Prophet T.B Joshua and the dilemma of a Christian Journalist

You sought interview appointment with the “saints” they arrogantly rebuffed you. Then, you sought interview appointment with the man in the synagogue, and he humbly granted you. When they heard you interviewed T.B Joshua, the same saints who had ignored you because you were a publisher of then an unpopular Christian magazine accused you of having “dined with the devil” who had warmly welcomed you.

This revealed Prophet T.B Joshua to me as a grossly misrepresented man of God, and also the hypocrisy and oppressive tendencies in the Christendom. The “saints” summoned me before a panel, and asked me why I went to “dine with the devil” along with Bishop Abiodun Olugbenro (now of blessed memory) among others.

I simply replied the panel in Yoruba interpretation of the scriptures, “Bibeli wipe ki a wa idi ohun gbogbo dajudaju, ki a si di eyi ti o je otito mu.” I further told the panel that as a trained journalist, I should be seen to have a balanced and unbiased standing on all matters. Although I discontinued my “fraternalization” (as the panel put it) with T.B Joshua in order to submit to the authority, that never changed my view of T.B Joshua as a good man unlike the oppressive saints who tagged him evil.

In our days of little beginning, with that one time interview with him, T.B Joshua encouraged us by opening his doors warmly for us unlike the so-called saints who despised us by making us pass through stringent protocols to secure their audience for interviews because we were then an unpopular Christian magazine while they ran beggarly after young and sometimes inexperienced reporters of secular newspapers to grant them interviews. This is the dilemma of Christian journalists, raising the poser:”Who then are your brethren?”  This poser reminds of the story of the man in the Bible who was waylaid by armed robbers and was ignored by his own people until a gentile came to his rescue.

In our humble beginning while Prophet T.B Joshua, in just one approach opened the doors of his Synagogue Church of All Nations to us, and also encouraged us as fellow workers in God’s vineyard, some renowned Pentecostal churches seized our magazine, and also whipped our sale reps for bringing our magazine for sale at their camps without getting their approval and permission to do so. I’m persuaded that it will be recorded in heaven of Prophet T.B Joshua that he came and he helped the weak, the feeble, the oppressed and the needy till his last breath. What else is the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ? You may have your shortcomings like all of us, good night Prophet Temitope Balogun Joshua, the man in the Synagogue!