The Church Heresy: Why Emmanuel Parish has become conference hall of politics in Juba?
9 min readBy David Matiop Gai, Juba, South Sudan
May 31, 2016 (SSB) — Churches are for prayers only. Our political problems are mixed with Sunday gathering. Sunday services belong to God alone. We go to church for adoration, worships, and praises to God. Politics are not solutions to our problems. Biblical communication on spiritual aspects is very important than politics but I heard the first vice president of Republic of South Sudan Dr. Riek Machar went to Emmanuel Parish where majority Dinka Bor community do prayed to passes his messages of Peace and forgiveness among the South Sudanese people for the first time in his life since he differed with Dr. John Garang in 1991 and his supporters killed people; he also differed with President Kiir, and his supporters killed the same people in 2013, how do you look at this reconciliation now? The Bible says in Mt 5:44, “forgives your enemy, and give him drinks”, 1 Samuel 24:17, reads, He said to David, “You are more righteous than I; for you have dealt well with me, while I have dealt wickedly with you.” For me its sound good indeed because all of us need peace in the country, but contrary the next Sunday of May29, 2016 was a traumatic Sunday where groups of angry youth coups the church with memories of the beloved sons of Bor community who were perished in the recent conflict. A friend of mine told me the story.
When I heard the story, it came in my mind that Dr. Riek is misdirected again by Church leaders or members of his community, some government officials, or other community members to go around Juba churches with messages of peace and reconciliation as require to make churches his main gateways for public assembly. I first asked the friend, how was the mood inside the church? He said normal. I repeated another question, how did people look at Riek when he was talking? He said, when Dr. Riek narrated how he left Juba on the 15 Dec 2013 to Bor, people looked downcast. I told him; those pastors in that church have done a great mistake! He said why? I say friend, the pastor who let Riek stand before the church evoke or recall psychological records of fresh emotion of the victims. The church is composed of people who like Riek and those who dislike him. If the pastor of that church was a trained pastor, this visitation would have not happened. It is better to avoiding risk than allow it; reconciliation and forgiveness is not suppose to be done by victim, there is a need of third party; there must be somebody who can facilitate the process because it is like conducting the peace negotiation. I told him, you will hear good or bad news very soon. Yesterday on May 29, 2016, he called me with news of angry youths who storms the church surprisingly.
I reiterated my statement blaming pastors of Emmanuel Parish. If we ask them why you allow this happen politically, and not spiritually, they might say for the sake of peace, but if God ask them why you allow my house in South Sudan to be house of politics and human purifications instead of prayers, they can accept their mistake because God is omnipresent, and omnipotent, nobody will attempt to stand his ways. These Emmanuel Parish pastors cannot resist God and they cannot tell God we have more experiences in the Church. It is not a matter of pastor being more experienced in church affairs; it is not a matter of more years in the church; it is not about ordination; it is not about pastor gaining popularity from the politician, than spirituality from God; it is not looking bad things or good things alike; it is not fueling more chaos and division among people in name of fake peace than seeking the right channel how warring parties are handle amicably; it is a careful ability and responsibility on how to handle chronic tribal conflicts in south Sudan where church should be neutral, clean from the politics, and tackle problems without compromise in spiritual perspectives and understandings. If I were Emmanuel Parish pastor, this visitation would have not happen, not because I don’t want peace, or I dislike the first vice president, but because I want to protect that peace to be real peace.
Church is a house of God for prayers only, no more, no less than the will of God on how his creatures glorify his name, and if South Sudanese Church authorities turn Church for political activities, then this is belief automatically angered God. Mt 21:13, “It is written,” he said to them, “‘My house will be called a house of prayer,’ but you are making it ‘a den of robbers”. Jesus called people who do other things in the church, things which are not connected to prayers as den of robbers, because God looks into human hearts, not physical appearances, and if we feel like politics have nothing to harm spirituality in our churches, then we are totally wrong. Isaiah 56:7 writes, “These I will bring to my holy mountain and give them joy in my house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and sacrifices will be accepted on my altar; for my house will be called a house of prayer for all nations.” Isaiah never says, church will be called house of politics for all nations as we are doing it now? But he said, it will be called house of prayer for all nations.
Christian’s destiny is brought down by clouds and layers of church heresy in South Sudan compare to other Christians nations. Have you ever heard that politics being exercise in churches on Sunday or during Sunday services solve problems even if people deserve peace and forgiveness in case of South Sudan human disastrous recoups? If you come across my article on the church’s heresy, don’t think I have attacked the Emmanuel Parish where chaos took place last Sunday on 29th May 2016, but I’m talking about the church being invaded by cultures of human nature and traditions than spirituality.
