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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