Solomon Male
Encyclopedia
Moses Solomon Male is a pastor in Uganda
and Executive Director of Arising For Christ. He is an outspoken critic of corruption in certain "born-again" churches, especially those that promote prosperity theology
.
Male was born on August 17th 1962, and converted
to a personal faith in Christ on October 31st 1987. In 1988 he became one of the ministers of a church, followers of John Obiri Yeboah, but left that church in 1992, denouncing it as a cult
. In 1993 Male was arrested as a result of his accusations against the church, but he was later released and the case was withdrawn. Male then began an evangelistic
ministry to help people who had suffered abuse from cults or occult
groups.
In 1999 he founded Arising for Christ (ARCH), an Christian organisation whose leadership wants to restore "the sanctity of Christ and to rid the Church of fake and selfish people who carry themselves as pastors to con the desperate and unsuspecting public." The organisation claimed in January 2008 to have compiled a list of 300 believers who accuse born-again pastors of extortion, fraud, sex slavery and other crimes.
In an interview with the Financial Times
, Male claimed to be following Martin Luther
who centuries before had railed against vice, luxury and corruption among his fellow clergy. He compares the manipulation of sick people into paying for prayers to the sale of indulgence
s:
in Kampala in return for promises to heal her of AIDS
during the church's annual fleecing scheme, the Mount Sinai Campaign. She was not cured. During deterioration of her health condition, she realized how the church leaders had deceived her. She then determined that if God gave her a chance to recover, she would demand back her car.
When she demanded back her car, the church leaders, Bishop Gilson Costa and Pr Gerald Nkayi claimed 2 million Ugandan shilling
s (over US$1,200), allegedly for its repairs, which she did not have after being bedridden at her uncle's home in Jinja town for over a year. Her attempts to file a criminal case through the Police proved futile as she didn't have any money to bribe. They claimed that she had given it to God, not to them or the church.
On March 17th 2007, she heard Pr Male on Spectrum, a Radio One talk show on the subject of cults in Uganda in memory of the Kanungu inferno. She later called him for an appointment and told him how she had been conned of her car. When he confronted the church leaders, they eventually returned it in its damaged condition.
When Male publicised the car return in newspapers and other media in 2007, the leaders sued him and Adroa for defamation. The libel claim failed in 2010, and both sides were left to bear their own costs. Adroa had counterclaimed for repairs to the car, but this also failed, as the magistrate did not want to create a precedent for donors to ask for their gifts back if prayers were not fulfilled.
Solomon Male campaigns for greater financial accountability in churches. He says that the practice of giving land, cars or household goods to pastors in exchange for blessings, known as "sowing seeds of faith", is widespread in Uganda, and is generally not included in the churches' accounts. He reports that such donations are not even reported to boards or auditors, but are treated as the personal income of the pastors. Following up his report, the newspaper Sunday Vision checked the accounts of twelve Pentecostal churches, some of which were known for the practice; none declared any income from "sowing", and despite receiving billions of shillings, only Kampala Pentecostal Church
and Redeemed Church had their accounts professionally audit
ed.
Male sought a judicial investigation into the case of Susan Walusimbi, who was encouraged by a former pastor to enter into a relationship with a man whom the church claimed to have cured of AIDS. Walusimbi says the man later died of AIDS
; she is now HIV positive herself, and using anti-retroviral drugs to stay healthy.
Male was one of a group of pastors who received, counselled and supported young men who accused mega church Pastor Robert Kayanja of sodomizing them. A police purported investigation cleared Kayanja. Peculiar about the clearance was Pr Kayanja's construction of Old Kampala Police toilets after the first case was filed at Central Police Station, Kampala. Next were kidnaps of Kayanja's aides, Chris Muwonge and Herbert Tumukunde. Next were arrests of some of the victims and the mysterious retraction of their accusations. David Mukalazi who declined retraction was charged with Pr Male, Pr Kyazze, Pr ssempa, Pr Kaira, Deborah Kyomuhendo. But Male insisted that the case was mishandled, and urged the President to investigate the matter.
The National Fellowship publicly disowned Male in 2006. He replied with an open letter denouncing their "patriarch" John Obiri Yeboah and other leading figures.
In 2009 a group of pastors from four Pentecostal groups denounced Male as an "accuser of brethren who speaks without authority".
Uganda
Uganda , officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. Uganda is also known as the "Pearl of Africa". It is bordered on the east by Kenya, on the north by South Sudan, on the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the southwest by Rwanda, and on the south by...
and Executive Director of Arising For Christ. He is an outspoken critic of corruption in certain "born-again" churches, especially those that promote prosperity theology
Prosperity theology
Prosperity theology or gospel is a Christian religious belief whose proponents claim the Bible teaches that financial blessing is the will of God for Christians. Most teachers of prosperity theology maintain that a combination of faith, positive speech, and donations to Christian ministries will...
.
