Our reporter
The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has sharply condemned Prophet Jeremiah Fufeyin of Christ Mercyland Deliverance Ministry, describing his claim that a “first fruit” offering can wipe away sins, including those of fraudsters, as heretical.
In a statement at the weekend, CAN warned Nigerians to be wary of preachers with “dubious theological background” and rejected Fufeyin’s teaching as “false” and “out of context”.
Fufeyin, the Warri-based cleric popularly called “Papa J” by his followers, made the controversial claim during a recent church service. Encouraging congregants to give their first earnings to God, he said: “Your first income, let it pain you, try God with it… it breaks protocols, even your sins, it cancels them.”
He went further to assert that even a fraudster, identified by him as a ‘419’, can find favour with God if he gives the first fruit. “I, the Lord, God of Israel, God of Abraham, am surely behind you because of the first fruit,” he said.
But CAN’s National Director for National Issues and Social Welfare, Abimbola Ayuba, dismissed the claim as “heresy” and said it promotes greed and exploitation. “God is not fraudulent. He has more treasures than any one man, and He is not a thief that shares booty with crooks,” Ayuba said.
He added: “CAN does not associate with persons of dubious background who manipulate innocent Nigerians and fleece them of their hard-earned resources. CAN only recognises sound theological teachings and the authority of the Five Blocs that make up the association.”
The Lagos State Chairman of CAN, Bishop Stephen Adegbite, also rejected Fufeyin’s assertion, describing it as unbiblical and a distortion of scripture.
“He is preaching out of context, and he doesn’t know what he is talking about. The Bible warns that in the end times, there will be false teachers who claim to be called by God. Let him show where God gave such instruction in scripture that one can continue to sin and be absolved simply because of an offering at the beginning of the year,” Adegbite said.
Fufeyin, a controversial figure in Nigeria’s religious circles, has been criticised in the past for promoting miracle products such as special soaps, oils and perfumes, allegedly offering spiritual and financial breakthroughs.
CAN urged Nigerians to remain vigilant and grounded in scripture, warning against falling prey to “unsound and exploitative teachings”.
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