Nigerian Supreme Council for Ecclesiastical Affairs (NSCEA) have addressed an open letter to Dr. Abel Damina in which the council expressed dismay over what it called the current preaching and teachings of Biblical tenets by the controversial founder/senior pastor of Power City International, Uyo Akwa Ibom state.
In the open letter and disclamer signed by Bishop Professor Funmilayo Adesanya-Davies Secretary, Elders’ Council and copied from the social media by Christian Benefits magazine, NSCEA cautioned Dr. Abel Damina against fallacious and heretic teachings of Christian faith. The council though acknowledges Dr. Damina’s passion for spreading the gospel but says it cannot ignore the alarming rate of theological errors and heresies in his messages, especially as it is now going viral on the social media as hate speech and cyber crime against Christian faith.
Below are the details of Nigerian Supreme Council for Ecclesiastical Affairs’ open letter to Dr. Abel Damina that also entails a disclaimer by the council under the subject: Caution against fallacious and heretic teaching of Christian faith
OPEN LETTER AND DISCLAIMER – BY NSCEA
TO: Dr. Abel Damina (Alias Global Papa)
FROM: Nigerian Supreme Council for Ecclesiastical Affairs (NSCEA)
DATE: 15th. October, 2024
SUBJECT: CAUTION AGAINST FALLACIOUS AND HERETIC TEACHINGS OF CHRISTIAN FAITH
Dear Dr. Abel Damina,
We, at the Nigerian Supreme Council for Ecclesiastical Affairs (NSCEA), have observed with dismay your current preaching and teachings of Biblical tenets and hereby write to express grave concern and caution regarding these your teachings, which have been brought to our attention. This letter also serves as a DISCLAIMER.
Heresy is, “a belief or opinion contrary to orthodox Christian doctrine and any belief, teaching or practice that explicitly undermines the gospel.” Heresies are “beliefs or teachings that deviate from established or orthodox doctrine, often considered contrary to the accepted teachings of a religion or faith.”
In Christianity, these include:
1. Arianism: Denies Jesus’ divinity.
2. Gnosticism: Emphasizes secret knowledge over faith.
3. Pelagianism: Rejects original sin and predestination.
4. Donatism: Questions validity of sacraments performed by unworthy clergy.
5. Monophysitism: Believes in single nature of Christ.
While we appreciate your passion for spreading the Gospel, we cannot ignore the alarming rate of theological errors and heresies in your messages, especially as it is now going viral on social media as hate speech and cyber crime against the Christian faith. Please note that, the Bible is not for philosophising, it’s the WORD OF GOD inspired of the Holy Ghost.
Specifically, we have issues with the following titles of your messages such as: “There is no heaven”, “You don’t need God to Succeed”, “Jesus is not coming back”, “Heaven is scam”, “God is not responsible”, “Jesus Christ is not a Christian”, “Jesus Christ is God the Father and there is no trinity”, “The Bible is not the Word of God”, “No to Holy communion” and “No to tithing”, etc.
We assert that, most of these your topics are mere fallacies and heretic, while the notions are mistaken beliefs, especially based on generalizations, self interpretation, personalized style, alarming sub-titles, and unsound arguments. For instance, in English, “the notion that the camera never lies is a fallacy.” You also know this, but your preaching style is focused on attracting your audience through content creating hype rather than being correct and spiritual.
These teachings deviate from the fundamental doctrines of Christianity, contradicting the Holy Scriptures and the historic confessions of the faith. Your interpretations in most cases are also subjective to undermine the authority of Scripture, compromise the deity of Christ, and confuse the nature of our great salvation.
