Kumuyi
| credits: File copy
| credits: File copy
The
General Overseer of the Deeper Christian Life Ministry, Pastor W.F
Kumuyi, has again warned members of the church against celebrating
Christmas, saying the annual celebration of Christmas is idolatrous and
unscriptural.
Kumuyi warned that partaking in the celebration made Christians to go back from the commandment of Jesus Christ.
The cleric said this on Saturday at the
annual national December convention of the church, which held at the
church’s camp ground in Ogun State.
He said, “We don’t celebrate Christmas.
It actually came from idolatrous background. That is why you don’t hear
us sing what they call Christmas carol. Never! We always say it is the
December retreat. We are only gathering together because it is the
holiday period and love the Lord more, and rededicate ourselves more.
“When you find anybody coming in, or any
leader, trying to introduce the idolatry of mystery Babylon, that they
call Christmas and you want to bring all the Christmas carol saying that
is the day that Jesus was born, and you don’t find that in the Acts of
the Apostles or in the early church, then you don’t find that in the
church either. If you don’t know that before, now you know.”
He warned that any of the church’s
leaders that tried to introduce the “idolatry of Christmas” into any
section of the church would be sanctioned, while also encouraging other
believers in Christ to jettison the celebration as part of their
sacrifice to perfection.
Kumuyi said the duty of the church was to make people more like Jesus Christ and not join in worldly celebrations.
“We are not trying to make the church
turn like the world. We want it to be like Jesus Christ, and more like
the Apostles. If you don’t have that mind with us, then you have
permission to go to other places,” he added.
But the Director of Social
Communications, Catholic Archdiocese of Lagos, Monsignor Gabriel Osu, in
his reaction to Kumuyi’s proclamation, said, “I don’t know what he
means by saying the practice of celebrating Christmas is wrong.
“Is he saying that Christ wasn’t born?
That he didn’t come to die for us? Does he not celebrate his own
birthday? Do Kumuyi’s pastors not celebrate him? It is not everything I
react to; some people just seek attention. If Kumuyi is a Christian,
then he must believe in Christ.
“The celebration of Christmas didn’t
just start today; it is too public an event for anyone to say that they
don’t know what it is about.
“If Kumuyi is condemning the
commercialisation of Christmas, I can understand that. Christ came to
redeem us from our lost state; this was actualised through his coming,
his birth; that is why we celebrate Christmas. It is the fulfilment of
God’s promise.”
“I saw him on the television a few days
ago. He was in Akwa Ibom State and was the chief preacher during their
Christmas celebration event. Kumuyi is just saying what he feels; he is
not making any doctrinal statement.”
The spokesperson for the Christian
Association of Nigeria, Oshodi chapter, Lagos State, Pastor Barnabas
Otoibhi, said that Christmas was worth celebrating.
Otoibhi told one our correspondents in a telephone interview that the origin of Christmas was not as important as its essence.
He said, “The origin of Christmas, as we
know it, could be traced to Roman Emperor, Constantine. Christmas was a
day for celebrating the Sun God. However, because Constantine was a
Christian, the day was changed to commemorate the birth of Jesus Christ.
“The tradition has continued to date and
since the aim of Christmas is to celebrate Jesus since there is nothing
bad in honouring Jesus. Also, the worship of the Sun God was done in
Rome and not everywhere in the world, so it is not part of our history.
“We mark Christmas with the singing of songs as a day, which has now been consecrated
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