ABUSE OF OFFICE OF THE BISHOP (PART ONE)

PROF. BEN ONYEUKWU (REV.)

NCE(Eng.) ND/HD (Journalism); BA (Hons) MA, PhD.

Call: +2348037346939  E-mail: professorbenonyeukwu@yahoo.com

ABUSE OF OFFICE OF THE BISHOP   (PART ONE)

THE X-RAY

                          ---“If a man desires the position of a bishop, he desires a good work. A                      

                            bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, temperate, 

                           sober-minded, of good behaviour, hospitable, able to teach, not 

                           covetous, not given to wine, not violent, not greedy for money, but

                           gentle, not quarrelsome, one who rules his own house well”---(1

                           Timothy 3:1-4).

INTRODUCTION: 

            The New Webster’s Dictionary of the English Language defines episcopacy as a government of a church by bishops who have authority over priests and lower clergy, and alone have the power to confer the sacraments of holy orders and confirmation. Put specifically, Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia renders that a bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. The definitions above throw-up the enormous responsibility of bishops in churches with the Episcopal form of government. They also demonstrate the fact that the office of bishop is not for a novice, charlatan, reckless or self-seeking individual(s) who may not be knowledgeable or mindful of the demands of the office.

            Kudos to the Catholic Church, the Anglican Communion and other forerunners of the Episcopal administration for their consistency in the search and consecration of credible persons as bishops. The commendation here does not ignore the fact that there are still lapses in the ecclesiastical governments of the aforementioned Christian denominations, nor does it seek to project them as superior to other Christian groups which have adopted the Episcopal system of Church government, possibly by reason of what is known as Apostolic Succession, for within the Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches and in the Anglican Churches, bishops claim Apostolic Succession, that is, a direct historical lineage dating back to the original twelve apostles. Also, some protestant Churches, including the Lutheran and Methodist Churches have bishops serving similar functions as well, though not always understood to be within apostolic succession. No doubt, the Pentecostal groups are in line with the latter category. Having highlighted on the above, please observe that.

OFFICE OF BISHOP IS NOT GENDER SENSITIVE

            Without mincing words, the office of bishop is gender insensitive. There is nothing like the un-realistic arrogance of “what a man can do, a woman can do better” attached to this hallowed office. In this connection, God’s word states that ---“a bishop must be blameless, the husband of one wife”---(verse 2A). This very verse of the scripture fundamentally outlaws gay bishopric, as well as shows no consideration  for female bishops or bishop-mrs, since it reads that a bishop must be a husband of one wife and not the wife of one husband. The verse equally shows that the Bible has no support for the evil of co-leadership style of a husband and wife emerging as a bishop and bishop-mrs or archbishop and bishop-mrs in a church. But, this unwholesome pattern of ecclesiastical leadership is becoming rampant in the Pentecostal movement, which is believed to parade implicit faith in the word of God. It is true that the book of Joel renders that God pours His Spirit upon all flesh, male and female, however, there is nowhere the scripture shows that the office of bishop is for the female folks, in whatever guise, though it favours the idea of granting them ordination into the lower cadre of the Christian clergy.

OFFICE OF BISHOP CALLS FOR CAPABILITY AND INTEGRITY

The office of bishop seeks to install those who possess the ability and moral courage to bear the burdens of the vocation,. This backs-up the fact that a bishop must be ---“temperate, sober-minded, of good behaviour, hospitable and able to teach”---(verse 2bff). Someone’s behaviour is temperate when it is calm and controlled by oneself or submissive to another. This means that a bishop must be a person of self-control, as well as one who allows the control of a superior officer, where there is one. The intemperate bishop makes himself a lord over the flock of God, since he is not subject to God or any person. The result is that such a bishop is often prone to gross immorality with women of easy virtue, careless spending of church funds, always cursing and yelling at members of his church, wife, friends, brothers, and sisters who may come up with useful corrections.

            The sober-minded bishop possesses a good reasoning faculty. He plans his work with proper care, as well as demonstrates discretion and moderation in the discharge of his duty.This informs an attitude of genuine consideration of the weaknesses, strength and well-being of those he pastors or leads. But, most bishops today fall short of this quality, as they are only concerned with those things that gratify them. These charlatans who have taken undue advantage of the highest point of authority in God’s vineyard now display a very high degree of despicable, reckless and non-christian way of life in society. When a bishop is not sober-mind, he gives satan the opportunity of taking over his sense of judgment, and so, he may begin to lie, falsify church documents, sleep with his female assistants, engage in mindless display of material wealth and other anti-social behaviour which lead to eternal damnation. To this effect also, most bishops cannot speak out against corruption, because they are equally corrupt, they cannot say no to harsh government policies, because they share the same view with the world of wickedness, they cannot rebuke the erring politicians because they themselves are pulpit politicians. If one may ask, how can a bishop who is mindful of what comes out of government treasury really be mindful of the things of the kingdom of God? How can a bishop who is devoted to the interest of a corrupt government truly pursue the interest of a Holy God? How can a bishop who now preaches materially based sermons for self-enrichment do well in peaching the undiluted word of God? How can a bishop who has become a prayer warrior for government returns earnestly prayer for the people of God? What a tragedy!

