Once the abode of peace, love and tranquility, the church has become something else. With what is happening all around us, the church has become the new ground for hate, wrangles and the occasional physical fights.
The church is the embodiment of Jesus Christ who preached humility and forgiveness; attributes that some church goers and leaders have chosen to atrophy. While Jesus was incensed by merchants plying their trade in churches, the modern day church, especially, is more of a money minting venture than a place of spiritual nourishment in line with Christian teachings.
When some of the established churches, once revered become the source of wrangles, Christians must pause, re-examine themselves and wonder where the rain started beating them. They must ask themselves what they are doing wrong to allow Satan take over the kingdom of God, with them as agents.
Thirst for power and the privilege to control church funds have combined to create factions within churches that have, hitherto, operated as single units since Christianity took root in Kenya. The Methodist Church, the Seventh Day Adventists (SDA) and AIPCA, some of the oldest churches in the country, are experiencing leadership wrangles that cause them to deviate from their core mandate of spreading the gospel of love, peace and unity.
When shepherds of the flock engage in fist fights and recriminations over management of funds and the running of church sponsored projects, what is expected of ordinary church goers to whom the church leadership should present the perfect role models? Granted, there might be some in positions of leadership within churches who thrive on corruption, but should that be justification for breaking away from the main church to form another that could still fall victim to the vice that led to its formation?
Christians must set a good example by solving emergent disputes quietly and soberly. Indeed, Christians ought to be in the vanguard advocating forgiveness whenever one of them goes astray. It is to the church that people turn for solace whenever politicians and other leaders violate their constitutional rights or renege on their contract to serve the country faithfully. In times of crisis, the church offers succor when all else seems lost, which is why the body of Christ should not be desecrated.
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