The Big Clash Between Culture And Theology
While canvassing for reelection in 2015, former President Goodluck Jonathan went to many churches, where he solicited for prayers. But of note was when he knelt down before Pastor E.O. Adeboye, General Overseer, the Redeemed Christian Church of God and Pastor Lazarus Muoka, General Overseer of the Lord’s Chosen Charismatic Revival Ministries. This action did not go down well with some Nigerians, who felt it was somehow demeaning to the office of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Recently, the current Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi went to an Anglican Church in Osun State, and there he prayed by kneeling down. Some Nigerians, especially some of his subjects criticised his action, saying since he is also a deity in his own right, he had no business kneeling before anybody, including a bishop, pastor or priest. The pertinent question is: Is there anyone who is above kneeling down in the House of God? When a believer kneels down in the church, is he/she paying obeisance to the Creator or the Bishop, Pastor or Priest? CHRIS IREKAMBA, GBENGA AKINFENWA and IJEOMA OPARA report.

OONI Acknowledges The Supremacy Of God’
(Rt. Rev. Oluranti Odubogun, Bishop of the Diocese Of Ife, Church Of Nigeria, Anglican Communion, Ile-Ife, Osun State)
WHAT you are saying happened in my presence, where he acknowledged the supremacy of God. Even in the people’s customs, God’s supremacy is incontrovertible, as He is higher than all powers. Some people are just being foolish, because everybody knows that God is God. After all, the scripture says: “the fool has said in his heart there is no God.” And in all these professions of relating to the Ultimate, every religion acknowledges God’s authority. They may have their own views as per the vessels God is using or has used to proclaim His Message.

The Ooni was born a Christian and he affirms that, when he said: “I was born a Christian and will die a Christian.” He said it publicly and he came to church and knelt for prayers. He is toeing the line of the ones I have related with. I didn’t relate with Oba Aderemi, who was Olubishi’s predecessor. I related very closely with Oba Olubishi and whenever I went to the palace to pray for him, he would remove his cap and kneel, and though they would try to use the big agbada to cover him up, but he would push them away and we would pray together. If you are Christian and you are ashamed of the Lord, He would also be ashamed of you.
However, the new thing is that the new Ooni is kneeling down before God in public. I have never seen that. Understandably, this would be an anathema to those believing and trusting in the traditional religion. To them, this is abominable. In any case, the main reason the subjects are talking is because the Ooni is supposed to be the second-in-command to the “Olodumare” or “the Orisa.” So, he is a god.

As the second-in-command, they believe the Ooni should not kneel down before a mere mortal, but he believes that God, in fact, that Jesus is the King of kings; He is the Supreme Being. When you kneel down in the church, no matter your position, you are worshipping God, the Almighty; you are kneeling down for God. The bishop, pastor or priest is only a representative. Whenever you get into the church for worship or service, you are there to meet your God; so all that you are doing is not to please anyone. It is to please Him that you have come to meet and if you go there to meet any other person, you are just wasting your time. And whatever you do—pray, jump or kneel down— you are only expressing yourself before God.
This young man knows that it is through the instrumentality of God that he became the Ooni and in many ways that is quite clear. And we charged him that nobody has gone through the path he is going and so he should remain with God and it shall be well with him.

‘It Is A Slap On Yoruba Culture For Ooni To Kneel’
(Dr. Sefiu Arifayobiega, Arole Faleye III, an Ifa Priest)
FOR the Ooni of Ife to kneel down before a pastor is disrespect and a slap on Yoruba culture. During the era of our forefathers, they always ensured that it was only the eldest men in any community that were enthroned as monarchs. The belief was that because of their age, they would never have to prostrate themselves before anybody else, not to talk of kneeling down.

A monarch is a father to all, as after God, monarchs are the next in hierarchy. No monarch has the right to go to any church, to kneel down or prostrate himself before any pastor. Any monarch that does that has dragged his crown in the mud. In a situation, where the Ooni of Ife, regarded as the cradle of Yoruba civilisation does that, it is a taboo.

Though he was respecting God, not the pastor, but it is wrong for any crowned monarch to kneel before any man. Even, coronet Obas shouldn’t do such, according to our culture. It is this disrespect for our culture that is causing the atrocities and abuse we are witnessing.

