Word or witchcraft?

What good is it, if men and women have full pockets, sexual satisfaction, and healthy bodies but in the end go to hell? We are sent out to preach messages that will prepare souls for heaven. The gospel transforms lives so that they hate sin and live for righteousness—whether they have full or empty pockets. It is the absence of this life-transforming message that has resulted in so many churches around Africa but little or no moral effect on the society. We preachers are to blame for all this! Today’s preachers on the African soil need to answer this one question: Are we preachers or witchdoctors?

So asks Conrad Mbewe. In truth, the issues and questions are just as applicable on British soil, though the context in which they are asked is not quite the same. Every preacher ought to ask himself, “What am I offering, and on what basis, and to what end? Am I preaching the Word or – in effect – playing with superstition and magic?”