The never-ending disagreements among prominent men of God, especially as it concerns doctrine, has taken on a whole new dimension as the question of spiritual fatherhood has also been thrown into the mix.
Spiritual fatherhood is a controversial subject that has captivated many in Christendom and according to many practicing Christians; it is a “father-son” relationship that is made possible through the preaching of the gospel.
A “father” in the concept of spiritual fatherhood is analogous to individuals who preach the gospel to others who may then believe the “word” and thereafter become followers of Christ.
But it does not end there. The ones who preached would then make a point of ensuring that the new converts, or babies-in-Christ as they are called, get nurtured in the teachings of Christ until they attain spiritual maturity.
However, as simple as its description may sound, spiritual fatherhood has brewed discord between two prominent men of God, Abel Damina of Power City International headquartered in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, and Paul Enenche, the founder of Dunamis International Gospel Centre, Abuja.
Enenche’s DIGC are the owners of the Glory Dome, a 100,000-seater church building gracing the Federal Capital Territory and which enjoys the pleasure of being the biggest church auditorium in Africa.
That said, Damina, 64, who has been in ministry for over three decades, consistently asserts that Enenche, 56, is his spiritual son. And to buttress his claim, Damina once revealed to members of his own church that he, in 1996, ordained Enenche as a pastor.
Enenche, on the other hand, has refused to associate with Damina and it is believed that the gulf between them was opened up by the dissimilarities between their understandings of some Bible teachings.
For instance, while Enenche believes that the payment of tithe or tithing, seed sowing and the giving of first fruit offering are mandatory for believers, Damina counters that people should give of their own free will and not under compulsion.
Apart from how people should give in their respective churches, Damina is also vocal in condemning every form of “transactional gospel,” a term he coined and which supposes that men must offer money to God before they can be blessed or healed.
Damina is also a huge critic of “the prosperity gospel”. He says God does not bless men with material possessions and that anyone who wants money should get a job or starts a business.
“Everything happening can be traced back to money. And many men of God have turned their churches into business centres, and if you meddle in their affairs, even pastors would bash you”
The dispute may have started, and continued with increased acrimony, after Damina, during a service in which he wanted to emphasize how important it is for God’s spirit to lead individuals, used the story of Enenche who, many years back, wanted to study medicine in the United Kingdom.
“Many years ago,” Damina began. “Paul Enenche used to be a member of our church. The Dunamis church was born because I gave him direction.
“He could have gone to London to read Medicine and miss that direction. But I gave him direction by the Spirit of God and today that direction is a blessing in his life,” he added.
Following that testimony, news began to spread that Enenche was Damina’s spiritual son and it did not sit well with Enenche who insists that the Presiding Bishop of Living Faith Church Worldwide, aka Winners’ Chapel International, David Oyedepo, is the spiritual father who ordained and poured oil on his head, spiritually and physically.
Enenche was obviously not comfortable that Damina wanted to be connected with him and his ministry and during church service; he refuted Damina, which came as a bolt from the blue, even though he carefully avoided mentioning his name.
“Every time you see a rabbit say that he gave birth to an elephant, madness is worrying it.
“Any day you see an antelope whose claim is that he is the father of an elephant, he has run mad and what remains is to pull his clothes off.
“And if you are an offspring of a lion, you cannot be a rat. I am of the generation of giants and I cannot be tiny,” Enenche said.
And Damina, not known for letting such matters lie, decided to further convince his own followers of the veracity in the Enenche ordination. Damina affirmed that Enenche, including two others, was ordained in February 1996 as a pastor in his church.
“In February 1996, Tony Okoro, Paul Odola and Paul Enenche were ordained the same day right here (and) in the same service,” Damina said.
Asked why Enenche claims not to know him, Damina, who said he was the first person to preach for Enenche when he started his church in Abuja, answered, “Well, time will tell.”
Expectedly, many other notable men of God have put their two cents in. Notably, the senior pastor and founder of Champions Royal Assembly, Joshua Iginla, and the presiding pastor of Port Harcourt-based Salvation Ministries, David Ibiyeomie, have both blasted Damina.
Iginla said, “It is very possible that you can ordain a person into ministry and you will not be his or her father.
“Fatherhood is not by force. It is by choice. When you find yourself forcing other people to call you father, you have failed.
“And let me tell you this, children, spiritually, can choose their fathers. And if sons and daughters who have once been your spiritually offspring choose not to call you their father, they have the right to move to another place.”
Ibiyeomie was bullish when he addressed the matter. Although he was careful not to mention any names in particular, he called the individual he was addressing “thief” and “jealous”.
“Don’t mind that thief – love does not envy. Love is not jealous.
“You say someone who is bigger than you is your spiritual son. But John the Baptist was the one who baptized Jesus. But was he (John) bigger than Jesus?
“He ordained the man but the man is now bigger than him. He is just jealous and some of you listen to such people,” he said.
When Damina responded to Ibiyeomie’s verbal salvo, he said people wrongly equate ministerial success with congregation size, cars, houses and money that pastors own.
Damina noted that pastors have been saying that he does not have such possession and because of that, have labelled him a failure.
“So, their definition of ministerial success is based on material acquisition. And they forget that Jesus says that a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses,” Damina added.
Damina has now released a video that purportedly shows him preaching at Enenche’s church on January 1, 1997 when Dunamis started.
He said “we released the video” because they said I was lying and it was important for him, as a leader, to show that he was not lying.
“So, we gave them small evidence (video) so that they can see that we are not lying.
“And we have more evidence. I am waiting. Let them come out again, then they will see fire,” he declared to his members.
Speaking with The Point, a Lagos-based pastor, Emeka Onuoha, said, “Spiritual fatherhood or not, I believe love should reign first. All the pastors arguing should find common ground, too.
“We will not take titles to heaven and we must understand that we will be judged and required to give account of our stewardship.
“So, the reward we will receive from God should motivate us and remind us that spiritual fatherhood is not an earthly matter.”
A public affairs analyst, Simon Ogbeide, said, “The brouhaha over spiritual fatherhood and other controversial issues crippling Nigerian churches should be adapted into films and made available on the streaming platform, Netflix.
“I am sure it will make a lot of sense there and garner sufficient subscribers.
“It seems everyone is angry in the Nigerian church. And do you know why? The love of money is responsible.
“Everything happening can be traced back to money. And many men of God have turned their churches into business centres, and if you meddle in their affairs, even pastors would bash you.”