The entire Yoruba race and the lineage of Oduduwa should return to their old ways by holding our culture in high esteem, failure to do that always brings disrespect and affront to our culture and religion.
Obas don’t suggest, they command. Monarchs have authority over everything. People prostrate before them, so they must not prostrate before anybody. And that is why they are referred to as Iku Baba yeye ti n gba Idobale Oba.

‘Anybody Saying Anything Contrary Should Be Properly Examined’
(His Eminence Anthony Cardinal Okogie, Archbishop Emeritus of Lagos Archdiocese)
IS there anybody that is above kneeling down in the house of God? My answer is ‘no’ because God is above every person. It is an honour the Oba has given to God and not to a human being. He is human and he cannot be above God. That is just the way Africans or people in general try to dethrone God from His throne in order to make themselves greater than Him. That is just what is happening. What other respect can you give to God? When the Yorubas want to greet, especially the elderly ones, they prostrate themselves. They are not slaves, but that is their tradition or culture. When you are before a deity, for example, the Ooni of Ife and somebody lesser than him appears before him, the former has certain rituals to perform. It is either you bow to greet him or prostrate yourself and if you are a lady, you may even kneel to greet him. If you can do that to human beings, what else will you do to God? That is the way people should look at it, because God is the unseen One, and He sees us. The man who is on the throne knows he is not there by his might and power, but by God’s power. He must give due respect to God, and that is what he did. Some people lack due respect to spiritual things.

For example, if you want to see the head of state, you don’t just shake him, but bow to shake him. Some don’t even stand straight, and this is just the head of state that was voted into power yesterday. Now how about God? He did the correct thing by kneeling down and if anybody is saying anything contrary, he/she should be properly examined.

Most of the things we do in life, for instance, the charity work that we do, helping people or the less privileged in one way or the other, you are trying to see God through those people. When somebody kneels before a priest, he/she is not kneeling for the person. After all, the priest or bishop is only a representative of God, just like you try to see God through your neighbour. If you disrespect God, He may not strike you immediately, but when He will deal with you, you may not know.

‘Prophetically, He Is Under All Men Of God’
(Bishop (Dr.) Chris E. Kwakpovwe, publisher, Our Daily Manna (ODM) and General Overseer, Manna Prayer Mountain Interdenominational, Worldwide)

THERE is nobody that is above kneeling down in the house of God, but in the case of the Ooni of Ife, he did not kneel down before anybody. He only knelt down once and that was during his installation. The Kabiyesi kneels down only once in a lifetime. On the last day before his installation, the king makers usually pray for him, and that is all. After that, he does not kneel down again.
His father and mother will kneel and bow down for him. But when the Ooni, Kabiyesi or Oba comes to the presence of God, they kneel down before Him. He was only criticised by his subjects and not by people who know the Bible. They asked: Why would he go to church to bow for a pastor? But then he replied them saying, he didn’t go to bow to a pastor, but to God.

There is no bishop or pastor in Yoruba land before who the Ooni will kneel down, as he kneels down for God only. They believe it is wrong, whereas, prophetically, he is under all the men of God. His wife should be prayerful, so that he can live long.

‘Nobody Is Too Big To Kneel Before God’
(His Eminence Dr. Samuel ’Emeka Kanu Uche, Prelate, Methodist Church Nigeria)
I WOULD refer you to Philippians 2:7-9, which says, ‘God has given Jesus Christ a name that is above every name and unto Him every knee shall bow, no matter, who is involved. Unto Jesus every mortal shall bow.’ So, nobody is too big to kneel before God or Christ. In the Islamic religion, believers don’t just bow down, they also prostrate. At least, you see how they touch their heads to the ground, when praying. It is done in respect of God. The emirs, the sultans and everybody else do this. So, God is Supreme to everybody, to every mortal or any kingdom you are holding on earth, which you are only holding on behalf of the Supreme God.

Who does the man of God represent? A man of God represents God and if you bow down before me as the Prelate of Methodist Church Nigeria, it is not me, but the God that I represent that you are bowing down to. The man of God is the representative of the Supreme God and the Supreme God is the King of kings and Lord of lords. Therefore, all thrones, kingdoms and dominions are under Him, so it is God that he was reverencing and not man. Those criticising the Oba’s decision are entitled to their own opinions.

