NewsDay (Zimbabwe)

Who is reaping now?

- Kumbirai Thierry Nhamo

IN recent years, Zimbabwe has witnessed a rather alarming phenomenon: The emergence of what can only be described as “gospel-preneurs”. These are individual­s who have cunningly crafted churches with the sole purpose of robbing the hard-earned cash from the poor. Yes, my friends, it seems that the faithful have been duped into dishing out their precious pennies to finance the lavish lifestyles of these so-called "men of God”. It’s enough to make you wonder, who exactly is reaping the benefits here?

Let us take a step back and examine this absurd situation. Imagine working your fingers to the bone, scrimping and saving every last dollar just to survive. You are barely making ends meet in this damned economy of ours, struggling to put food on the table for your family and yet you somehow manage to scrape together a bit of spare change to attend church on a Sunday. You go there seeking solace, a glimmer of hope in your bleak existence. Little do you know, you are about to get swindled by a divine smile.

These spiritual charlatans stand before the congregati­on, dressed to the nines in their tailored suits and flashy watches, preaching from a golden pulpit. They speak with an air of authority, telling their followers that they are destined for greatness, that their loyalty and faithfulne­ss will be rewarded with abundant wealth and riches. But there is a catch — their reward is perpetuall­y deferred to some distant, elusive future.

As the desperate masses hand over their meager earnings, these pseudo-pastors live it up in their opulent mansions, driving the finest cars and living a life of inexplicab­le luxury. They dine on delicacies, while their followers dine on hope, laced with empty promises of prosperity. It’s a twisted scenario whereby the faithful are being fed a bill of goods, and the only ones truly benefiting are those stuffing their wallets with ill-gotten gains.

All the while, the poverty-stricken congregati­on remains impoverish­ed, trapped in a cycle of false hope and broken dreams. Their desire for a better life is being cynically exploited by these greeddrive­n ministers who seem to have forgotten the true essence of their supposed calling.

We live in a world where morality seems twisted, where the pursuit of personal gain overshadow­s any genuine desire to bring solace and comfort to those in need.

So, who is truly reaping in this sorry state of affairs? It is definitely not the downtrodde­n souls who have fallen victim to these fake pastors. No, my friends, it is the imposters themselves who are laughing all the way to the bank. They are the ones feasting on the hopes and dreams of their impoverish­ed flock, while preaching a prosperity gospel that only perpetuate­s their own already inflated wealth.

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