God bless my mama with eternal rest! As a devout, born-again Christian, she groomed us based on Christian principles. She would never compromise on un-Godly behaviour from her children, least of all her last born (myself). In particular, she ensured I learnt the “Lords Prayer” by heart before I was four years old and would make me recite it twice a day until the age of 12, when I joined secondary school.
For several years, the recitations were obviously part of the mechanical practice I obediently followed to avert the wrath of my displinarian mama. Frankly, I did not draw sense out of them. As I grew older, I appreciated the Lord’s Prayer as a summary of Jesus’ mission, notably the GRACE of the forgiveness of sins, which he eventually demonstrated on the cross, at Calvary. We had to glorify his name because of this Grace.
Despite this appreciation, multitudes of events occurring around the world have thrown me into quandary as to whether I had misconstrued the real meaning of God’s Grace and Glory. Pastors, priests, reverends, sheikhs and other religious leaders serve their flock “for the glory of God.” Similarly, terrorists, gangsters, hardcore criminals, and other rascals rely on the “Grace of God” to achieve their objectives and often glorify God for their actions and achievements.
There are several examples of this contrasting scenario! In 2004, I visited the site in Kanungu district, where Rev/Fr. Joseph Kibwetere and Sr. Cledonia Mwerinde had on 17th March 2000, cremated alive an estimated 1000 religious cultists. It had been four years since the infernal but I could still smell death! My legs wobbled at the sight of in-house gaping graves, underground tunnels, unventilated one square-meter large torture rooms, and tons of rubble beneath which thousands were buried. A plaque on what used to be a classroom block conspicuously caught my panicky eyes. It had the inscription: “To the Glory of God, this building was constructed….” That specific block had housed nearly 200 children, none of whom survived the infernal!
The new breed of Pentecostal pastors is not only “anointed” to serve God; they are magical in getting people to off-load their wallets! They know the right phrases and arguments to ensure their flock tithe. Pastors K. L. Dickson; Robert Kayanja; Gary Skinner; Imelda Namutebi, and Muwanguzi are examples of the domestic breed who have broken through poverty “by the Grace, and to the Glory of God.” International evangelist, Pastor Benny Hinn and several of his peers fly around the world in private jets. Benny Hinn recently came to Uganda in a luxury Gulf Stream-3 jet, reportedly commandeered by female British pilots.
Pastors attribute their incredible wealth to faithfulness to the Lord. One of them reasoned recently: “God will make you rich if you are faithful to him.” What crap! Does grace not refer to the sovereign favour of God for humankind irrespective of actions, earned worth, or proven goodness? Is his flock not faithful enough to be as rich?
The most significant controversy relating to God’s Grace and Glory though is associated with Islamic fundamentalist movements. You may recall Sheikh Osama Bin Laden’s comments shortly after the 11 September 2001 bombing of America’s twin towers and Pentagon: “….Alhamdulilla (all praise be to God), the war against infidels has entered a new phase and will, by the Grace of God succeed.” Osama’s “new phase” warfare had killed more than 3000 people and inflicted economic losses exceeding one trillion dollars.
The scripture according to Job 1:21 tells us how Job declared, after enduring every imaginable suffering: “…may the name of the Lord be praised!” Diego Maradona scored a wining goal with his hand in the FIFA World Cup quarterfinal match between Argentina and England on 22 June 1986 – which he later attributed to the Grace of God. Indeed, football enthusiasts and commentators have since referred to that goal as “the hand-of-God goal.”
It appears “God’s Grace and Glory” works for and against humanity. It’s the stick and the carrot; a means and the end; a divine gift and a fatal motivation! Is there a deeper mind-boggling controversy in the world?
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