eHarmony. . . Nigerian Style

While here in Nigeria this past week for a leadership training workshop, I've heard some amazing stories of the latest money-making schemes being concocted by creative scam artists.  Unfortunately, these are actually church leaders.

Nigerian young people worshiping in the church
 I attended this morning

Apparently one of the latest varieties of the “Name it--claim it” prosperity gospel is a way to tie the knot with that special someone you don’t have the nerve to propose to or whose parents you think would disapprove of you as a son-in-law. By simply handing over between 50,000 to 100,000 Naira to church elders, they will arrange a secret briefing with the pastor who will suddenly get a “word from the Lord” in the middle of a future sermon.

“God has just told me there is a young woman wearing a red dress somewhere in this section of the church who is supposed to marry a young man in a black suit over here,” he will say. “Come out, come out and be identified.  This is what the Lord wants you to do. If you disobey, you will pay the consequences of God’s wrath.”

And, of course... who would want to go against a "word from the Lord?!" For the scheming young man, wedding bells are just around the corner.

I’ve also learned this same technique is being applied in other ways as well, such as people wanting to get employed by a certain business or others needing to be forgiven an outstanding debt. Whatever the case, these false pastors are turning their Pentecostal-style churches into big business. 

However, in some recent case, there was such in-fighting between elders and pastor on how to divvy up their scam money that police had to be called in to settle the conflict, thus exposing their less-than-divine practices.

Guess the truth of Number 32:23 still stands: “Be sure your sin will find you out.”