Dear Editor,
In the wake of Nigeria’s anti-gay bill signed into law by President Goodluck Jonathan, the nation’s popular televangelist, T.B. Joshua addressed the issue of homosexuality during a live broadcast of his Sunday Service on his own television network, Emmanuel TV. A young man by the name of Tedus visited T.B. Joshua’s church and was apparently delivered from a ‘demon’ which he claimed was the cause of his homosexual lifestyle.
T.B. Joshua addressed the issue saying,
“God loves sinners but hates sin. We should hate the act but not the people – because sinners can be delivered and changed. Sinners can be reformed since our battle is not against the flesh and blood but against the spirit beings that cause these acts”.
He used the Bible scriptures Romans 5:8, Jude 1:23 and Ephesians 6:12 to support his teaching.
During the live broadcast Mr Tedus, who said he had been a homosexual, was asked a series of questions and shared his experiences which were posted on the ministry’s Facebook page in a post titled, “Deliverance is the Answer”. He said that he remembered a time he felt a spirit enter him and after that, he began to feel affection for men. That was how his journey as a homosexual started. He said that after his deliverance at the church his desires have changed and he no longer has passion for men but rather for women.
This all seems to be a more in-depth spiritual approach on the issue of homosexuality then the statements made by Pope Francis in July when he said that he will not “judge” gays and lesbians, including gay priests, signalling a shift from his predecessor and hinting at a possible change in the Church’s approach to historically marginalised groups. “If someone is gay and he searches for the Lord and has good will, who am I to judge?” Francis said in a wide-ranging news conference aboard the papal plane.
T.B. Joshua said, “If we fail to see that there are powers that cause people to be bowed down in bondage, we are fighting the wrong battle. That is why so many churches today are fighting the wrong battle. When you are armed for battle, you will not fight the wrong battle; you will listen to the inner voice of the Holy Spirit. The issue of faith is not an issue of man’s flesh. It is of man’s spirit, not man’s flesh”.
Mr Tedus later gave advice saying, “If you come across someone with the same problem, you should not condemn. The only answer is deliverance.”
Diran Olaniyi
