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The church is an important institution in society. It is important for nourishing believers' faith in God, galvanizing morals amongst the believers, and attend to charity functionslike weddings, funerals, and other societal needs.

However, in recent years, we have seen apathetic criminals and fibbers masquerading
as preachers akin to what the scriptures state as a "fox in sheep's clothing." From false miracles to fake healings, false teachings to fake breakthroughs, fights, and everything else in between, churchgoers have seen all evils in the very halls of churches. But where do we draw the line between church and crime?

The irony is so conspicuous in today's congregations. The Christianity so confessed is not practiced; instead, selfishness and greediness are the realities beneath the facade.
To make a buck off other people's backs is the true intent of the so-called shepherds of the people! The believers, so often mentioned as the sheep in the Scriptures, have been literarily treated as literal sheep because they do not think logically anymore. However, they are not innocent victims as well. Their intent is also not the Kingdom of God but mere earthly blessings of cars, land, and big houses, and therefore churches have become dens of thieves and robbers whom Jesus flushed out of the church during the Jewish dispensation, as the scripture states.

The worst of it all has been revealed recently in Paul Makenzi's cult, which is one of the ghastly crimes ever committed in the realms of spirituality in modern Kenya. Off the coast of Malindi, in Shakahola sub-county, it is claimed that Makenzi forced his
believers to incessant fasting under the pretense of meeting the lord face to face once they die. And fasting they did until life squeezed out of their feeble, starved bodies in a knock-off hope of meeting with the lord. This has resulted in more than twenty deaths and more than two hundred cult followers are believed to hide in the forest and homes continuing their delirious fasting. Bodies have been found in and exhumed from shallow
graves around his farm. Makenzi has been in police custody, and it is said that he has been fasting for four days since he got caught.

Ignored Sins

The gospel trend in Kenya has before shown signs of hellbent beliefs. The infamous Pastor Kanyari, who maliciously used chemicals to fake blood to make his credulous believers pay him what he called "mbegu ya 310" or KS 310 to receive a fake miracle, did not receive resolute condemnation from the government and not even a single flak from the religion fraternity even when he touched and pressed women breasts in public claiming to deliver healing and or miracles! The victims are usually left to suffer the consequences of their ignorance without retribution to the perpetrator. In the same, we are watching Jesus of Tongaren lure his prey into whatever den they will end up in!

Religion Degradation

Questions have arisen! Where did we go wrong? How did the church get to this level of despotism? How did people get themselves into these hellish brainwashing systems?
These questions have only one answer – spiritual ignorance! Sometimes poverty and lack of education also play a big role in these circumstances. Spiritual ignorance is a lack of knowledge of the Scriptures. It is the sheep followership of a person just
because they claim to have come from God. These men and women will own a church, a vehicle, and a lavish lifestyle and will dress in the most expensive apparel, and that is enough for people to follow them as men of God. They inadvertently worship these wealthy humans. They will do what they say at any time and as often as they say it.  In many African churches, followers have been seen doing stupefying things. From
falling off onto and from benches, rolling on floors speaking bosh and claiming the holy ghost, being beaten to being washed naked in front of the church and so many other nonsensical dramas that ensue, the African Pentecostal churches have shown the other side of hell beside the fire.

Hell, and God's wrath has been preached more than heaven and God's love with an intent to induce fear among the congregation. This usually makes followers part with their money in fear of God's wrath. It makes the pastor the milkman and the followers the cow! This is a proven business model. Scriptural teaching about hell is not even accurate as it proceeds from the mouths of these uncouth pastors. They claim to knowthe Scriptures, yet they too, fable a lot with the meanings and translations. Their characters are philistine and pharisaic at best and far from the true Shephard, Jesus Christ!

Who's to blame

Both the shepherd and the sheep are to blame—the shepherd for being a fox and the sheep for being a literal sheep. Whatever religion you follow, there is supposed to be a certain threshold of decency and respect. There is supposed to be a certain knowledge of the Scriptures and a certain level of restraint in belief. Followers must not be credulous and dimwitted to take everything their pastor says as dinkum oil. Pastor's words are not equal to Jesus', nor do they have any value until verified by Scripture. It is so dumbfounding to see people who are quick to obey pastors' word more than Jesus, yet they call themselves Christians. They like the word that is interpreted rather than the uninterpreted pure Word of God. They will follow interpretation, while the uninterpreted word does not need interpretation. Unfortunately, this will faintly make any sense to a sheep.

Conclusion

As much as we do not want the government to meddle with the freedom of worship, the government should protect the innocent believer. We want the government to bring to book churches and pastors that cause harm to innocent Kenyans, not as far as closing them, but to bring a sense of responsibility. The churches, as they are in Kenya, are unruly. They have a blank cheque to do whatever they wish!

President Kagame said there were too many churches in Rwanda than schools and industries. He stated that too many fake pastors are masquerading as true preachers but in the real sense, they are businessmen extorting money from the public. In this view, he closed every unregistered church in the country!

The monies Kenyans take to the church can sustain their kids in schools and place food on empty tables rather than going to feed one family that buys posh cars, build mansions, and preach over their heads with the misinterpreted gospel! Christians
are so ignorant that they cannot distinguish between the pure gospel of Jesus and motivational speaking that can be taken from any social media channel!

It's high time the GOK finds a balance between freedom of worship and fake churches. Any church that harms Kenyans whether physical harm or mental harm that an ordinary believer would tolerate as modest, should be prosecutable under laws of contract. Believers should sue the church that breaks the law of self-modest and health. All these people who fall and roll on floors and sustain injuries should sue the church for medical compensation. If such churches cannot abstain from this unruly behavior, then they should have medical cover for their injured or congregants who have concussions.

It is high time for society to wake up and understand that pastors are not gods and that they are also believers, just like any other person. Their words are nothing without biblical verification, and their venerated and reverenced appearance should lure no one!

Even the good and the great shepherd of all, the Messiah, the one who died on the cross, the way to the Father, the one and the only Jesus Christ sitting at the right hand of God, said, "… Why callest thou me good? There is none good but one that is God!"

I humbly call on all believers, read the Scriptures, rid yourselves of the stupefying ignorance and stop following these church leaders as sheep in the hand of the butcher. Failure to heed this call makes you a future victim of a shallow grave amid an unknown forest, like the innocent souls of Shakahola.