But from my own perspective, neither the Ooni nor Jonathan did anything wrong, it only shows the extent to which they regard God.
I am in Yoruba areas and many Obas who are members of my church humble themselves before God. They bow and kneel down to take Holy Communion. But it is not me they are bowing or reverencing. They are bowing down before the altar, to God Almighty to receive prayers, and blessings from Him.

‘Reverence Is Given To God, Not To Any Other Person’
(His Grace, Most Rev. Dr. Emmanuel Udofia, Primate of the African Church)
THOSE who criticised the then President Goodluck Jonathan for kneeling down in the house of God and even the present Ooni of Ife are doing so because of their lack of knowledge, because everybody was created by God. Again whatever anybody becomes in this world must have been at the instance of God.

It, therefore, means God is the One just as the Bible says that ‘promotion does not come from the east nor from the west but from God.’ The Bible also says, ‘He is the One that lifts one up and then puts the other down. It says further that ‘no one becomes anything without God.’ And so, if anybody— whether a political office holder or a traditional leader or anybody at all in the entire universe kneels down before a servant of God who represents heaven, who represents God Himself and people are criticising, they are doing that because of their ignorance of who God is. If they knew that whatever they are today and will become in future would be impossible without God, such criticism wouldn’t have arisen.

When we talk about kneeling down or prostrating or whatever posture anybody takes in God’s presence, that person is not doing that for the sake of the man of God. Rather, the person kneeling down is humbling himself or herself before God, because the Bible says, ‘let everything that has breath praise the Lord and give thanks to Him.’ The Bible makes me understand that nobody takes this honour to himself or herself except God himself has actually called that person and so, whosoever God calls represents God Himself. I repeat anyone that kneels in the house of the Lord is not doing so in honour of any man, but to honour the God of heaven, whom that man of God represents. Because the blessings of God come through that man of God, so the reverence is given to God and not to anybody.

‘Others In His Position Should Learn From Him’
(Prophet (Dr.) Samuel Kayode Abiara, General Evangelist, Christ Apostolic Church, Worldwide)
IT is either those criticising him do not know God or their Bible, which tells us that ‘God has exalted Christ Jesus and has given Him a name that is above every other name and at the mention of His name all people must bow before Him’. So, the kabiyesi knew he was in the presence of God and by kneeling, he was honouring Him. He knows that God Almighty is above all you can think of. He is also aware of the fact that God was responsible for his enthronement as the Ooni of Ife. So, he must bow down for Him. It is not a sin, but rather a blessing to him. And let me tell you, God will empower him, if he continues that way.

The Ooni must not listen to negative things anybody may say concerning his decision to be in church and what followed after. I think this is a great lesson for all kabiyesi to emulate. Remember when the wise men came from the Far East to see Jesus, they bowed down and worshipped the King of kings. To me, this is what the Ooni of Ife has done and I tell you, it will be well with him in his tenure, because he obeyed God. He never kneeled for any man of God or Bishop, even though we know that men of God are representatives of God Almighty. People should not rationalise this act of humility. Nobody should put him/herself in the position of God, as He is above all and whether rich, poor, educated or illiterate, everyone should give honour to whom honour is due, else they won’t have peace in their lives.
Kneeling before a man of God does not in any way connote that you are honouring the person before you.

‘Ooni Knows He’s Not Bowing For Any Man, But To God’
(Pastor Tom Okonkwo, Resurrection Power, Lagos)
Ps 95:6:8. I will begin with the words of one of the characters I admire most when it comes to worshiping God. He is David, the king of Israel, who said: “Come let us worship and bow down: Let us kneel before the Lord our Maker, for He is our God and we are the people of His pasture, and the sheep of His hand.

Today, if you will hear His voice, harden not your heart…”
A genuine servant of God carries His presence. In Ex 4v12, God assured Moses “not to worry for you will carry my divine presence before Pharaoh.” God even went further to tell Moses “you will be as God to Aaron, Ex 4:16.” Kings and Obas are chosen by the people to lead them. God chooses His anointed ones to lead His people.

In summary, erudite Apostle Paul, just like our amiable and learned person, the current Ooni of Ife, while defending his faith before the Governor of Caes-rea and his wife, said, “but this I confess unto thee, that after the way which they call heresy, so worship I the God of my fathers, believing all things, which are written in the law and in the prophets,” Act 24:14.
Leave the Ooni of Ife and his God alone. He knows that he is not bowing before any man, but to God. My advice to you the reader is to learn from him, period!