Are temples shielding hypocrites?

Malumbo Chirwa (not real name), 27, perched himself on the only tall stool found in Limbe main tavern, grabbed a Chibuku Scud and pulled a long sip before recounting how he got enslaved to beer-drinking.

“My former wife was a very dedicated member of the Women’s Guild at our local church. Every member of our church congratulated me for marrying such a God-fearing woman.

“But little did I know that behind her dedication, she was going out with a man I trusted and respected as my spiritual father—the pastor,” Chirwa offered to narrate the story without someone asking him.

And he continued: “On their 40th day, I caught them red-handed. But when I presented the issue to the church council, I was heavily rebuked for tarnishing the image of the pastor.”

He was also subjected to harsh disciplinary punishment—suspension from partaking Holy Communion for three months. This, he said, amazed him.

Chirwa, just like anybody else in control of his or her senses would, expected that the flirting pastor would be reprimanded and, if need be, redeployed to another church away from the area.

But nay! Instead, it was the victim being rebuked for a sin he never committed.

“I couldn’t stomach it. So, I decided to stop attending this church. And because the pain caused was too much, I started patronising drinking places to cool myself down,” he explained.

Chirwa, then living in Bangwe, relocated to Chiwembe, leaving behind his wife and two children without a sure source of money.

He said he was afraid the church would accuse him of violating the rights of his estranged wife and children if he sent them away.

“This is why I chose to relocate instead,” he justified himself.

Chirwa could be one in a pool of men whose marriages tumbled upside down because of pastors.

Stories have been told of how, using the Bible or Qur’an as their weapon, the unsuspecting believers have lost wives and property to people they looked up to as their “spiritual fathers”.

And more often than not, these “flirting and commercial pastors” have the backing of church leaders.

Mathias Phiri (not real name), a regular at Limbe main tavern, said this supports his long time belief that the church is infested with hypocrites while bars provide shelter to victims of social injustice.

Without blinking an eye, Phiri revealed that he, too, crossed paths with his pastor over the latter’s nepotistic tendencies when giving positions in the church.

“Almost all the top positions in the church were given to his wife, sons, daughters and close relatives as if this was a family company. And when I tried to reason with him, he labelled me a rebel in need of spiritual deliverance. I quit because I felt this was no longer spiritual, but wealth creation for one family,” he explained.

Media reports indicate that across the globe believers have stopped going to church after being frustrated by the hypocrisy entrenched in most worship centres.

Those who dislike the church feel they are as sinful as hypocrites hiding behind religion in various temples every day of worship.

Their reasoning maybe justified because hypocrisy is a sin and that all hypocrites are sinners.

It should, however, be noted that not all sinners are hypocrites.

Reverend Jimmy Chaona of Chifunga Zambezi Evangelical Church (ZEC) in Neno said there are several reasons why the church will continue providing shelter to hypocrites.

Chaona said in African societies, poverty is paramount as people tend to use religion to satisfy their evil desires.

He singled out the latter-day prophets and apostles sprouting from almost every corner of town as good examples of hypocrites.

“I can assure you that most of them weren’t called by God, but forced themselves into the spiritual ministries to make money. And that’s why they are making all sorts of demands, including material gratifications from their followers before offering their healing prayers,” he said.

Leader of the UK-based Powerhouse Community Outreach International Ministries, Pastor Dr. Clement Nkhoma, said hypocrites are as abundant in the church as they are outside.

Nkhoma was, however, quick to point out that God loves the hypocrite both in and outside the church and wants them to repent to become part of the church.

“It’s a lot safer inside the church struggling to be honest than outside,” he argued.

When all is said and done, it is important for all to meditate on the scripture found on Isaiah 9:17, which says, “…for everyone is a hypocrite and an evildoer, and every mouth speaks folly. For all this His anger is not turned away, but His hand is stretched out still”.