Religion of Monday, 21 June 2010

Source: GNA

Anglican Bishop condemns pastors who exploit people

Tamale, June 21, GNA - Right Reverend Emmanuel Arongo, Bishop of the Anglican Diocese of Tamale, has condemned the practice where come pastors exploit people in the name of healing. The Bishop said this in a Church sermon on the theme, "The Church Mission to the Individual", at the Anglican cathedral in Tamale, Northern Region on Sunday.

He said such acts were not in tandem with the gospel and advised such pastors to desist from such exploitations and rather focus on the examples of Christ, who went round looking for the lost sheep. Picking his scriptures from the book of Luke, the Bishop said Jesus mingled with tax collectors and even ate with them in order to convert them as well as fed them spiritually without charging any fee. He said pastors should be seen searching for the lost sheep in society and indicated that the woman, who lost her coin in the scriptures, had to search tirelessly for it and pastors must also do the same by searching for more souls to convert.

He stated that as pastors they were ordained to serve everybody spiritually and they should not be seen focusing on only rich members of their congregation.

He advised Christians to stop accusing pastors of mingling themselves with non-Christians or people who they think were sinners. He also entreated Christians to love one another and treat one another fairly and be seen to exhibit Christian life. 21 June 10