Across Britain, African churches are the fastest growing sector of Christianity, but as these churches have experienced huge growth, it has been reported that other entirely separate beliefs are present in the UK, which “masquerade as Christianity and prey on the most alienated and isolated members of society,” report the BBC.
Many parts of London with large African populations are regularly leafleted by traditional “spiritual healers”, who proclaim they are doctors and professors, and profess themselves as being able to defeat black magic.These “healers” divert away from core Christian teachings, and some even present themselves as bona fide Christian leaders in order to gain the respect and trust of vulnerable members of the community.
A major international symposium has taken place to respond to the issues surrounding the abuse of children in a number of “rogue churches” in the African community, 22nd May 2006, at Methodist Central Hall, London.
The aim of the symposium, entitled ‘Christianity or the Occult? Emerging Trends in the African Diaspora’ was to “create an environment which will foster better understanding of the African-derived church, as well as emerging spiritual trends in Britain,” said Agu Irukwu, Senior Pastor of Jesus House in Barnet, North London, and Chairman of the Executive Council of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG).
Hoping to tackle the problem head-on, Jesus House gathered a wide range of speakers at the symposium. Christian Today spent some time with Pastor Agu Irukwu after the symposium, and discussed the issues surrounding the symposium:
CT: What was the core purpose of this symposium?
To talk about this issue, to shed some light, and bring some clarity, and to get people involved that have never met, to discuss and meet each other, and throughout all of this to come out with some strategies to bring it forward.
CT: Do you feel the way the media has reported on this issue has stereo-typed African-derived churches at all?
Certainly. Not necessarily the mainstream media such as the BBC, but certainly the other side of the press has. They have to sensationalise things to sell their newspapers, but there has been a certain stereo-typing, and one thing we wanted to achieve today was to confront that and clarify that.
CT: If not the mainstream church then who is it that is committing these abuses against these children?
