When church becomes a place of lawlessness
The week before last, Loyiso Dotwana, president of the Nelson Mandela Business Chamber, persuasively wrote in a Herald column how lawlessness is prevailing in our country and city.
He spoke specifically about lawlessness, fraud and corruption in government, business, schools, industry and civil society.
As a person living in the township, I experience this daily in our society.
The words “we live by grace” were a cliche before, but now they are a reality.
Every day, when you wake up, you have to say a silent prayer thanking the Almighty that you have survived the night.
When you enter your bedroom at night, you thank the Lord that you do, as somebody, somewhere, will never return to their bed, mostly because of violence.
It is not strange any more to hear that someone you know, or your family knows, or someone who lives not far from you, even a relative, has vanished because of being at the wrong end of a gun, or that someone you know has been involved in annihilating a soul.
It is scary living a delicate life every day, like a bird which could be shot down at any time.
But what stunned me on Sunday May 7 was a story of a man I know, the leader of a certain congregation, telling me he had [allegedly] been held “hostage”, manhandled and verbally abused by his own congregants, on church grounds, in the church.
This was a different, extraordinary phenomenon altogether, not one we are used to in the townships.
I have refrained from naming the church and people involved in this [alleged] incident.
It seems the group of about five men, all ordained ministers in this congregation, plotted to kidnap this man and conspired to hold him “hostage” in the church after the service.
They then [allegedly] executed the plot.
According to the church leader, these men were aggrieved because one of them, a predecessor to this man, had [allegedly] demanded a farewell “gift” when he retired from the congregation.
Though the one before him had received a gift, it was not the church’s policy any more to issue gifts to its ministers, in whatever position, when they retire.
The present leader of this congregation explained that he could not enforce this, as it was not church policy any more.
His predecessor and the “co-conspirators” found this arrogant, and then [allegedly] plotted to hold him hostage.
No matter how serious the grievance, what they [allegedly] did to this man, especially in a church, was absurd and utterly unjustified.
What kind of mentality and spirit would prompt five ordained “servants” of God to commit such an act?
Among them was a 65year-old man on whose behalf these men were allegedly acting.
Under normal circumstances he should have been the one mentoring the younger man who had succeeded him, instead of [allegedly] instigating against him just because he did not enforce a gift for him. This is inconceivable. The four “co-conspirators” and the man who was held “hostage” are all in their early 40s, and the predecessor could easily have been their father.
But he allegedly allowed the younger men to execute this act under his watch.
I would like to [remind] those people calling themselves Christians in all denominations that, in my view, they come to church only to be prepared for the Day of the Lord, without receiving any benefit in return, only to be accepted by grace when Jesus comes — nothing less, nothing more.
And to those who have been elected to serve in the church, such as deacons, priests, stewards, bishops and so on, these positions are not titles but verbs; working words.
In societies where violence, murders, poverty, unemployment and other societal ills prevail daily, the church is the last credible hope left for many.
But, if such things as articulated above start to happen in the church, where else will devastated societies find relief and solace in their souls?
It is tragic.
I hope the authorities of the church involved will issue, without fear or favour, the harshest punishment, so nobody in this church and other churches will attempt such a sinister act again in the future.
It is not strange any more to hear that someone you know, or your family knows, or someone who lives not far from you, even a relative, has vanished because of being at the wrong end of a gun’
Very, very sad, Zwide, Gqeberha