“That’s Nonsense, Pastor!” Nigerians Tell Olukoya

What Pastor Daniel Olukoya, the General Overseer, Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries (MFM), said that the church does not celebrate Christmas because it is unbiblical has been attracting criticisms the way nectar would a swarm of bees.

Trouble started when, on Tuesday, he argued: “If you really study the Bible from Genesis to Revelation, there is no word like Christmas.The bible only recorded that the Shepherds were taking care of their flocks during a very cold season when they sighted the star that announced the birth of Jesus Christ. This cold period could be around April or May,’’ 

Dec. 25 is a date originally set aside by the ancient Romans for Mars festival by the worshippers of the sun. The birth of Christ was subsequently co-opted into the same date to give the Mars festival more popularity and then renamed ‘Christmas’.

Attacks on Olukoya’s position has been coming mainly from among the Christian faithful.

Chidiebere Onyemaizu, a commentator, wrote a piece, entitled, Pastor Daniel Olukoya: The Limit of Hypocrisy.

“Let me first concede the right to hold and express  private and public views, especially religious, to the MD/CEO of Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries PLC, Pastor Daniel Kolawole Olukoya.He has the right, no doubt.But Pastor Olukoya should stop being hypocritical in exercising that right.

How can he claim that Christmas celebrations to mark the birth of Christ was idolatry and unbibical since 25th December as His birth date is not in the Bible?

Should we take Pastor Olukoya serious? I don’t think we should because he and other pastorprenuers in Nigeria who run mega business outfits aka “Ministries” and their gullible members are themselves neck- deep in “unscriptural” actions and inactions.

For example, pastor Olukoya and his wife were childless for many years and when the woman took in few years back, pronto, the Pastor spirited her away abroad where she stayed till she was delivered of her baby.

Dear, pastor, why did you take your wife to a well equipped medical facility in Europe to have her baby.That indeed was “idolatry”, “unblibical”

As the owner and founder of a “Bible believing church”, didnt Pastor Olukoya’s Bible tell him that Christ was born in the manger, a place where animals were reared? When Pastor Olukoya’s wife was in labour, why didnt he take her to the nearest pen( a place where animals are kept) or piggery to have her baby, in keeping with the Bible record of the birth of Christ? After all,Christianity means “Christ-Like”

Pastor Olukoya is chaffureed in nice cars an fly round the world “to spread or plant the gospel” but in the Bible, it is recorded that Christ did His riding a donkey. There are still Donkeys in Nigeria and elsewhere in the globe.Why is Pastor Olukoya doing unBiblical and unscriptural things  by riding beautiful cars and flying to “spread the gospel”? 

We are talking about following Biblical or Christ’s precedents here, so let no one come to Pastor Olukoya’s defense by claiming that donkeys in Christ’s days approximate to today’s exotic vehicles and aircrafts.

I think some Pastors should limit their weird interpretations of the Bible and Christianity to their members rather than come to the public domain to sow seeds of confusion and in the process expose their duplicity.

 Also in a post, “Christmas: the Clash of Doctrines”, Fola Adekeye, argued that the problems of the Church are within the Church and that the growing competition of doctrines is not helping the Christianity. Doctrines are what you chose to do in your Church with or without Biblical supports. 

He continued: “Things are happening in the Church. Pastor Bakare once made it public that he tore Bishop Oyedepo’s book. According to him, he disagreed with what Oyedepo wrote. Would Jesus have reacted that way? 

“Daddy Kumuyi and Dr Olukoya say Christmas is unbiblical. Easter is also said to be unbiblical. The implication of that is that a nonChristian President will be justified to remove December 25 and January 1 from Christian holidays. Once it is not accepted that Jesus was born on December 25, January 1 can no longer be accepted as the day He was christened.  

CAN once disagreed with Daddy Kumuyi. The Association insisted that the essence of Christmas is the birth of Jesus Christ.

“The origin of Christmas, as we know it, could be traced to Roman Emperor, Constantine. Christmas was a day for celebrating the Sun God. However, because Constantine was a Christian, the day was changed to commemorate the birth of Jesus Christ.

“The tradition has continued to date and the aim of Christmas is to celebrate Jesus, since there is nothing bad in honouring Jesus. Also, the worship of the Sun God was done in Rome and not everywhere in the world, so it is not part of our history.

“We mark Christmas with the singing of songs as a day, which has now been consecrated,” said Pastor Barnabas Otoibhi. 

I agree that December 25 is also the birthday of many forgotten gods and humans. Christians chose the day to celebrate the birth of our Lord, Jesus Christ. On this special day, for over 200 years, no other god is alive to share its glory with Jesus Christ. 

Emeka Okpara

“I wonder how important which day the birthday of Jesus is, when weighed against the challenges the world is facing or the transformation the world is undergoing. Let’s worship God in truth and deed and focus our energies on making the world a better place for all to live. So much to be done; so many to be helped. And it’s all down to the grace of God and human enterprise. Let’s go there and forget about the politics of religion!”

