Kumuyi Stirs Fresh Controversy In Christendom

Just after Pastor Chris Okotie created some tremor effect by his declaration that ‘Catholics will go to hell’ and that Pope Francis is ‘anti-Christ’, another Pentecostal pastor has stirred yet another storm that will rock Christendom for some time.
The General Overseer of the Deeper Christian Life Ministry, Pastor W.F Kumuyi, said the yearly Christmas celebration is ‘idolatrous and unscriptural’ and warned members of the church against celebrating it.

He said Christians marking the day are not observing the commandment of Jesus Christ.
According to Punch online, 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.”