COVID-19 AND THE PROPHETIC BUSINESS IN NIGERIAN CHURCH

Abstract

The advent of COVID-19 has opened a new chapter on prophecy and its relevance in modern times. Biblically, prophecy is a charism that is bestowed to serve the Church, but it is doubtful if it is really serving the Church in Nigeria, as it ought to do. Using thehistorical and descriptive research, the study examined the nexus between COVID-19 pandemic and the prophetic business in Nigerian Church. Data were gathered through oral interview, participant observation, and WhatsApp. Findings revealed that the inability of any of the renowned Nigerian prophets to prophesy about the pandemic during their December 31, 2019 prophetic night cast a negative light on the prophetic business in Nigeria and it made some people to declare most Nigerian prophets as charlatans and deceivers. It was found that most Nigerian prophets had departed from the more difficult path of social justice of the biblical prophets who challenged the political leaders of their days, but they had rather chosen the easier path of the fortune-tellers that brings quick financial rewards. Most Christians in Nigeria were not pleased with the materialistic trend of prophecy, which had made some Christians to lose faith in the Church. The paper recommends that the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) need be reorganised as a watchdog to curb the excesses of the self-acclaimed prophets who give Christianity a negative image through exploitative fake prophecies.