Prosperity gospel entered into Nigeria through the two main channels. Firstly, from the several visiting American prosperity gospel teachers and through their books, magazines, tapes, and pamphlets. Secondly, the Late Nigerian Arch-Bishop Benson Idahosa of the Church of God Mission Incorporated in Benin City of Nigeria was primarily responsible for the spreading of this prosperity gospel through his own armies of young recruits, his country wide open-air crusades and his first ever television program in Nigeria.
In 1971, Benson Idahosa attended the prosperity gospel based Bible school by the name of Christ for the Nations Institute at Dallas in Texas (United States). Upon his return to Nigeria in the early 1970s, Idahosa established the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN), the first Christian TV ministry and recruited an army of young followers (Ayo Oritsejafor, David Oyedepo, Felix Omobude, Fred Addo and Chris Oyakhilome, Mike Okonkwo, Chris Okotie, George Adeboye and many others) to spread this strange and unbiblical doctrine about Christianity, Christian faith and the Christian way of living all over Nigeria.
The Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN) also became the key breeding ground that helped to accelerate the spread of this strange doctrine about Christianity that is based primarily on money, greed, lust, deception and materialism all over Nigeria to date. This gospel targets the poor, the weak, the ignorant, the gullible, the vulnerable, the desperate, the hopeless, the helpless and the most materially and financially needy members of the Nigerian society as well as the rich and the powerful.
This prosperity gospel has produced two very different, distinct and mixed results in Nigeria since its introduction in the 1980s to the Nigerian Christian community. (i) The primary beneficiaries from this greed gospel are the prosperity teachers and preachers who are now super-rich in terms of money and materialism. (ii) The tens of millions of their followers, disciples and givers who are living today in abject or chronic poverty and lacking all the most basic necessities of life in our 21st century human universe despite all their tithes, offerings and donations to these preachers.
THE RELEVANT BIBLE VERSES THAT DO NOT SUPPORT THE SO CALLED PROSPERITY GOSPEL
Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver - 2 Corinthians 9:7 (NIV Translation).
He that oppresses the poor to increase his riches, and he that g...ives to the rich, shall surely come to want - Proverbs 22:16.
For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ - 2 Corinthians 11:13.
Perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness: from such withdraw thyself . But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out . And having food and raiment let us be therewith content . But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after , they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows - 2 Timothy 6:5-10.
Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver - 2 Corinthians 9:7 (NIV Translation).
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