The member-elect for Essien Udim State Constituency in Akwa Ibom State, Prince Ukpong Akpabio, has urged Christian public office holders to reflect the tenets of their faith in their actions, to help achieve God’s purpose as His ambassadors on earth.
He spoke at the weekend while declaring open the 17th Annual Synod of Methodist Church Nigeria, Diocese of Essien Udim, held at Methodist Church Nigeria, Ukana Ikot Akpan, Udim Circuit, Essien Udim Local Government of Akwa Ibom State with the theme: “Contending for the Faith.”
Akpabio noted with regret that many Christians were heavenly minded, but earthly cautious, saying the situation called for soul searching.
He said: “As we gather as people of God in this Synod, it affords us the opportunity to reflect on where we have done well, how to improve to do better and the path we ought to take as a body of Christ to take full advantage of our expected role in governance, in shaping and influencing policies and programmes and in not relenting in using the pulpit to contend for the faith by holding elected public officials to account.
“The main mission of the church on earth is to make disciples of all nations, and unlike in the past, in recent times, the gap between the church and government in terms of interaction and partnership is gradually narrowing. While looking at the theme of this conference from the spiritual perspective, it is important we link it up to our day-to-day relationship with others as well as our economic and political lives.” Akpabio said before 1999, Christians were backward in politics; first, because while other religions believed that religion was a way of life, Christians remembered God mostly only when they were in trouble, as the early missionaries never enlightened Christians much about their political duties and roles.
“To be a politician was to be destined to hell because politics was considered a dirty game. The missionaries did not impart to us the technique of governance. For anyone to be interested in governance was considered blasphemous. The missionaries taught us how to serve our souls for heaven without teaching us how to contend for the faith here on earth.
“Therefore, as we gather at this synod to discuss the future of the diocese and its departments, let us not totally ignore the political reality such as the killings, political marginalisation, oppression of Christians, insecurity, bad economic policies, lack of good governance, all affecting Christians as God’s ambassadors and as salt of the earth because from time immemorial, Christians suffered persecution, but it never stopped the propagation of the gospel. Let us therefore be involved in our political life because Jesus himself was interested in politics,” he said.
Akpabio said the church in Nigeria could not play the role of mobilising its members to be involved in their constitutional obligation of exercising their franchise during the 2023 elections, only to ignore the most important role expected of them in keeping their elected and appointed public officials in check and holding them to account, warning that their inability to deliver on their mandate portended danger to the faith and the nation.
“The church must contend for the faith in a positive sense by sustaining its strategic engagement with the government to deepen governance, attract dividends of democracy to its members and serve as a resource at influencing policies and programmes of the government through not only prayers, but also in idea sharing, constructive criticism and commendation when and where applicable without losing her identity, purpose and mission of winning souls to heaven.
“Let us not forget that as Proverbs 29 (2) says: ‘When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice.’ When David ruled, the people rejoiced; when Solomon ruled, the people rejoiced and when Jehosephat reigned, the people were happy. But when Ahab ruled, the people mourned; when Hoshea reigned (2Kings: 17), the people were sad and when Manasseh was the king, the people lamented (2Kings:21),” he admonished.
He urged delegates to the synod to examine the critical role and relationship between the church and state, to explore ways of ensuring that the church played her role of ensuring that governance came in a form where light would replace darkness, where truth would replace falsehood, where justice would be the order of the day, where tribalism would give way to patriotism.
“The church must continue to encourage her members not just to be active participants in politics, but also to be the light of the world and reflect Christ in their politics because when true Christians are put in positions of authority, they contend for the faith in a practical sense,” he said.