The core tenets of Christian faith include:
CORE DOCTRINES:
1. Trinity: One God in three persons – Father, Son (Jesus Christ), and Holy Spirit.
2. Incarnation: Jesus Christ, fully human and fully divine.
3. Salvation: Faith in Jesus Christ saves humanity from sin and its consequences.
4. Bible: Inspired, authoritative, and infallible scripture.
5. Creation: God created the universe and humanity.
ESSENTIAL BELIEFS:
1. Deity of Christ: Jesus is Lord and God with the Holy Spirit in Trinity.
2. Virgin Birth: Jesus born of Mary, conceived by Holy Spirit.
3. Atonement: Jesus’ death and resurrection redeem humanity.
4. Resurrection: Jesus rose bodily from the dead.
5. Second Coming: Jesus will return to judge and establish God’s kingdom.
CHRISTIAN WORLDVIEW:
1. Sin and Fallen Nature: Humanity’s rebellion against God.
2. Redemption: God’s plan to restore humanity through Jesus.
3. Faith and Works: Salvation by faith, demonstrated through works.
4. Church: Community of believers, body of Christ.
5. Sacraments: Baptism and Communion (Eucharist).
KEY BIBLE PASSAGES:
1. John 3:16 (Salvation)
2. Romans 3:23-24 (Sin and Redemption)
3. 1 Corinthians 15:3-4 (Resurrection)
4. Matthew 28:19 (Trinity)
5. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 (Bible).
CHRISTIAN DENOMINATIONS:
1. Catholicism
2. Eastern Orthodoxy
3. Protestantism (Lutheran, Calvinist, Anglican, etc.)
4. Evangelicalism
5. Pentecostalism.
CHRISTIAN VALUES:
1. Love (Matthew 22:37-40)
2. Forgiveness (Matthew 6:14-15)
3. Humility and Respect (Philippians 2:3-8)
4. Compassion (Matthew 25:31-46)
5. Integrity (Proverbs 10:9).
CHRISTIAN PRACTICES:
1. Prayer
2. Worship
3. Bible Study
4. Communion
5. Baptism
6. Giving.
Here are some common errors in reasoning and argumentation that you have been involved in rather than humbly subjecting your interpretations to the help of the Holy Spirit.
FALLACIES:
1. Ad Hominem: Attacking the person, not the argument.
2. Strawman: Misrepresenting or exaggerating an opposing argument.
3. False Dilemma: Presenting only two options when there are more.
4. Slippery Slope: Assuming a chain of events without evidence.
5. Appeal to Authority: Using authority to support an unjustified claim.
6. Appeal to Emotion: Using emotions rather than logic.
7. Begging the Question: Assuming the truth of the conclusion.
8. Circular Reasoning: Using a conclusion as a premise.
9. Confirmation Bias: Selectively seeking supporting evidence.
10. Denying the Antecedent: Incorrectly concluding that a condition is false.
GENERALISATIONS:
1. Hasty Generalization: Drawing conclusions from insufficient evidence.
2. Sweeping Generalization: Making overly broad statements.
3. Stereotyping: Applying group characteristics to individuals.
OTHER ERRORS:
1. Ambiguity: Using unclear or vague language.
2. Equivocation: Using words with multiple meanings.
3. False Analogy: Comparing unlike things.
4. Faulty Causality: Assuming cause-and-effect without evidence.
5. Ignoring the Context: Omitting relevant information.
6. Misleading Vividness: Using vivid imagery to mislead.
7. Oversimplification: Simplifying complex issues.
8. Question-Begging Epithet: Using loaded language.
9. Red Herring: Introducing irrelevant information.
10. Unfounded Assumption: Assuming facts without evidence.
COGNITIVE BIASES:
