Pastors Must Be Bold and Speak Against Bad Policies – Professor Adei

Professor Stephen Adei, an avowed Christian and former rector of Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA), has condemned the verbal attacks on Christian leaders by politicians for speaking against actions of governments or political leaders in the interests of nation.
He described the phenomenon where pastors were being tagged with political colours or as anti-government when they challenged decisions taken by government, as a strategy being employed by politicians to disunite the Church for their parochial interest, and tasked Christian leaders to resist such attempts.
While asking pastors to keep non-partisan stand in such discourse, he challenged them to be bold and continue to speak against ungodly decisions and initiatives by governments and national leaders, just as Prophet Elijah and others in the Bible did in their time.
“It is not enough for Christians to shun wrong doings in society. A true Christian should also be able to stand up and say that, this is wrong I will not allow it”, he reiterated.
The professor who was speaking in an interview with Q News on the impact of the church and Christian leadership on national affairs, acknowledged the significant role played by the National Peace Council in keeping the nation together in such times of political distress.
He opinionated that, Ghana owed God gratitude for the gift of such great men of God as Cardinal Peter Turkson (president of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace) and Most Rev. Professor Emmanuel Asante (chairman of the National Peace Council), as well as other men of God of high moral values and integrity, who continued to lead the nation in the fear of God.
He observed that, though Christians constitute about 70% of the country’s total population, we are usually in the minority of people who committed crimes in society, which according to him, showed the gospel of Christ is making impact in the lives of Christians.
Professor Adei added that, with the heated political contests Ghana has gone through in recent past during general elections, and has still been able to come out without being thrown into any civil war, is been largely due to the presence of the ‘Church’ and its continued intercessory prayers.
Notwithstanding the positive impact of the Church, Professor Adei regretted that about 75% of Christians in the country were nominal Christians, who must be transformed into the likeness of Christ, so as to be effective as the ‘salt and light of the earth’. He therefore tasked Christian leaders to ensure that their congregants became disciples and not just converts.
“When you live your life as a true Christian people are even afraid to do wrong in your presence. And that is our responsibility to our nation as Christians”, he indicated, adding that just as the early Christians who received the power of the Holy Spirit (as recorded in the Acts of the Apostles) were able to transform the Roman Empire, the Church should be able to impart the nation with Godly virtues.
He observed that, because of the current process people pass through to attain high office in political leadership, it has become difficult for people to get there through Christian principles. He urged Christians to support other faithful Christians who stood for parliamentary and other political positions, even as they vet them for their moral and Christian integrity.
By: D.A.S. Abugah and James Baworiyem