Christians blamed for the increasing rate of crimes

Kumasi, Oct 16, GNA - The Right Reverend Nuh Ben Abubekr, Bishop of the Kumasi Diocese of the Methodist church, has blamed the increasing spate of rape, armed robbery and corruption on the failure of Christians to portray the life of Christ in their daily lives.

He said Christians claim to be over 69 per cent of the total population of the country, yet social vices continue to plague the nation because Christians who were supposed to lead moral lives were participating in these vices.

Rt Rev Abubekr stated this at a thanksgiving service organized by the Kumasi Diocese of the Methodist Church to climax the 170th anniversary of Methodism in Ghana, at the Jackson's park in Kumasi on Sunday.

He said Ghanaians should start counting their blessings as many things pointed to a bright future for the country.

Rt Rev Abubekr cited the cancellation of the nation's debt by its creditors, restoration of confiscated assets to their owners, the qualification of the Black Stars to the World Cup as well as the international goodwill the country was enjoying as some of the blessings God had started to pour on the country and its people. He said what Ghanaians had to do was to change their lives and rededicate themselves to Christ in order to receive more blessings from God.

Rt Rev Abubekr deplored the attitude of the present generation of members who demanded reward for services rendered to the Church and urged them to reflect on the lives of the founding members who dedicated their whole lives to the growth and expansion of the church. The Bishop also called on branch Churches to explore new ways of generating incomes for their activities.

He lauded the contribution of the Methodist Church to the socio-economic development of the diocese and thanked Chiefs and their elders for their support to the growth and development of the Church. Rt Rev Abubekr urged Christians to continue to pray for the nation to ensure prosperity and growth.