Dr. Francis Bola Akin-John, expert in Church Growth speaks to elifeonline.com on cultism in Nigerian church concluded that Pastor T.B. Joshua should open up more on his past so he could be acceptable to generality of Nigerians. Excerpts from the interview conducted by Bola Adewara.

How do you react to the idea that there are cult members in Nigerian churches?
It is nothing strange and nothing new in Nigeria because man is a religious being. When white men brought the concept of Church to us, they came as a religious group in search of trade, not to preach salvation. Many of them even brought so many herbalists into the church so as to increase the numbers. So many of them just moved from the cults into the new religion called Christianity but they did not drop their old ways. The white men wanted the crowd not salvation for their souls.

Secondly, many of the people that came to Christianity through the orthodox churches did not find confidence, salvation solution to their problems through the church but still found satisfaction in their old ways. Majority of the people in the then Anglican, Methodists, African churches were polygamous and members of the cults. But thank God for the new dispensation in especially, the Anglican Church where cult members have been flushed out.

When some of them went to the universities to study religious studies, they still studied Ifa, invocations, incantations, etc which they still brought to the churches.

Also, there are people who claimed to have met God in some odd ways. They went on to found churches but in secret, they are still in the cults. Some of them went on to call themselves prophets, pastors, founders etc and before you know it, they have large crowds and are being associated with Christianity.

So many people who want miracles, authority over others, money, influence, fame, but couldn't wait for the right time from the Lord patronise them. The practise is not only in the orthodox, but it has also penetrated the Pentecostal. Pastors who want to satisfy their members, go on to these powers to reinforce their ‘calling'.

The white garment churches.
The C&S Church started so well before they derailed. But some of them are still genuine. Not all of them light candles or mix Christianity with all sorts of things. When an organization goes on for a long time, it tends to have a life of its own.

The acts of using fruits like banana, coconut, orange, etc to pray is not synonymous with the C&S. It is the Celestial that brought that. Whoever could have brought it that is not synonymous with Christina faith.

There are two types of Cults: the anti-Christian cults and the pseudo-Christian cults. The anti-Christian cults are those that persecute Christians while the Pseudo-Christian cults are those that claim to be Christians but in deed are not. This group can be known if you are really discerning enough.

In revealing who the Pseudo-Christian cults, I have divided them into some broad groups based on their nature.

Segmental Biblical Attention:
These churches believe only in a segment of the scriptures in dogmatic isolation of the rest of the scriptures. They emphasize one line of truth to the neglect of other truths of the scriptures.

If they emphasize faith, they will not balance it with faithfulness. If they emphasize power, they will not balance it with purity. If they emphasis healings, they will not balance it with holiness unto the Lord.

Extra-Biblical Revelation:
Many of these 'churches' claim special revelation from the 'Lord' that is contradictory to the scriptures. They have added revelations given to them through dreams, visions, angelic visitation and 'special insight' from above.

In these churches, you find polygamists as pastors; conducting the Lord's supper to sinners in a crusade ground, feet washing, candle lighting and mantle. They always claim that these things are being done after special revelation from the Lord.

One of such church leader claimed that he received a revelation that all the members of his church should come to a vigil stark naked in preparation for a crusade meeting. And many gullible men and women attended and prayed nakedly inside the church for three days. Well, the outcome was that the Overseer slept with and impregnated almost all the members and everything scattered.

There was also another one who usually do feet-washing for his people in the guise that they would come in contact with miracle wherever they go. There are many others that space will not permit here.

False Salvation:
These 'churches' teach wrong basis for salvation. They believe that man is good and should just accept Jesus and everything will be okay. They don't talk about sin, because according to them, it will make the people to be sin conscious. Once you accept Jesus and you are prayed for by the leader, you are declared a child of God, even if your life did not change. Many Pentecostal Bishops and Charismatic Churches are found in this error.

True repentance, being sorrowful for sins and having a contrite heart has been preached against and the slogan is; "keep the people happy and everything will be okay". Any small wonder that genuine Christianity have not really increased despite the mush­rooming of these 'churches'?

Enslavement and Bondage:
There is always a man set on top of the pedestal of these our churches - who is always proud, garrulous, extravagant and authoritarian, who will never allow the followers to be free. He preaches against other churches and believes that he is all they need. He has all the anointing, knowledge, revelation and grace to lead them to paradise.

The people are thereby kept in bondage, servitude and enslavement. Whoever tries to leave is branded an anti-Christ and dealt with severely. Fear, coercion and threats are used to bring followers into bondage and enslavement.

Doctrinal Ambiguity:
Their trumpets always give an uncertain sound. Many meanings can be interpreted into what they say because of doctrinal ambiguity. In some cases, they have no particular doctrinal stand. They really don't believe in much of the fundamental truth of the scripture, so they keep quiet and only preached whatever caught their fancy.

Many of these 'churches' have no tenet of faith and their followers are bared from knowing the truth so that their eyes will not be opened. Great carefulness is maintained so that preachers who are biblically and doctrinally sound are not invited to preach in such 'churches'.

Worldly Mindedness:
You could not really differentiate between the world and these so called churches, because they are in active competition. Every kind of fashion, music and pleasure you find among sinners and those who don't know God are also found in abundance among and amidst these 'our churches'. Worldly standards are adhered to and worldly ways of doing things are brought in to run the show in the 'church'. The people are encouraged to get as much of this world as possible, because we are 'kings and children of royalty'. Actually, they are in the world and of the world, the more reason the world hears them.

You will always find these six traits among and amidst those churches that I have come to label as 'our churches'. Of course, they are not limited to these six, but they are helpful starting points when looking for traits of churches that are ours and not His.

How do you react to the spiritual imbroglio of T.B. Joshua? Is he of God or of cult?
I cannot categorically answer that question. But from all I have said on extra-biblical attention, a discerning mind will know where he belongs. I don't like discussing persons, but let us look at his church.

I can say that TB Joshua has not proved beyond reasonable doubt that he has nothing to hide. Jesus said by their fruits we shall know them. I have nothing against the person of T>B> Joshua. How I wish he is one of us. How I wish he is sincere as he claims to be. I pray he is doing a work that will last. Any time I look at him from eternal perspectives, T.B. Joshua has so much to prove to be acceptable to me and people who reason as I do.

Let him ask himself: how many people has he discipled in his church? How many people can he confidently say are born again in his church? What fruit of the spirit has he seen in his members? Who is his pastor/s? What testimonies has he got to give? What testimony has he on his conversion to Christ? How did he meet Christ? Who were his contemporaries when he gave his life to Christ? What led to his confession of Christ? How did it happen? Where was he baptised? Who baptised him?

Someone said in spite of these barrages of criticisms, T. B. Joshua is waxing stronger: his church is the most beautiful, he has one of the largest members and his ministry is growing all over the world. Could his be a case of a prophet not having honour in his home?
Forget about the beauty of the church. Man always look at the immediate and now, while God looks at the ultimate and eternal. Though T. B. Joshua could have the finest church and now speaks better grammar, and he is spicing his sermons with the name of Jesus, but there are so many contradictions in his statements which are obvious to the discerning minds. Having branches all over does not cancel the questions like who are his pastors, where did he train, who is the Paul of his Timothy? I have never heard him speak of personal testimonies or experience before. 99% of the people in his church are there for one miracle or the others. Miracles are temporary. Any body could do it. Magicians in Egypt responded to Moses with their magic. Who can be pointed at as his son in the faith? Miracles are ephemeral, they will come and go.

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