𝗢𝗣𝗜𝗡𝗜𝗢𝗡 | 𝐈𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐍𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐆𝐨𝐝: 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐇𝐨𝐥𝐲 𝐁𝐞𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐲𝐚𝐥

"𝘚𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘬 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘢 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘥, 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦 𝘎𝘰𝘥 𝘏𝘪𝘮𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘭𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘢 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘶𝘱𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘦.”

What if the very voice commanding us to follow such a precept is infested with rottenness? What if the hand that claims to act in God's name is stained with the vilest acts of betrayal?

Apollo Quiboloy, once held up as a shining light of faith, is now accused of dreadful crimes that make the blood boil. Serious charges of human trafficking, forced labor, sexual exploitation, and fraud have been lodged against him by the U.S. Department of Justice. To the last of his followers, how is this wretched act to be reconciled with the message of Christ? Jesus embraced a life of humility and service while Quiboloy paraded in garments of greed, exploitation, and deceit. One has to see the revealing truth, for this is a man who has turned faith into a method for his evil designs as a wolf who dresses himself in wool. 

Is this all that we have reduced ourselves to? A society that lets influential figures use warped versions of God's word on the innocent? Where, then, is the so-called "Anointed Son of God," accused of trafficking young girls and women, promising salvation but sentencing them to living hell? The U.S. Justice Department accusations are damning: victims recruited with promises of a better life, only to be trapped in endless loops of abuse. They were threatened with deportation for working, soliciting handouts for a phantom charity to fund his sybaritic lifestyle, and even being blackmailed into sexual acts in the name of religion— it borders on spiritual treason.

"Actions speak louder than words," they say. And the actions of Quiboloy roar with the ferocity of betrayal. His expensive life is an insult to the very gospel he professed to preach. While Christ feeds the hungry and heals the sick, Quiboloy allegedly feeds off the vulnerabilities of the people, exploiting their faith and fears for his gain. The life that he lives is not only a deviation from Christ's teachings, but an embodiment of everything Christ stood against. 

We forget that, as Shakespeare reminds us, "Even the devil can cite Scripture for his purpose." The righteous facade that Quiboloy sports around is a mere masquerade to cover up his self indeed, a cadaver, beautiful on the outside but rotting within. His strength is neither a divine appointment, nor a heinous crime.

There is no room for such abuse of power in this world, much less under the guise of faith. As a society, we cannot just look the other way. The silence of such evil speaks for itself and, by acting upon, leads to being complicit with evil. We owe it to the victims, to the faithful, and to the very principles of truth and justice that we must speak out. We must make sure that men like Quiboloy can no longer use the cloak of spirituality as a disguise for such crimes.

Let us not be fooled by the false prophets that dominate our day. Their voices are loud and piercing, but they are hollow. Though they may silence the critics in attempting to snuff them out, truth finds its voice. It is time to pull off the wool and show people what is living beneath it—the wolf and not the sheep. Let justice, earthly as well as divine, take over.