When the subject of men of God surfaces in the news for one reason or another, angry outbursts about their wealth and allegations of exploiting their congregations quickly follow, forming a substantial portion of the discussions. Miracles are dismissed as fake, and followers are labeled as gullible, if not brainwashed. In these conversations, believers are often seen as innocent, unsuspecting victims being taken advantage of. However, rarely does anyone, including the media, care to critically investigate the reasons why a congregation may remain faithful to a man of God, regardless of the unfolding negative publicity about him. Those at the forefront of this verbal thrashing keep getting baffled that, despite their verbal criticisms, believers remain unfazed, flocking to these places in droves the very next Sunday.
The purpose of this write-up is to provide perspective on the apparent deafness, or what some may call continued gullibility, of believers in the face of clear evidence that their spiritual leaders have fallen short in some way. The typical life of a Ugandan, or any other person for that matter, can be used as a reference in laboring this point.
Life, in general, is characterized by circumstances that require inner strength and motivation to navigate. For many, spiritual leaders act as the sole purveyors of hope and inspiration during episodes of gloom and darkness. When a leader spiritually supports a follower through their darkest moments, this leader automatically becomes a lifetime hero in the eyes of the believer. What can one give to a person who dissuades them from committing suicide and instead lovingly shares several examples of people whose situations were worse, only for them to rise out of it? What can one give to such a person who revives their hope in their hopelessness through constant prayer and spiritual support? What many do not know is that men of God may not publicize the number of people they support with a meal here, school fees there, and rent sometimes.
Now, when these people successfully navigate their way out of the murky waters of whatever challenge they were facing, that man of God remains dear to their hearts forever. It is only a fool who would not reward a person that stood beside them in their difficult times with loyalty and financial gifts. There are many of such in the Church. Yet still, there are many who become lifetime faithfuls. By default, men of God will receive financial gifts and blind loyalty from those who feel indebted to them for one reason or another. Financial gifts can include cars, houses, food, shopping, trips abroad, cash, and school fees for their children, as each congregant deems fit. Kindly note that these gifts are very different from the other biblical giving expected of a believer. The Bible talks of tithes, offerings, first fruits, and the like. There are believers who give all these on top of special gifts to their men of God.
So, while bystanders may consider these faithfuls gullible and brainwashed, believers are happily and consciously giving to those they feel worthy of their earnings. They appear completely oblivious to ongoing discussions against their men of God because they choose to focus on the testimony and experience with this person.
It is also true that, in all honesty, men of God sometimes err with clear evidence against them. However, those who have benefited from their ministries may choose to focus on the good they have received in their relationship with these people and ignore their shortcomings as human. For example, if a person feels that a pastor stood with them with spiritual support while they were vying for a political seat or any other job until they went through. Let us say that later, this pastor is found guilty of adultery. The adultery does not take away the support and the testimony that was received by this person.
As discussions about certain men of God keep coming up in the news, do not be surprised if congregations are unchanged or even grow bigger. People are willing to look beyond the flaws of spiritual leaders if they feel that these leaders are giving them support that they cannot receive elsewhere.
