As
at early April, the government in Rwanda has closed some six thousand
churches, according to a news report, “as it seeks to assert more control over a
vibrant religious community…” Although it cites concerns for safety of the
worshippers in make-shift physical structures, there is no doubt that
government’s grouse with the churches goes much deeper. In March, President
Paul Kagame was quoted lamenting what he considered the outrageous number of
churches in the nation’s capital alone:
"700 churches in Kigali? he reportedly fumed. "Are these
boreholes that give people water? I don't think we have as many boreholes. Do
we even have as many factories? This has been a mess!"
And what is government’s solution: a Church
leadership that fits the mould in Mr Kagame’s mind! This is evident in the new
legislation being crafted to formalize the current waves of church
closure. According to insiders, the new
law “would require pastors to have a theology degree before they start their
own churches so that they teach correct doctrine.”
Government now deciding what is “correct
doctrine?” And in any case who pays for
the degree?
The abc news report directly hits the nail on the
head as it correctly discerns the ultimate intent of the new law. “The aim is
to regulate the Pentecostal churches that often spring up under leaders who
claim to have received a call to preach.” It further reports that “Six
Pentecostal pastors who protested the church closures were arrested and accused
of ‘illegal meetings with bad intentions’, and since then other critics have
refused to discuss the issue with the media.”
While CA! is obviously concerned about the
tremendous level of abuse in the Church, we recognize all these as “legitimate”
attack by the gates of hell! And the
solution cannot come from the government.
While faithful members of the Body of Christ both in Rwanda and around
the world must intercede in prayers and endeavour to set up model assemblies in
that country to expose and discredit the charlatans, government should seek to
educate the citizens more to make them less vulnerable to the swindlers
operating under cover of Christianity. The proliferation of spiritual
expressions anywhere is only an indication that people have serious needs they
are desperate to resolve.
And by the way, how does the government hope to
regulate the swindlers in other religions?
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