            Other good qualities of a bishop are that he must be hospitable and able to teach. Hospitality centers on one’s ability to gladly receive and attend to the needs and comfort of guests, whereas, the ability to teach is informed by  one’s giftedness nurtured by good education. But, people are aware that certain bishops at present are not hospitable, since they can hardly take care of the needy and guests who come their way. It is on record that it is easier to visit a lion’s den than to visit the homes of most bishops. It is easier to break the walls of Jericho, than to have access to the offices of most bishops. It is easier to battle with a buffalo for food than to have this category of bishops share their food or personal effects with anybody. Most of them take delight  in feeding their security dogs with the amount of money they can never approve as monthly salary for certain cadre of their pastoral staff. Yet, these bishops are supposedly chosen to uplift  the people, and their homes and offices designed by God for the feeding, comfort and encouragement of His flock and others, especially the less privileged. It is unfortunate that this obnoxious lifestyle is currently being exhibited by bishops of almost every Christian denomination, but the most painful thing about it  is that the Pentecostal bishops who are supposed to shine as light  take the lead in the depravity.

            Furthermore, and as cited above, one of the basic qualifications of a bishop is his ability to teach, and one can teach both by instruction and example. The truth of the matter is that one cannot give what one does not possess. To instruct others, one needs information through education, and for one to teach by example, one needs the virtues of the Christian faith. If so, how can a bishop without good education perform creditably as a teacher of God’s people in this era of intellectual harvest? How can a bishop teach by example if he has no relationship with the spirit of Christ. In this vein, the problem is that most bishops who mess-up the Episcopal office are either educationally half-baked or spiritually not connected to Christ or both. This is really a problem.

OFFICE OF BISHOP IS NOT FOR MONEY MONGERS AND COVETOUS INDIVIDUALS

            “The love of money is said to be the root of all evil”--- and the Apostle Paul, no doubt, took cognizance of this in his pastoral epistle. In line with this, he remarks that --- a bishop must not be greedy for money, nor covetous”--- (verse 3a-c). This is a piece of advice often ignored by those bishops whose hearts have been imprisoned by the prince of darkness. The greed for money appears to be the most remarkable point for the abuse of office of bishop in recent times. The quest for the perishable things of this world and the unhealthy competition for recognition have bitterly brought many bishops to the worship of money, instead of God. Who is not aware of the activities of most of these false bishops who prophesy and pray for money? Who has not experienced the scourge of falsehood from these pretentious clerics whose stock-in-trade is to make merchandise of the people in the name of the Lord? The result is that these greedy episcopates with covetous tendencies become richer than every member of their denominations, parade the biggest luxury cars in town, boast of annual budgets bigger than that of the state, have their children and wards in the best of schools, in the country and overseas, at the expense of the needy members of their congregations and society who they suppose to be helping out of their problems. Yet, these ecclesiastical criminals with records of money laundering and other despicable activities remain uninvestigated in a country where there is a constitutional government. What a painful abuse of the office of bishop!

OFFICE OF BISHOP IS NOT FOR THE VIOLENT AND QUARRELSOME PERSONS

            People who are quarrelsome are always having angry arguments, and if someone is violent or if they do something which is violent, they try to injure or kill people by using physical force or weapon. This, the Apostle Paul cautions against when he says, ---“a bishop should not be quarrelsome or violent”—(verse 3a and d). It is obvious that lack of prudence in the management of the resources of the church, dishonesty in decision making, undue delays of the promotion of the deserving members of the clergy, favoritism, highhandedness on the part of the presiding bishops or overseers, greed, inordinate ambition and more are the  possible causes of angry arguments and wanton destruction of lives and property in most Christian groups. If everyone in the church is given what is due to them at the appropriate time, the show of unchristian outbursts and display of bestiality would never occur, unless from people with demonic ambitions.

            Having said this, it becomes important to stress  that disputes come up in churches when  presiding bishops or leaders fail to honour  those whom honour is due, by way of denying them what constitutionally belong to them, probably to favour their kinsmen. There is no gainsaying the fact that most bishops treat members of their pastoral team as slaves, instead of developing a brotherly relationship with them. This unhealthy development has often led to bitterness and rancour, as well as, force certain members of the clergy who do not want to be quarrelsome or violent to engage in unnecessary proliferation of mushroom churches. The Pentecostal bishops are also prominently guilty of this, and therefore, should repent of such a sin.

OFFICE OF BISHOP IS FOR THE GENTLE AND GOOD FAMILY LEADERS

            A bishop, as well must be a gentle person and one who rules his own house well--- (verse 3dand 4a). A gentle person is kind, mild and pleasantly calm. This is one of the leadership qualities that makes for effective family control. But the harsh, fierce or violent individual is the opposite, and a bishop should not be chosen from this brand of persons, the Bible says. The scripture under review  also holds that a bishop must be one who rules one’s family well. This portrays a divine yardstick to determine who becomes a bishop or not. It reveals also that one’s ability to control one’s household  demonstrates if one would do well if  consecrated a bishop. But, certain individuals and churches have deliberately refused to regard the rules governing the selection of one who must occupy the episcopal seat, whereby abusing it. Available statistics shows that the family records of most bishops are nothing to write home about, as their wives and children take the lead in immorality and other anti-social behaviour. What a shame!

            In conclusion, please note that this work is not an attempt to indict any religious  group. For a subjective reader may quickly conclude that the writer has taken a stand of judgment against the Pentecostal movement. This is definitely far from the truth, as the piece is just a wake-up call to sanitize the office of bishop, which the writer strongly desires to occupy one day. PRAY FOR BISHOPS.    

                                         

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