Guest Contributor: Sandala Mwanje – smwanje@cabuniversity.com
Please note that theological training shall always be a need for as long as the church exists (2 Timothy 2:2). However, there are times in history when extenuating circumstances raise a need from normal to urgent. Therefore, I want to underline the word “urgent,” and the implication is that we don’t have time nor the luxury to do so in our own time! So then, why is the need for theological training in Africa urgent?
I would like to cover three extenuating needs, but my interest in this short post is “The Pervasive Cancer of The Prosperity Gospel.”
My dear Church in Africa, the prosperity gospel is a cancer—and an aggressive cancer, for that matter! To stop the spread, we need to understand what the prosperity gospel is, but most importantly, we need to understand how it spreads. The main medium through which this cancer spreads is preaching—bad preaching. How did this cancer spread from America to Africa? It was through the false preaching of false televangelists. The prosperity preachers of the day were widely listened to through radio and television, and the fruit of their preaching is the Africanized cancer of the prosperity gospel on our continent. These false teachers also taught through publishing books, and some of these poisonous books still litter bookstores across Africa. Teaching and teachers are the underestimated force in shaping generations, but teachers yield unbelievable power in human life. It’s for this reason that James 3:1 warns against hastily assuming this role!
I would like to contend that to counter this cancer, the Church in Africa must prepare an army of well-equipped teachers! This cancer spreads through teaching/preaching and thus, teaching/preaching is the antidote. The Church in Africa must invest in equipping men for the work of preaching and teaching. This equipping must be threefold:
- Depth – These men must deeply know Christ and the power of His resurrection. They must know the depth, width, and height of the manifold grace of God! They must know the grace of our Savior Jesus Christ. It is knowledge that fights ignorance.
- Courageous Men – Timidity won’t get the job done! The prosperity gospel is an aggressive cancer, and approaching it with kid gloves won’t do. We need men birthed in prayer, by prayer, and men who pray for boldness (Acts 4:23-31), and not yield to fear. We need trained men with an evangelical boldness.
- Articulate Proclaimers – Remember that the prosperity gospel spreads through the proclamation of a bad theology and a gospel that’s no gospel at all. I would love to contend that the antidote is equally proclamation. The African church needs to send an army of men who know the gospel and are able to courageously articulate it. The gospel we believe in must be articulated! We must explain the nature of God, the sinfulness of man, and what Jesus has done to appease the wrath of God, thereby rescuing sinners. We need men who are equipped to preach the word (2 Timothy 4:1-2).
Equipping men to know the gospel, articulate the gospel, and contend for the gospel requires thorough, intentional training! I implore the church in Africa to invest in theological training to counter the spread of the prosperity gospel and also to position the church to export healthy missionaries! I also appeal to those who partner with the African church to invest in theological training. This need is urgent because the pervasive cancer of the prosperity gospel is aggressive and it’s claiming hundreds of people every day!
May the church in Africa arise and put its armor on, and hear the call of Christ our Captain!
Zambia Hunt 
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