PASTORS COLLECTING TITHES ARE ARMED ROBBERS - CHURCH LEADER

Controversial preacher and coordinator of Healing Wings, a Pentecostal Christian fellowship, Dr. Femi Aribisala, in this interview with GBENRO ADEOYE:

In one of your write-ups, you described pastors who collect tithes as thieves. Are you saying that tithing is not biblical?

There are so many things that are “biblical” but have nothing to do with the kingdom of God. The kingdom of God is about God and his sons. The son of a king does not pay taxes to the king, his father. Sons of God don’t tithe. Tithe means giving ten per cent of your income to God. However, everything that sons of God have belongs to God. So tithing cannot apply to us.

The tithing currently instituted in churches is all 419. Money is not acceptable as tithe in the scriptures. And yet, our thieving pastors today only accept money. Tithes were only paid by landowners in the scriptures, but our thieving pastors collect tithes from everybody. Tithes were only collected by Levites, but thieving pastors, who are neither Jewish nor Levites, are now the ones collecting them. Tithes were meant for the poor, the widows and strangers in the scriptures, but our thieving pastors now use them to build their empires. They use them to build cathedrals; buy jets; establish schools and banks etc. Those pastors who collect tithes today are nothing but thieves and robbers, according to Jesus’ categorisation of bad pastors.

But Malachi 3:10 says it should be done
Malachi 3:10 does not establish the principles of tithing. The principles were established by Moses. Malachi is addressed to priests; it is not addressed to the congregation. Malachi is Old Testament. We are now under a New Testament. Pastors cannot insist on the one hand that we are no longer under the law, and then cherry-pick a convenient aspect of the law as being still applicable today. If we should pay tithes today then we should also obey other aspects of the Mosaic law including stoning disobedient children and adulterers to death. Malachi is not our Lord and Saviour. Jesus is our Lord and Saviour. Christians should be instructed by Jesus and not by Malachi or Moses.

By saying pastors who collect tithes are thieves, are you saying practically all pastors in Nigeria and abroad are criminals?
My opinion is not important. What is important is what Jesus says. When Jesus came, he said and I quote: “I am the gate for the sheep. All who ever came before me were thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them.” (John 10:7-8). The thieves and robbers that are of primary concern to Jesus are the pastors of our churches. Jesus’ message is that pastors and other so-called “men of God” are thieves and robbers. According to him, pastors have turned our churches into dens of thieves. Jesus says and I quote again: “Is it not written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations’? But you have made it a ‘den of thieves.’” (Mark 11:17). So yes, I am saying practically all pastors in Nigeria and abroad are criminals. They steal God from men. There is only one legitimate pastor in Christendom and it is Jesus. This is another direct quote from Jesus: “There shall be one flock and one pastor.”

Are you a full time pastor?
I am not a pastor. I don’t run a church and I don’t collect tithes. I would be a hypocrite if I did.

What version of the Bible do you read?
What does it matter? I make a point of reading as many versions as I can. My Bible programme has over 12 versions.