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The Church is an institution that has existed from the very beginning of human existence.

In fact, in early times, nations were governed by priests because they knew matters of governance and were also revered by their people.

Churches have since those times played very influential roles in nation building and governance, contributing to discourse in matters of the state and development.

In Ghana, the Church has over the years contributed immensely to the provision of health and educational facilities across the country. In recent years, the Church has also been active in other sectors such as microfinance, insurance, and the provision of social amenities such as residential and conference facilities.
And there is no gainsaying the fact that all these contributions of the Church to the nation have, by and large, brought an improvement in the quality of life of citizens.

However, it is becoming increasingly clear to Today that, the foremost roles of the Church, which are soul-winning or evangelism and the promotion of righteousness, are fast eluding it. This is because some Churches, through their lead pastors, have now joined in the fray of amassing wealth through false prophecies and rituals to the detriment of the larger number of citizens.

Teachings on Christian virtues for instance, have now been skewed towards preaching on prosperity, which, in itself, is not evil. It is the interpretation of the teachings that have been taken to the extremes.

Christians are now getting caught up in the ‘get-rich-quick’ syndrome and have neglected the principles prescribed by the scriptures.

What makes the situation worse is the fact that, some self–acclaimed pastors have arrogated to themselves the power to make people rich overnight. They take advantage of the desperation and vulnerability of the members who confide in them as their spiritual guardians and direct them to take certain actions. The unsuspecting members obediently heed to their directives only to run into many more problems for themselves.

The result is that, people no longer want to work for genuine money but depend on directions and rituals they are asked to follow through to get wealth. Most times, these charlatans who call themselves ‘men of God’ do not only end up duping people and leading them astray, but also help to produce lazy people who get frustrated in life when they lose everything.

While Today believes that, the day of retribution awaits the false teachers and prophets of our time, we are of the view that the high incidence of ‘sakawa pastors’ would be reduced, if the true churches teach their members the right doctrines.

What we need to understand is that nobody has become rich overnight by just declaring a fast and praying. Wealth has always been the reward for genuine hard work and it is time churches taught their members this basic principle of life.

It is for these reasons that Today urges Christians to learn to study the scriptures on their own, so that no trickster will come under the guise of teaching the word of God to deceive them. Perhaps harsh economic conditions contribute to the incessant prayer vigils which sometimes run into several weeks.

Although a government voted into power owes it to the people who put it in authority to provide the right structures that would promote economic, financial and physical well-being, harsh conditions are not a license to stop work entirely in order to pray.

Today therefore want to appeal to the numerous Church leaders the country has been blessed with to lead exemplary lives of modesty and teach the right scriptures to their flocks.