1. Anchoring Bias: Relying too heavily on initial information.
2. Availability Heuristic: Overestimating the importance of vivid information.
3. Bandwagon Effect: Following popular opinion.
4. Confirmation Bias: Seeking supporting evidence.
5. Hindsight Bias: Believing events were predictable.
6. Illusion of Control: Overestimating control over events.
7. Priming: Influencing thoughts or behaviors.
8. Selective Perception: Filtering information.
9. Self-Serving Bias: Attributing success to internal factors.
10. Sunk Cost Fallacy: Continuing investment due to past commitment.
LOGICAL ERRORS:
1. Affirming the Consequent: Assuming a conclusion based on incomplete evidence.
2. Denying the Consequent: Incorrectly concluding that a condition is false.
3. Undistributed Middle: Assuming a conclusion based on incomplete evidence.
4. Illicit Major: Using an invalid premise.
5. Illicit Minor: Drawing an invalid conclusion.
RHETORICAL DEVICES (USED TO DECEIVE OR PERSUADE):
1. Allusion: Referencing famous people or events.
2. Hyperbole: Exaggerating for emphasis.
3. Metaphor: Comparing unlike things.
4. Personification: Attributing human qualities to non-human entities.
5. Rhetorical Questions: Asking questions for effect.
Recognizing these errors can help you critically evaluate arguments and make more informed decisions logically.
Moreover, ‘Logic’ is the systematic study of reasoning and argumentation, focusing on the principles and methods for evaluating information, constructing arguments, and making informed decisions.
MAIN BRANCHES OF LOGIC ARE:
1. Deductive Logic: Concerned with certain and absolute conclusions.
2. Inductive Logic: Deals with probable conclusions based on evidence.
3. Abductive Logic: Involves making educated guesses or hypotheses.
4. Symbolic Logic: Uses symbols and formal languages to represent logical relationships.
5. Mathematical Logic: Applies logical principles to mathematical reasoning.
LOGICAL CONCEPTS:
1. Proposition: A statement that can be true or false.
2. Premise: A statement supporting a conclusion.
3. Conclusion: The inferred result of premises.
4. Inference: The process of drawing conclusions.
5. Argument: A set of premises and conclusions.
6. Validity: The property of an argument’s logical structure.
7. Soundness: The property of an argument’s truth and validity.
You also need to learn and know that universal characteristics of language include being representative, symbolic, conventional, arbitrary, creative, etc.
THE TOTAL PACKAGE OF SALVATION IN OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST
The total package of salvation in Jesus Christ include:
SPIRITUAL BENEFITS:
1. Forgiveness of sins (Ephesians 1:7)
2. Righteousness (2 Corinthians 5:21)
3. Reconciliation with God (Romans 5:10)
4. Eternal life (John 3:16)
5. Adoption as God’s children (Ephesians 1:5)
6. Spiritual rebirth (John 3:3-7)
EMOTIONAL BENEFITS:
1. Peace (John 14:27)
2. Joy (John 15:11)
3. Hope (Romans 5:2-5)
4. Comfort (2 Corinthians 1:3-4)
5. Love (1 John 3:1)
PHYSICAL BENEFITS:
1. Healing (Isaiah 53:5, Matthew 8:17)
2. Protection (Psalm 91)
3. Provision (Matthew 6:33)
4. Strength (Philippians 4:13)
ETERNAL BENEFITS:
1. Heaven (John 14:2-3)
2. Eternal glory (2 Corinthians 4:17)
3. Resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:50-54)
4. New heaven and new earth (Revelation 21:1-4)
As leaders in the Nigerian Christian community at NSCEA, we cannot continue to tolerate and watch the body of Christ in this predicament of yours, we are compelled to address these errors and ensure the integrity of our shared faith. We urge you to:
1. Publicly retract and correct these false teachings.
2. Engage in theological dialogue with reputable scholars to clarify and deepen your understanding.
3. Align your ministry with the orthodox, evangelical and pentecostal teachings of Christianity or back out completely.
It is always good to know enough to realise that you do not know enough.
Dr. Abel Damina, you have crossed the line, and you are therefore no more a representative of Christianity (The Body of Christ) in Nigeria.
We remain committed to upholding the truth and unity of the Body of Christ in Nigeria.
Sincerely yours,
Signed
Bishop Professor Funmilayo Adesanya-Davies
Secretary, Elders’ Council,
Nigerian Supreme Council for Ecclesiastical Affairs (NSCEA)
CC:
Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN)
The Urim and the Thummim
