LAGOS — Nigerian pastors have lambasted Pastor Chris Oyakhilome of Christ Embassy over his recent comment that masturbation is not a sin against God, but a mere habit that God is not angry about.
Christ Embassy has a huge following in Zimbabwe and many southern African countries.
Since Oyakhilome’s comment, angry reactions have been pouring in from Christendom over what they called heresy being preached by the pastor, which negates the Word of God. Pastor Chris made the comment when answering a question about how to overcome masturbation. He replied: “The reason you are thinking of stopping it (masturbation) is because you think it has become a habit for you . . . masturbation is not more than a habit than any other habit.
“So once you make up your mind that you want to break a particular habit, you just do it, you make up your mind . . . in fact, the best way to break a habit is to replace it with another habit.
“There is one thing I would like to bring to your mind that may be of help to you because the reason you are thinking of stopping this is because of what you think it is.”
He further added: “No matter how wrong you think this is in your mind, get this straight, in itself, it is not a sin against God.”
Pastor Chris said that as a result of this belief that it is a sin, Satan used it to oppress people of God “making them feel ineffective and inefficient in the things of God”.
Reacting to Oyakhilome’s comment, the Prelate of the Methodist Church Nigeria, Dr Ola Makinde, said there was only one way of having sex permitted by God in the Bible, which is only through marriage.
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“There is only one way of having sex in the Bible which is natural. Masturbation is unnatural and unethical. Whatever is unnatural and unethical is abomination. I leave him (Pastor Chris) to his own opinion,” he said.
According to Pastor Tunde Bakare of the Latter Rain Assembly, every believer must be able to subject his body to control because it could lead to something else.
Popular evangelist Pastor Akin Fasawe said masturbation is a sin as stipulated in the Bible, saying that death was even recommended in the Bible for those who practiced such things.
“Masturbation is a sin because when you masturbate, you will release. If the minister of God said masturbation is not a sin, he can easily tell his church that fornication is not a sin. The Bible recommends death in the Old Testament,” he stated.
According to Primate Elijah Ayodele of the INRI Evangelical Church, it is stated clearly in the Bible that masturbation is a sin against God.
“That is his (Pastor Chris’) own view. Where did he see it in the Bible that masturbation is not a sin? Maybe he has his own Bible. It is a bad thing. Maybe it is in his Bible,” he laughed.
Pastor Akin Akande of the Men of Purpose Ministry stated that masturbation is a sin.
“It is like abusing the gift of God. It is heresy. The Bible says it is a sin to derive pleasure outside the content of marriage,” he added. Pastor Leke Akinola of the Upper Room Baptist Church said self-induced masturbation is a sin against God and that it is heresy for any minister of God to say it is not a sin. According to Reverend Sam Ogedengbe, “masturbation is a sin and it is unbiblical. It is demonic and anyone engaging in it should know that it has spiritual connection.” — www.informationnigeria.org
