove that you are a better person than your neighbor who came in at seven this the morning , straight from the bar , as you were leaving to come for worship ’
‘ Some of you spent an hour picking the outfit to wear to church , ensuring that you did not wear what you wore last week not because you want to please the Lord but to evoke envy and admiration to those you feel superior to ’
‘ Some of you have turned the church into a dating site , dressed to kill so that when you walk up and down the aisle during communion , it is not to receive spiritual nourishment but to use the Lord ’ s house as a catwalk to attract prospective partners ’
All this was punctuated by loud amens and Ochieng , sitting next to his cousin , who had invited him to her church , was flustered and uncomfortable as the church was a bedlam of noise of congregants affirming the pastor .
‘ Some of you will pay tithe not to thank the Lord for the income of your sweat or the fruit of your harvest , but as a penance hoping that He will protect and absolve you from the illegal and fraudulent deals that have earned you dirty money ’
‘ Some of you are at this very moment scrolling through your phones not to find an inspiring verse from your bible apps but to check whether your side partners have dropped the pin of the Airbnb where they are waiting for you ’
‘ If you think that this house of the Lord is immune from the wiles of Satan , think again . Amongst you are hypocrites and Pharisees who carry out the bidding of the nefarious one and even some of us who speak from the pulpit are his loyal agents ’
‘ If you feel that the Lord has forsaken Kenya , it is because we have turned his houses into dens of thieves , fraudsters and conmen , where the spiritual pretenders flock to deceive the faithful that their
The fastest growing business in Kenya today is the establishment of churches and since all that is required to start a church is a bible and the gift of the garb , there has been a proliferation of churches with names only limited by the imagination of the founder . prosperity is God ’ s favor because of their piety ’
By this time Ochieng noticed that half of the church was on its feet sending admonitions into the realm of heaven , speaking in unintelligible tongues supposedly rebuking Satan and his attempt to infiltrate the host of heaven .
When Ochieng ’ s cousin had prevailed on him to accompany her to church , telling him that her pastor was a brimstone and fire preacher who only feared the Lord , he did not expect that it would turn out to be such a disturbing event .
Ochieng was uncomfortable since he was not in the habit of questioning anything religious but this particular pastor had forced him to ponder on the true state of major religious establishments in the country and the role they play in Kenya .
Over 80 % of Kenyans are Christian and 11 % are Muslims , thus making Kenya a predominantly Christian nation and behaves as such even though the constitution stipulates that Kenya is a secular state where freedom of worship is guaranteed to all .
Of the less than 10 % of those classified as other , the most prominent are the Hindus , who although constituting a very small percentage of the population have as a community play a significant role in the financial and commercial sectors of the economy .
Their disproportionate impact on the affairs of state is usually recognized when they are invited to offer blessings and
94 MAL59 / 24 ISSUE