NYT Profiles the Anti-Gay, Redeemed Christian Church of God

There is an outstanding profile in the New York Times Magazine—be warned its ten pages long—on the incredible explosion in popularity among African-based, anti-gay Pentecostal churches. These evangelicals are gaining a foothold in the United States and Europe, especially in cities with large concentrations of Nigerian immigrants, such as New York City, Chicago, London and Manchester.

One church in particular is the Redeemed Christian Church of God. Pastor Daniel Ajayi-Adeniran, seen above, heads a Bronx congregation.

Africa is the world’s fastest-growing continent and Ajayi-Adeniran belongs to one of its most vigorously expansionary religious movements, a homegrown Pentecostal denomination that is crusading to become a global faith. In the course of just a few decades, the Redeemed Christian Church of God, founded in a Lagos shantytown, has won millions of adherents in Nigeria while building a vast missionary network that stretches into more than 100 nations.

These Africans are making Christianity their own, in ways both subtle and profound. This is evidenced in political debates over subjects like homosexuality, which is scorned throughout the continent, or condom distribution, which—despite the current pope’s opposition—some local Catholic bishops have countenanced as a practical response to AIDS.

American televangelists like T. D. Jakes and Benny Hinn are received like rock stars when they fly into African capitals, where they preach to crowds estimated to be in the hundreds of thousands. Their African counterparts, meanwhile, are moving in the opposite direction, winning converts in Europe especially. In Kiev, a Nigerian minister leads a predominantly white Pentecostal church that claims a membership of 30,000, including the city’s mayor. Four of the 10 largest megachurches in London are run by Africans. Of all the many new sects, however, none are as organized as the Redeemed Christian Church of God. "I always cite the R.C.C.G. as the best example of a rising church that, probably by the time I die, is going to be a global denomination,"one expert said. "It really is pushing so hard in all possible directions."

The Redeemed Church is in its infancy in the States—"with only around 15,000 active members, most of them Nigerians"—but its goal is to make gradual inroads into among other "members of immigrant groups—other Africans, Caribbeans, Latin Americans, Asians—and then moving on to African-Americans and whites."

Prominent church leaders back Nigeria's cruel attempt to legislate gays out of existence. The Redeemed Church has a zero-tolerance policy on homosexuality in its congregation, and, reportedly encourages members to report the names of fellow members who they believe could be gay. The missionary statement of the Church goes as far as to imply "homosexuality" caused the great Biblical flood. "When God was going to destroy the world in the days of Noah there was so much sin and iniquity. Pleasure, godlessness and homosexuality were the order of the day. In the midst of all these, Noah survived."

Mission from Africa [NYT Magazine]

 

Some Background ...
State Department Criticizes Jamaica and Nigeria
Nigeria FM: "No Gays or Lesbians" in Nigeria
EU Considers Suspending Aid to Nigeria
Nigerian Legislators Vote to Ban Gay Marriages
EU: Level of Homophobia in Nigeria "Unacceptable"
Nigerian Mob Attacks Gay Activist
Nigerian Lynch Mob Storms Jail
Nigeria Latest 18 Alleged Gays Face Death Penalty
Nigerian Woman Denies "Lesbian Wedding"
Nigerian Lesbian In Hiding After Reported Wedding
Nigeria's Homophobia Threatens Bid for Games
Nigeria One Step Closer to Outlawing Gays
Gay Nigerians Speak Out
Nigeria Prepares to Outlaw Gays

Comments

[alicia banks]

like marx said
religion is the opiate of the masses

and the masses of black folks are gaybashing morons globally

shame!!!
ab

[Ravenback]

I'm taking leave of this discussion. People here know my views quite clearly. SMFH.

[Kevin]

Wasn't Sarah Palin's witch doctor Nigerian?

Thank you Rod. we need to stay on top of this.

[Chris]

The word I'm thinking of begins with "m" and rhymes with "donkies."

Chris: There will be no jokes or references to black people or Africans as monkeys on this blog. -RM

[Otis]

I know the Bible has been misinterpreted to blame Sodom and Gomorrah on homosexuality, but now they're sayin' gay folks caused Noah's flood too...damn!

Must be nice to just make sh*t up to serve your religious purposes.

[KevJack]

This is a major issue to watch. These churches combine pentecostal teachings with many traditional African religious practices, and they are spreading fast in the continent (displacing mainline Christian groups) and basically behave, at their most extreme, as Sharia in Christian garments.

[QH]

This is really frightening...-QH

[Chris Cruz]

I'm really glad you pointed this out. The African Protestant denominations are hardcore evangelical, very fundamentalist and very anti-gay. The Protestant churches (Anglican, Episcopal, etc) are looking to them to fight the growing acceptance of gays in mainline Protestant denominations.

[FREELEO]

NUTS!

[Gary]

Sometimes I'm just so disgusted and appalled at humanity that I don't even know how to express it. And religion is usually the cause.

(P.S. Chris, 'monkeys' and 'donkeys' don't technically even rhyme anyway.)

[ATLboi]

Ignorance easily spreads when it's fueled by hate.

[Jim]

“Ignorance easily spreads when it's fueled by hate."

That’s an interesting idea, ATLboi. I don’t see how ignorance can actually spread like knowledge can. People don’t acquire ignorance.

Unless, of course, this is willful ignorance you’re talking about, also known as denial.

I suspect that many humans were never really capable of handling the truth. It was just not quite so obvious before as it is today, because knowledge is now so readily available compared to times past. People now, especially in rich countries, really have to will their ignorance.

A large number of humans would rather just crawl back inside a womb, and hate whatever and whoever is outside their mother’s belly.

Meanwhile, men like Akinola, Jakes, Hinn, Robertson, Falwell, and others too numerous to list, get very, very rich off of this need to regress into fetushood.

[gurlene]

After Jamaicans I put africans in the number two spot under the worlds most frustrated/confused people.

Not even haitians aren't as lost, frustrated and self hating as jamaicans and africans.

I have said over and over to my fellow black americans as a whole africans do not socialize with their black american counterparts. They tend to see us as stupid and lazy while going out of their way to show Mr. White Man they are different.

This "church" is nigerian based which was the key point for me not to take them serious. These are the same nigerians who for centuries practiced voodoo until Mr. White Man showed up and convinced them they were going in the wrong direction. Left to themselves you can see they obviously still are.

For you doubters out there this is Nigeria we are talking about. The same OPEC member that IMPORTS gasoline so that it's rulers can sell to the populace to make money for no one else but themselves. What does that tell you about their credibility or anything else that comes out of nigeria? They are also the scam capital of the world and here is another example being preached. It only works on those who are stupid enough to stop and listen.

[Jamal]

They have the right to believe what they want to believe. I am seeing a bit of African, and African American bashing in the comments, by other African and African American people.

We cant let the media turn us against each other, just because they only want to focus on us, as opposed to ALL PEOPLE. Fred Phelps anybody???

[Chris]

okay, RM. I was speaking out of ignorance and anger. Will not happen again.

No problem at all. I understand, we are all angry. Moving forward ... -RM

[Honut SInti]

Please! These groups travel the the easy route of hate and intolerance and try to steer the masses down that road as well.

Let them really move toward emphathy, compassion and equal rights for all. Oh, but that path would be too rocky and hard to navigate! Cowards and misguided fools, the lot of them!