Edward Dele Oyewole

“I think we should get things right… Christmas  is not about winning and dinning it is about total reflection on the love shown by God to send his begotten Son to the World for remission of our sins…. Many people are celebrating Christmas without knowing  the Celebrant ….they take it as a festival to dine and wine until they loose their senses of reasoning….. 

If you are celebrating Christmas without being born again and sanctified it is an annual ritual  The Lord will help his Church.”

Biodun Oyeleye

“To me as I noted on another wall,  it is a needless argument.   I have no problem if anyone says,  “In our church  we don’t celebrate Christmas”, it is also like saying “in our church we don’t wear shoes,  or use drum or sing aloud etc”, they are all denominational issues /doctrines. The real doctrine is,  “are you born again,  washed in the blood of Jesus? ” whether that Jesus was born in December  of July or August or any other day hardly matters. Our church leaders need to be careful HOW  they respond publicly to these issues especially because there are many organisations and groups that don’t believe in SALVATION  and usually raise this argument of Christmas celebration at this point in time indirectly to condemn the message of salvation. Yesterday our church celebrated Christmas. I preached a 40-minute sermon. Two people gave their lives to Christ. I came back home,  ate rice and chicken and after some hours told my wife,  quick, get yam on fire,  we are going to eat pounded yam with egusi. I am an Ijesha man and that is how my fathers celebrated Christmas. After the meal,  I put my legs on the small table and relaxed. Is God angry?”

Dele Oyewale

“This my doctrine- is- better- than- yours ego- tripping is disappointing and un- healthy.  It is carrying dogmatism too far.  If Jesus was not born in December 25 as being needlessly espoused by some Christian leaders: when was he born? When is their own Christmas Day?  Was Christ born at all? If he was born, does it matter when His birth is generally celebrated across the world?  Is the import of His birth not more important than the date of His birth?  We call ourselves Christians today because of Christ- why should we not allow the world to rest about whatever date we choose to celebrate His coming to the world? God says “avoid foolish questions, and genealogies, and contentions, and strivings about the law; for they are unprofitable and vain”( Titus 3 vs 9).  No doctrine should be involved about Christmas Day in the same way we all accept Sunday as the Sabbath Day.  Those who say December 25 is not Christmas Day should also not go to Church on Sunday because Sunday is not the Sabbath Day.  They should not hold Conventions because there is no word like Convention in the Bible.  They should not hold programmes they design for their members because such programmes are not in the Bible. The task of the Church is to bring souls to their Saviour and keep them loving and serving Him in an atmosphere of love and peace.   Why is the Church not observing Feast of Tabernacles,  Feast of the Passover and Feast of the Dedication? Are they not in the Bible? Did Jesus not attend them? Christmas is about an emphatic celebration of the birth of Jesus and what the Lord came to do.  There is more honour in celebrating it than subjecting it to doctrinal summersault and leap of dogma. God bless you more my Chairman.”

Bibire Bidemi Oyedele

“I ran into somebody a few weeks ago that asked me the question: “which church do you attend?”, I politely told her I belong to the church of Christ Jesus. I have said it severally that denominational or doctrinal Christianity is evil; it’s the reason there is so much discordant tunes in the Christendom. Apostle Paul spoke against it in 1 Corinthians 3. One of the ways of honouring an important person is to celebrate them. If that corollary remains plausible , then, what’s the fuss about celebrating our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ? Hypocrisy and the urge to say something is the reason some of these your leaders talk. How many of their doctrines are Biblical and according to the Gospel of Jesus Christ? Like somebody said in the comments above, they don’t want you celebrating because they know you spend much of what you supposed to bring to them during this celebration. That’s their reason.

Richard Akinnola

“I don’t want to stir up controversy, hence, l won’t mention his name. The popular pastor says Christmas is unbiblical because no such word is in the Bible. But l ask him – where is Easter mentioned in the Bible? So, we should also stop celebrating the death, crucifixion and resurrection of Christ because Easter was not mentioned in the Bible.

I ask him again, the calender of January to December his church is using, where is it in the Bible? So, he should also stop celebrating birthdays.

When Jesus fed 5,000 people, it was not recorded in the Bible that he used microphone, so why do you use microphone since Jesus didn’t use it and was not recorded that any of the apostles used it?

The car and plane you use, is it in the Bible, after all, Jesus used donkeys?

The whole essence of Christmas is the birth of Jesus, not specifically the actual date of December 25. After all, when we were born, it was the date we were told by our parents that we were born that we accept. How are we sure the date is correct but we have come to accept the symbolism. Enough of unnecessary religious controversy that detracts from the real essence of why Jesus came.

Oscar Ossai

“I am a preacher My brother .I celebrate Christmas .Infact on the 23rd i killed a cow , prepared food and drinks and gathered all the okada riders , mallams , my neighbours to come and just spend time sharing and being happy together .The most important thing is that Jesus was born and the whole World accepts to celebrate it on the 25th of December. Any one contradicting that is simply craving attention .