The Presiding Bishop of the Methodist Church Ghana, Most Reverend Dr. Paul Kwabena Boafo, has called on Christian leaders to fulfill their responsibilities with a clear focus on the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Speaking on Radio Univers’ flagship program “Campus Exclusive,” he addressed the theme “The Fight Against Modern Day Slavery: The Role of Faith Leaders.”
Most Reverend Dr. Boafo emphasized the importance of Christian religious leaders adhering strictly to the mission outlined by Christ.
“The message we will give is to do a proper analysis of the mandate given to the church by Jesus Christ to go and bring healing, to go and speak of salvation, to go and bring freedom to people, because if you take Jesus’ manifesto in Luke 4, that is what Jesus said. Giving sight to the blind, the deaf are hearing, and the lame are walking. When you preach contrary to this, or abuse the people, then you have deviated. So my advice is that let us all stick to the mandate of the gospel of Jesus Christ, which is salvation, and modern-day slavery is part of it and we should eradicate it from our system.”
He also advised practicing Christians to critically examine concepts and engage in reasonable acts of faith to avoid deception.
“My message to them would be, we talk about reasoning and faith. As a Methodist, I have four things I stand on to explain whatever I am told: the Bible, reasoning, tradition, and experience—what I call quadrilateral Methodism. If I receive any education, I analyze it and ask myself, ‘Is this true from God? Is this reasonable for my development and growth and for society?’ Anything I preach must be edifying and should not put people into slavery. Faith issues are personalized.”
In addition, the Presiding Bishop called on the media to scrutinize content before broadcasting. He urged various stakeholders and religious bodies to unite in the fight against modern-day slavery.
“We should speak; the numbers are staggering. Statistics say 50 million people are in modern-day slavery. How do we reduce or eradicate it? To the churches, let us stand up and speak against it. To government institutions, the police have a human trafficking unit; let us equip them to do their work well and for you, the radio stations, sometimes they come to do the adverts here. So you also have to scrutinize these announcements carefully. Do not let money take precedence over your duty to run the place for God, who takes care of us. For faith-based leaders, remember, God takes care of us. He who has given us teeth will give us something to chew.”
“So in conclusion, with a collective effort and commitment to working across various sectors, there is hope for significant progress in eradicating modern-day slavery and fostering a society rooted in compassion, justice, and faith.”
Story by: Michelle Lartey