The word heresy in South Sudan Churches is a theological term of belief or opinion contrary to orthodox religious especially Christian doctrine. Apostle Paul’s letter to the Colossians, especially the second chapter, is an effort to combat false teachings that were being promoted to the Church. This epistle is generally dated back to the period of 58-60 CE, and epistle indicates an early form of Gnosticism, (Col 2:4), Verse 8. Talked of philosophy and empty deceit according to human tradition, and according to the elemental spirits of the universe [ta stoicheia tou kosmou], and not according to Christ. (NRSV). Gnosticism refers to a diverse, syncretistic religious movement consisting of various belief systems generally united in the teaching that humans are divine souls trapped in a material world created by an imperfect god, the demiurge, who is frequently identified with the Abrahamic God.
The lists of heresies which are involves in South Sudanese gods, beliefs, concepts, and perceptions, and so on are the heresies evolved in similarities of Adoptionism , Apollinarism , Arianism, Docetism, Luciferians, Macedonians or Pneumatomachians (“Spirit fighters”), Monophysitism or Eutychianism, Catharism, and Free Spirit but in South Sudan, we have our own church heresies like Dinkaism of Deng Abuk spirit, Nuerism of Ngondeng spirit, Bharism of Bhari spirit, Lotukoism of lotuko ancestry spirits, Azandeism of the kingship spirit, Shillukism of Nyikang spirit, etc, and all other tribes beliefs contributed to wrong believes in connection to our Christianity. These heresies influenced our Christians beliefs and we are Christians by names not believing in God. Each tribe in South Sudan has their own church traditionally, and churches are divided according to geographical areas, for instance, ECS in Bor, Rumbek, Munduri, Yambio, Yei, Juba, Catholic in many parts of Bhar el ghazal, Eastern Equatoria, and Presbyterian Church in Upper Nile.
Again, Apostle Peter warned Christian’s communities and his writing of 2 Peter: said “even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them”(2P. 2:1-AV). Peter warns of false teachers, and last days (2 pet 2:9; 3: 9-10). It seem in like the past, the destiny of Christianity in South Sudan was denied by Arabs and Arabs Allah believing were trying to unscrupulously Christians believes and faith, but Church heresy risked pyramids of politics, cultures, social and spiritual problems in the young nation, where troublemakers stood before churches and complicate things more and more violently.
Christian’s confusions about, conflict/war, forgiveness, peace, reconciliation, and harmony in South Sudan government, and in churches is thirsty, I think, may be they want peace in the country even they are like putting bicycle tires thinking that they have put vehicle tires instead. All these series are Biblical roots causes, and Biblical solutions in the Bible might not put right, but they need trained God servants to teach people about their effects among the people.
Conflict/war is Biblical and war can erupt if Christians are not faithful to God like south Sudanese who always called God on their lips. To understand the origin of war, the root of the problem. War, according to the Bible, is not caused by God but is rather the result of sin in the world (Genesis 4:5-8, Matthew 15:19, Mark 7:21-23, Romans 3:10-18), and it does not differentiate believers and none believers; when war comes, it comes for us all. That is why all of us are not suppose to provoke public peace. Forgiveness is a demand by the guilty person; it is the responsibility of the victims to forgive because our role as Christians is to forgive when somebody ask forgiveness. If you forgive somebody, it does not mean you are weak or wrong, it is a power to free yourself from the inner agony, but it does not also mean if I forgive you , then you repeated the same mistake, what kind of animal are you?. Peace is process and its need protection by all means. You can maintain peace and it is not absence of conflict. Reconciliation and harmony are continuous exercise among members of different communities within or without.
Therefore in my conclusion, if South Sudanese are serious for peace and reconciliation, it is not just a matter going to churches on Sunday, but national dialogues, national prayer day, national peace, forgiveness and reconciliation should be the role of everybody in conference halls, than churches, although churches headed the commission of peace, forgiveness, reconciliation and healing in South Sudan, spiritually let not put God to test. By the word of God, we tell the truth, and by the knowledge of Jesus Christ, we glorify God forever- Amen.
Author is a Co-founder of National Mental Health Care Organization; he holds Bachelor degree in social work and social administration, Bachelor degree in Theology from CLT in Montana USA, and a fellow researcher. He can be reach at tonggaid551@yahoo.com/ davidmatiopgai@gmail.com.
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