CAN rages over Lord’s Chosen member’s alleged fake testimony
The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has issued a statement denouncing a controversial viral video that features a member of a Lord’s Chosen Charismatic Revival Ministry providing what she describes as answers from an angel during a promotional examination.
In the video, which has garnered significant attention on social media, a female church member recounts a moment during her examination where she saw an elderly man whom she believes to be an angel, providing her with the correct answers to several questions for which she admitted she had no prior knowledge.
According to her, the examination, which she describes as part of a promotional campaign for the military (specifically the Army, Navy, and Air Force), consisted of around 50 questions. Notably, 40 of these were related to career aspirations, and 10 focused on current affairs.
“We all had written our career questions. It then came to these very 10 questions, which asked, ‘Mention 10 Francophone countries and their capitals. Brethren, nobody knew this question. So, all I did was to raise the question paper and declare to it: ‘I am a Chosen! I am a chosen!! I am a chosen!!! This question, who are you? Where is the God of my pastor power?’ Then, suddenly, an old man appeared by my right-hand side in white apparel. He told me, ‘My daughter, begin to write.’ And I began to write,” she recounted
She claimed that some of the invigilators, who suspected something was amiss, pulled off her apron, which made “the angel” disappear.
The action, she added, made her angry.
“But when they returned the apron and I wore it back, the old man appeared again and began to tell the rest of the answers. I completed 10 good questions. I wrote them correctly and accurately. To me, it was like a dream. Brethren, when I finished writing my questions, a sister who sat by my side was a Mountain of Fire member because of the logo on her clothing. As I took up the answer sheet and was cross-checking my write-up, I signalled to the woman, saying, ‘Sister, do anything you can do humanly possible.
Any moment from now, I am going to submit my questions.’ While I was cross-checking, the sister quietly copied. And immediately she finished, brethren, I stood up and submitted my questions. Everybody in the hall was looking at me. That was how only two of us out of 102 were able to do this,” she added.
The church then erupted in celebration as she ended her testimony.
In an interview with Punch, the CAN chairman in Lagos, Stephen Adegbite, described the testimony as “fabrications” and criticised the church for allowing such testimonies while emphasising the importance of verifying claims.
“She is entitled to her opinion as she is the owner of her mouth. But for anyone to say such, we must verify that. We must see the people in the hall, and they must testify against her that that was never the situation. But looking at it ordinarily, that is a foolish talk, and nobody should accept that. There are testimonies you don’t allow to be given in the church. And that is why before people give their testimonies, you should invite them and know what they want to talk about.
If it is something that is good for public consumption, you should allow it to go. But if you know that the story they are telling can only be told to monkeys, you should ask the person to go and face the monkeys and say that, not in the church. So, that type of testimony should be served to the monkeys and not to human beings.”
He said the CAN National body will be meeting on September 28 to discuss issues surrounding the trending testimonies from the church.