The President of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria, Bishop Wale Oke has denied insinuations that church leaders are indifferent to what is happening in Nigeria.
He made the denial during an interview session with Channels Television on Monday February 17.
Bishop Oke who was just re-elected for another 4-year term as the president of the PFN said many church leaders are also concerned about the way the country is being run by politicians adding that they speak truth to power.
He however said they don’t do it via the media. ‘Many pastors who are genuine are not clout chasers. They have contact with some of the leaders and reach out to them when they go wrong. They don’t do it on the media space. Since they have the contacts of these people they rather talk to them privately. Some of them change. Some don’t. By the way you cannot force them to change.’ He said.
When pressed further and given example of Martin Luther king who led a revolution in the US to free the blacks from racial discrimination, Bishop Oke said, ‘the case in the U.S is different. Then, it was a whole race of people that were being marginalised. The blacks were being maltreated. So he rose against the authority But in Nigeria we are talking about corruption of some leaders.’
He explained further that many churches are tolerant of politicians because they deserve to be given opportunity to change. ‘Jesus did not drive away the people rather he accommodated everybody. Pastors can’t drive politicians away when they come. They too deserve to hear the word so they can change.’
Earlier in the interview, the PFN leader said many young pastors have a lot to learn from the older generation of pastors.
‘No matter how anointed they are, they can’t be as experienced as the older generation. Paul said when I was a child, I talked as a child, I reasoned as a child. When I became an adult I put away childish things.’
On why many Christians are not living according to what they in the Bible, Bishop Oke said, ‘The problem with the church is that many are born again, but they don’t go through discipleship.
‘They needed to be taught how to live like Christ. When a person becomes born again, he is like a child that has to grow. And this can only happen by teaching that person the word of God and nurturing the person in faith. ‘
