The weeks have turned to months, and the story of the Good News International church, spearheaded by Paul McKenzie, continues to torment our ears. We are left scratching our heads, wondering how this man deceived over 500 people and manipulated them into starving themselves. We hear in sheer horror how some tried to escape and were murdered. There’s a sense of silence when we consider that some were women with children in the wombs.
So far, the Shakahola massacre is by far the worst thing to happen in Kenya. The fact that it went on for so long and no one bothered to end it is glaring proof of our laxity as a society. It is also proof of the moral corruption of our institutions, particularly the police.
Shakahola is a terrifying reality that should not be covered and quickly forgotten. Instead, it is a warning that we are in the wrong place as a society.
The truth is that we have let false prophets run amock on our religion. Christianity is a beautiful religion with powerful roots. The disciples of Jesus went about freely healing the sick, helping the poor, and spreading the gospel. Yet false prophets like McKenzie are, in a sense, demons who turn upside down the cross of Christ with their deviations.
We have to ask ourselves as a society, “How did this happen?” Where were you when it happened? How do we stop it from happening again?
The Shakahola massacre is a symptom of a dangerous disease that has been affecting this country for decades. This disease is that there are too many churches, yet shallow teachings of scripture. Maybe I am getting ahead of myself. I mean, besides, religion is personal, right? No one wants to hear that their favorite televangelist or pastor may be on the wrong track.
Yet that is exactly the problem, my fellow Christians. The Bible says, “Test the spirit of the one teaching you.”
It says, ” Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God because many false prophets have gone out into the world. (1 John 4).
Most people say, “But they pray in Jesus name, heal in Jesus name, teach in Jesus name.” Yes, they can do that and still be deceivers. Let me ask you, when you want to deceive a person, how far would you go? Yes, the false prophets can go as far as to say that Jesus is LORD. But when you check their teaching or actions, you find it’s anti-Christ behavior.
Trust me; I am certain Mckenzie said, “Jesus is LORD.”
Matthew 7:22-24 “Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ Then I (Jesus) will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you workers of lawlessness!’
Are we so lazy in our brains that we don’t want to take the time to study the Scriptures for ourselves? We don’t want to seek Christ, and we don’t want to engage with his spirit so that we can understand the meaning of the teachings. Are we busy chasing paper? And the only pastors we want to hear from are the ones who say, “You are blessed.”
To me, the massacre in Shakahola also carries a spiritual meaning. Its followers starved, and the dead bodies symbolize the hundreds of people starved of the truth about Jesus. These people are proof that our churches are failing at teaching sound doctrine. Few church leaders are willing to go out there for missions and spend countless hours teaching the truth about Christ.
Shakahola is also proof that we are not our brother’s keepers. This individualism and self-independence is something that even some places of worship have endorsed. Churchgoing has become routine. We go to church; we put up with the service, then we walk out. Sometimes, we only greet the people we like or associate with. Yet the truth is that Christianity is not a religion of individualism. This self-absorbed nature is the very reason our politicians have their way, and we do nothing to stop it. If we were a united front, we would be in a better position to overcome politics and religious errors.
Still, I admit that religion is personal. I have lost friends simply by airing a sentence of doubt at what the ‘man of the cloth,’ said. Yet, even though a million false prophets grace this land, one thing I know with all my heart is, “Let GOD be true, and every man a liar.” (Romans 3:4).
We must understand that Jesus Christ is the only faithful and true witness of GOD (Revelation 1:1-8). This means that everyone else, we must question their teaching. We must examine their ways. We must stop being blind to the reality that they cannot heal. The drama we see in these churches must come to an end, and we must lift up the banner of reverence and awe to our Maker. We have to check our churches and our neighbors so that such a terrible massacre does not happen again.
Children died in that forest. A woman was found with a fetus next to her grave. The events in Shakahola should upset us. They should trigger us to learn to spot heretics and silence them. We live in a country that perverts justice. Our government is hesitant to execute its threat of monitoring churches because some of these evangelists are too rich.
The justice system casts a blind eye on the rich and executes the harshest penalty on the poor. Yet, it was never the government’s job to monitor churches. That’s the job of Christians.
It’s time we stopped being lazy and studied the bible page by page. It’s time we understood it, and it’s time we put an end to deceitful tongues in our country.
Ladies and gentlemen, please be careful with your faith. Be careful with your hearts. Your very lives, and that of your children.
Congratulations Caroline for publishing your first post here at Panache HQ. We as so glad to have you here and we hope to see more of your valuable work! Feel free to write on our vast array of niches including philosophy, food, tech, travel and so much more! What an insightful article on the chronicles of Shakahola by the way. From Panache HQ Team.
Thanks Den.
All we care about is miracle miracle
We’ve put all our minds in miracles,many people can’t even pray for themselves believing only a poster can touch her his head and he or she will be heald
I get sad thinking about this story. So many lives were lost I hope justice prevails
Only God can give us the desire of our heart’s
I get sad thinking about this story. So many lives were lost I hope justice prevails
This are the days that was prophesied,,may God have mercy on us and for the innocent souls that were victims of the shakahola massacre
It is so sad that it was happening all that time and no one talked about it or any actions were taken
You’re right Pauline. People want miracles instead of seeking God for an intimate relationship with Him.
So sad how some people mislead our citizens.
Yes Joseph. Its sad to see the weak survivors from Shakahola because they starved themselves to see Jesus. If starvation was the way to Christ, would Christianity have survived surely?
Those guys responsible to this deads should be staff to dead too
This was the highest level of impunity and this has to be condemned at all angles
You’re right Davenport. It must be condemned.
Mackenzi should be staff to dead too
Religion is the opium of masses
Religion is the opium of the masses
The story is sad