Churches must set up self-regulatory body now

German theologian Emil Brunner made the curious suggestion that Adolf Hitler should be posthumously given an honorary doctor of theology degree because he awakened Europe to her Christian heritage by showing her what the world would be like without Christianity.

According to Ravi Zacharias in page ten of his book, Deliver us from evil, Brunner's curious suggestion "would apply in the same measure to the individual who now draws our attention, for through him we shall see the hell that is unleashed when spiritual truths are renounced".

Recent activities and doctrines expounded by Bishop Obinim, has sparked a national debate over how far is too far, over our rights and freedoms.

I dare say that Obinim is not the only pastor who is preaching what some of us consider as weird doctrines. Several other pastors are in the name of Jesus doing horrible, criminal and dubiuos things all over the country.

But it is Bishop Obinim who has awakened the nation and the Christian community to the fact that the current image of the church is pockmarked with integrity crises that needs to be addressed.

There is therefore the need for the Christian leadership of this country to come out of their passive hermitage and act to stop people hiding under religious freedom to frolic in unfettered restraint.

It does not require a sophisticated mind to predict the outcome whenever a society pretends there are no fences. Common sense alone alerts us to the dangers. There is no society on earth whose members enjoy absolute freedom.

The sovereign God granted 99.9% free-will to mankind in the garden of Eden but placed 0.01% restraint on the forbidden tree. When Adam and Eve crossed the red line the entire creation suffered the consequences.

Lack of restrain

Freedom is not sheer vitality or lawless liberty. It is not "consumer freedom"; with which one does whatever one pleases. Instead, it drags us into a higher plane, where we assume a higher mind, to live according to laws which facilitate coexistence, mutuality and partnership.

As a predominantly religious country, our freedom is primarily underscored by our freedom to live in right relationship with God and with others, that depicts self-giving and community building love without hindrances or compulsions from others.

Time for self-regulation

I opposed the controversial PNDC Law 221 that sought to regulate the activities of churches because matters of faith and traditional Biblical beliefs cannot be regulated by secular governments.

But viewed in its broadest perspectives, the new interest in curbing the activities of wayward pastors in the Church is actually, a protest against unbridled freedom. It is an evidence of the widespread hunger for and rule of law in the country.

Considering the wanton abuse of religious rights and freedom by the very people in whose interest that freedom exist, I propose the setting up of a self regulatory body by the Christian Councils clothed with a legal backing but not powered by the State, either in alliance or through sponsorship of any kind.

This was what I sought for in my interview with Daily Graphic of February 18th, 2016. Closing our eyes to the dented image of the church is an indictment on the existing Christian councils.

The Christian councils should as a matter of urgency coalesce to streamline activities of the independent churches in Ghana.

The Pentecostal, Charismatic and the Prophetic fraternity should not lack the spine, the initiative and the structure to deal with the rogue section of the church who in their outward character resembles the above named denominations.

We are on daily basis reminded about the dangers of religious indiscipline venting into social disorders and weird religious doctrines which make some people to believe they have the exclusive right to resort to sheer thievery and criminality under the cloak of religion.

Framework

Against the backdrop of an emerging national consensus on the need for some form of control , the various Christian councils, must seize the opportunity to reorganize themselves, to reaffirm their relevance over such matters and to be seen to offer adequate leadership capable of stymying activities of the wayward pastors and congregations.

The Christian Councils must reconceive their role by putting together potential cross-applicability of standards regarding the teaching of the gospel and the maintenance of proper ethics and decorum which they can rely on to hold ministers and officials of churches to account.

Member churches to these affiliates should agree to uphold the parameters of belief statements and the key themes which their various church councils' standards suggest.

This should be followed by the development and acceptance of a licence system by the various Christian councils for their member churches characterized by structures, process and values which are inherently exclusionary and credible, which takes due cognizance of the communal reality constituted by the grace and call of God, which makes all believers "priests and Kings".

As much as every Ghanaian with the call of God, as well as foreigners with proper immigration status has the right to establish churches, I suggest there must be a legal requirement that every church should belong to an affiliate Christian Council which they have much in common in terms of doctrine and beliefs; as against the current trend where greater number of churches are not identified to any council.

This action when put in place must resist the temptation to being made to seem as institutional survival gimmick of the church and a means to increase its naked power rather than energizing its commitment to faithful witness and costly service, which the work of ministry portends.

This is necessary because when we look back into history the church is not immune to the temptation to seize and abuse power, the structures must, therefore, be open and be made accessible to the remotest believer who feels called.

The church is an "earthen vessel" (2 Cor. 4:7) of a great treasure, with the essential component of the life in it being human, some kind of structure and order is a necessity at this moment to deal with these challenges.

It is time for the Church to rise, to act, through collective self-regulation to stymie the tide of arbitrariness and falsehood in the church. It is sheer romanticism to suggest or do otherwise.

Stewards of the mysteries of God should not be part of the lawlessness in our society.