– Pastor Adeboye, other Christian leaders’ views clash over Covid-19 Vaccine
General overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Pastor Enoch Adeboye has advised members of his church willing to take the COVID-19 vaccine to go ahead. He said he will take the vaccine if need be so he can be able to travel with the message of the Gospel.
Addressing congregants on Friday night during the monthly Holy Ghost service of the church at the Redemption Camp along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Pastor Adeboye said he will never ask anyone not to get vaccinated.
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Explaining the logic behind his stance, Pastor Adeboye said;
“If there are nations in the world that say I can not come to preach the gospel there because of vaccination, I will do anything for Jesus Christ.
“If vaccination is going to hinder me from doing the work that God has called me to do, if they asked me to get vaccinated 10 times, I would be vaccinated.
“Don’t ever say that you hear from me that you should not be vaccinated,”
He further said it is okay to get vaccinated if you feel it would put your mind at ease.
“I never said to you don’t be vaccinated, you have never heard that from me. Rather than living in fear or doubt, get vaccinated.
“If you believe that getting vaccinated would put your mind at rest, then go ahead”.
Pastor Adeboye has since joined the growing list of pastors that has endorsed the move so far. However, Christian leaders have been divided over there stance where the Covid-19 vaccination is concerned.
Bishop David Oyedepo of The Living Faith Church had said that he wouldn’t get vaccinated, adding that he was not a guinea pig.
In May 2021, during the 40th anniversary thanksgiving service of the church in Ota, Ogun State, he warned his members not to take the “deadly thing” called vaccine.
“Let me warn you against this deadly thing circulated around the country, because it has not been duly tested. An elder of this church, who works with the World Health Organisation, confirmed this, thanking me for always speaking the truth about the authenticity of the COVID-19 vaccine,” he said.
Just in the same way, Apostle Johnson Suleman had also told his followers that while he is not saying it has any spiritual implications, he adviced his followers against it saying it is not healthy.”
Pastor Chris Okotie went all out against the vaccine he a video where he explained the implications.
“Since the blood of Jesus is not what he (Satan) is talking about, or what he has to offer, he will require you to seek blood somewhere else. And the only place where you can find blood is in another human being. So, one of the things that the vaccine will make you do is to become a vampire who needs to drink blood for sustenance,” Okotie had said.
On March 30, Rev. Chris Oyakhilome was seen in a video published on the church’s YouTube channel, condemning fellow Christian clerics for telling their followers to receive the vaccine.
“I can’t understand how a minister of the gospel would be waiting for some vaccine to be the solution for the world,” he said. “Where is your faith? Where is the Word of God in your mouth? If I say to someone, “You shall live and not die,’’ that’s it for him.”
Senior Pastor of trinity House, Ituah Ighodalo dispelled the claims about the vaccine in an interview, saying, “It is foolishness to keep having faith that God will protect you from an infection (for which) He has made provision for vaccines that can provide a high percentage of protection.”
Ighodalo advised his fellow pastors “to do their research, get the knowledge and stop misinforming and improperly educating people on guesswork, instincts and mere suppositions.”
While other Christian leaders are yet to take a position on the matter, Christian Association of Nigeria responded to questions about vaccination by saying the body is yet to take a position. The General Secretary, Joseph Daramola said “CAN has not made any official position on the matter.” He also refused to respond to further inquiries on the matter.
