Pastor
Some Christian leaders are getting too close to politicians, especially those in power. It is a cozy relationship which undermines the ability of such personalities to check the politicians when they go wrong in their stewardship of state affairs.
We could not agree more with the observation of the General Secretary of the Christian Council of Ghana (CCG), Rev. Dr. Kwabena Opuni Frimpong. It is an observation doubtlessly prompted by the rising cases of politicians almost joining pastors on the pulpit.
In the most damnable cases, pastors have created space for bad politicians to pollute the minds of congregations with untruths.
The concern of the secretary of the umbrella body for the about 18 churches in the country should not be swept aside because doing so would be a great disservice to the cause of God and country at a time when we are at the crossroads of our democracy.
Bad politicians, in their obsession to drive their agenda, have made unwholesome inroads into some willing churches and exploiting accordingly their vulnerability for their selfish ends.
The church, besides undertaking its spiritual responsibilities, supports the well-being of its flock by ensuring that good governance prevails by calling erring governments to order. Refusing to call a spade what it is because of clandestine pacts with politicians at the helm, is at variance with God?s diktats.
Unfortunately, however, we have been driven to a situation where some churches no longer have the guts to challenge politicians when they dip their hands into the public kitty and throw dust into the eyes of the people they are supposed to serve.
The rarity or shortage of this quality among such men of God, even as the average parent is unable to pay their kids? fees, is a social shortcoming which should be addressed through important voices such as the CCG and men of God who do not enter into unholy alliances with politicians.
Such compromising pastors are not difficult to determine. By their actions, they can be identified easily as they fall over each other to attract the attention of politicians at the helm and make the prominent pages of newspapers.
Makes us wonder whether they are not playing the dual roles of politicians and at the same time ambassadors of the Word. We wonder whether this is acceptable. That is not the true place of the men of God. History is laden with the story of true men of God whose interventions, sometimes fatal, have led to important changes in the lives of society?s underdogs through revolutions.
Such lofty situations cannot be replicated when priests pretend to be spreading the word of God on one hand while discussing strategies with politicians on the other. If some alliances and even pacts are unwholesome, the unwritten ones between some owners of the pulpit and politicians is a classical example.
We salute the courage of Rev. Dr. Kwabena Opuni Frimpong, more so, at this critical stage of our democratic development when emerging twists and turns are prompting questions as to whether we are recording growth or merely stuck in one position.
