Book Title: 100 Things Jesus Did Not Say
Author: Vincent Chiedu
Genre: Christian literature
Pagination: 382
Year of Publishing: 2015
Publisher: Not indicated
Reviewer: Innocent Anoruo
Madeleine works in New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) with a gross annual income of $90,000. Every month end, her company deducts her mortgage, car loan, education loan, utility bills, etc at source, and what gets to her from the monthly $7,500 pay to take care of food, clothing and miscellaneous expenses is a paltry $2,500. Planning to save 20 per cent of her pay ($1,500), her church demands 10 per cent of her ‘income’ as tithe. If, in order not to “rob God”, according to her pastor, Madeleine decides to tithe $750, will $250 be enough for fuelling her car, food, clothing and miscellaneous expenses?
Vincent Chiedu frowns at Madeleine’s church in 100 Things Jesus Did Not Say. Tithing is one issue that many churches have interpreted differently. While community churches take it ‘cool’, ‘one man’ or ‘family’ churches get desperate over it.
A Catholic cleric once explained that God is not wicked as some people make him appear. He said some people do not tithe because their earnings are not enough to cater for their basic needs. “However, the Church encourages people to, if they are capable, even tithe more than 10 per cent of their earnings, cheerfully, because God loves a cheerful giver.”
Chiedu agrees with this. He said people who have excess of 90 per cent, after taking care of their needs, are expected to tithe even 50 per cent or more from that increase. For him, some churches over-tax members, whereas what the Bible demands is 10 per cent of the “increase”. In Chapter 19, he says ‘Jesus did not say you should give him ten per cent of your turn-over revenue as tithe’. To back up his assertion, he quotes Deuteronomy 14:22, “Thou shalt truly tithe all the increase of thy seed, that the field bringeth forth year by year” (p78). His argument is that tithe should be from one’s “increase”, that means “profit”. This raises the question of whether transport, housing and other allowances should be included when tithing from one’s monthly salary.
However, he is not against tithing. Chapter 9 has ‘Jesus did not say we should not pay tithe’.
In this relatively controversial book, Chiedu, the President of Surrender and Triumph Outreach and Revival Ministries (STORM), tries to put a lie to some doctrines which various churches see as Biblical.
The equality of Jesus with God the Father is put to question in Chapter 6. The Trinity (three persons in one God) is one phenomenon that has divided Christianity. The Catholic Church, among others, believe that Jesus is “con-substantial with the Father” (refer to The Apostles’ Creed).
Still hitting on Catholicism among other churches, the book disagrees with the infallibility of the Pope or any other church leader in Chapter 29, where the author notes that ‘Jesus did not say that spiritual authority means that our leaders are infallible’.
Papal infallibility is a dogma of the Catholic Church that states that, in virtue of the promise of Jesus to Peter, the Pope is preserved from the possibility of error “when, in the exercise of his office as shepherd and teacher of all Christians, in virtue of his supreme apostolic authority, he defines a doctrine concerning faith or morals to be held by the whole Church.” Statements by a pope that exercise papal infallibility are referred to as solemn papal definitions or ex cathedra teachings. Also considered infallible are the teachings of the whole body of bishops of the Church, especially but not only in an ecumenical council.
The issue of sola scriptura, an invention of 16th century Protestants, comes up in Chapter 15 which has ‘Jesus did not say we could not read or depend on any other book than the Bible’.
Sola scriptura (Latin: by Scripture alone) is a Christian theological doctrine which holds that the Christian Scriptures are the supreme authority in all matters of doctrine and practice (Wikipedia). Opponents of this doctrine hold that before the Bible was compiled as a book, Rev. 22:19 was only in the book of Revelation; so if that verse has to be swallowed hook, line and sinker, only the book of Revelation should be believed.
One other teaching that is rampant among ‘born-again’ Christians is alcohol consumption. In fact, while some ‘wiser’ born-agains say they avoid alcohol because it can lead to sin, the extremists say outright that alcohol consumption is sin.
But the book noted that Jesus expected Christians to “be not drunk with wine, wherein in excess; but be filled with the Holy Spirit” (Ephesians 5:18). With this verse, more ‘liberal’ Christians preach moderation in everything, including drinking alcohol, eating, playing and even sleeping.
What did Jesus say about the salvation of those who are not Christians?
From sexual perversion to relationships, habits, leadership, nationhood, discipleship and ambition to science, prayer, commerce, gender, power, death, miracles and entertainment, Chiedu tries to point out teachings of many churches that Jesus did not sanction.
This mechanical engineer by training may have tried, with 100 Things Jesus Did Not Say, to hit on many churches, their leadership and their teachings. Aside those mentioned above, some churches preach against the use of jewellery, some teach that those in Christ are above life’s challenges, among others that brew controversy. All are treated in the book.
In our gullible society, where religion has become more than opium for the poor and illiterate (where pastors ‘extort’ the peasants to purchase private jets), this book is a ready tool for wisdom and general ‘change’ of attitude. It will make the reader search the Bible more like the Bereans, which will lead to more knowledge of God’s principles.
Suspected to be a vanity publication (self-published book) because the publisher is not indicated, the book is relatively free of grammatical and spelling errors. However, North American and British spellings are used together in the book.
The book is a great intellectual material for church leaders, Bible scholars, Christians and every other person who wants to know what the Bible teaches.
• Anoruo is a Lagos-based journalist