Two Christians from a Pentecostal church have been flogged in public for storming the palace, and burning age-old skulls. With their hands tied, the public got them well beaten for destroying their tradition, a practice which many says is common especially amongst Pentecostals. NDE Harold is a Christian from a different denomination.
“We each have our culture and tradition which must be respected. The act is uncalled for. A similar situation occurred in my village some years back, a group of Pentecostals stormed my village and destroyed a tree which belonged to the palace. They said their pastor told them the destiny of the village has been tied in the tree, they have to destroy it to set the villagers free. They were however punished for the act. I think Pentecostals are changing the church, he added.”
Their way of thinking and praising God is different. Another Christian, Eduke Mary reacts.
“You can’t wear really tight-fitting clothes; your belly never comes out and your chest always covered. Another feature of many Pentecostal and charismatic churches is the vibrant loud worship, she added.
To Mr Cindr Okeka, from a theological college in Cameroon, any structure in which there is a pyramid with one person at the top is a very dangerous structure.
“Pentecostal and charismatic churches and fellowships have run into problems and even huge scandals in the past because of their independent structure which gives power to their leaders. We need to discourage them, he added.
Pentecostalism is now the fastest-growing Christian denomination in the world — and nowhere is it growing faster than in sub-Saharan Africa, home to nearly 45 percent of all Pentecostals.
In predominantly Christian Cameroon, there are more than 500 revival churches. Their rapid growth, as well as what the government views as questionable practices, has drawn attention.