Male was born on August 17th 1962, and converted
Conversion to Christianity
Conversion to Christianity is the religious conversion of a previously non-Christian person to some form of Christianity. It has been called the foundational experience of Christian life...
to a personal faith in Christ on October 31st 1987. In 1988 he became one of the ministers of a church, followers of John Obiri Yeboah, but left that church in 1992, denouncing it as a cult
Cult
The word cult in current popular usage usually refers to a group whose beliefs or practices are considered abnormal or bizarre. The word originally denoted a system of ritual practices...
. In 1993 Male was arrested as a result of his accusations against the church, but he was later released and the case was withdrawn. Male then began an evangelistic
Evangelism
Evangelism refers to the practice of relaying information about a particular set of beliefs to others who do not hold those beliefs. The term is often used in reference to Christianity....
ministry to help people who had suffered abuse from cults or occult
Occult
The word occult comes from the Latin word occultus , referring to "knowledge of the hidden". In the medical sense it is used to refer to a structure or process that is hidden, e.g...
groups.
In 1999 he founded Arising for Christ (ARCH), an Christian organisation whose leadership wants to restore "the sanctity of Christ and to rid the Church of fake and selfish people who carry themselves as pastors to con the desperate and unsuspecting public." The organisation claimed in January 2008 to have compiled a list of 300 believers who accuse born-again pastors of extortion, fraud, sex slavery and other crimes.
In an interview with the Financial Times
Financial Times
The Financial Times is an international business newspaper. It is a morning daily newspaper published in London and printed in 24 cities around the world. Its primary rival is the Wall Street Journal, published in New York City....
, Male claimed to be following Martin Luther
Martin Luther
Martin Luther was a German priest, professor of theology and iconic figure of the Protestant Reformation. He strongly disputed the claim that freedom from God's punishment for sin could be purchased with money. He confronted indulgence salesman Johann Tetzel with his Ninety-Five Theses in 1517...
who centuries before had railed against vice, luxury and corruption among his fellow clergy. He compares the manipulation of sick people into paying for prayers to the sale of indulgence
Indulgence
In Catholic theology, an indulgence is the full or partial remission of temporal punishment due for sins which have already been forgiven. The indulgence is granted by the Catholic Church after the sinner has confessed and received absolution...
s:
"The man who stood against the evil in the church was Martin Luther, because he was against the selling of worthless objects which were to save you from hell. The moment he started the Protestant movementProtestant ReformationThe Protestant Reformation was a 16th-century split within Western Christianity initiated by Martin Luther, John Calvin and other early Protestants. The efforts of the self-described "reformers", who objected to the doctrines, rituals and ecclesiastical structure of the Roman Catholic Church, led...
, it gave hope that when something is wrong, there is the possibility of setting it right."
Campaigns and prominent casework
Male supported Frances Adroa, an HIV / AIDS patient who, in her time of desperate need in July 2005 was coerced to surrender her car, a Hyundai Accent 676 UCQ to the leaders of the Universal Church of the Kingdom of GodUniversal Church of the Kingdom of God
Universal Church of the Kingdom of God is a Pentecostal Christian organisation established in Brazil on July 9, 1977, with a presence in many countries...
in Kampala in return for promises to heal her of AIDS
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
during the church's annual fleecing scheme, the Mount Sinai Campaign. She was not cured. During deterioration of her health condition, she realized how the church leaders had deceived her. She then determined that if God gave her a chance to recover, she would demand back her car.
When she demanded back her car, the church leaders, Bishop Gilson Costa and Pr Gerald Nkayi claimed 2 million Ugandan shilling
Ugandan shilling
The Shilling is the currency of Uganda. Technically, the shilling is subdivided into 100 cents but no subdivisions have been issued since the revaluation of the shilling in 1987.-History:...
s (over US$1,200), allegedly for its repairs, which she did not have after being bedridden at her uncle's home in Jinja town for over a year. Her attempts to file a criminal case through the Police proved futile as she didn't have any money to bribe. They claimed that she had given it to God, not to them or the church.
On March 17th 2007, she heard Pr Male on Spectrum, a Radio One talk show on the subject of cults in Uganda in memory of the Kanungu inferno. She later called him for an appointment and told him how she had been conned of her car. When he confronted the church leaders, they eventually returned it in its damaged condition.
When Male publicised the car return in newspapers and other media in 2007, the leaders sued him and Adroa for defamation. The libel claim failed in 2010, and both sides were left to bear their own costs. Adroa had counterclaimed for repairs to the car, but this also failed, as the magistrate did not want to create a precedent for donors to ask for their gifts back if prayers were not fulfilled.
Solomon Male campaigns for greater financial accountability in churches. He says that the practice of giving land, cars or household goods to pastors in exchange for blessings, known as "sowing seeds of faith", is widespread in Uganda, and is generally not included in the churches' accounts. He reports that such donations are not even reported to boards or auditors, but are treated as the personal income of the pastors. Following up his report, the newspaper Sunday Vision checked the accounts of twelve Pentecostal churches, some of which were known for the practice; none declared any income from "sowing", and despite receiving billions of shillings, only Kampala Pentecostal Church
Kampala Pentecostal Church
Watoto Church, formerly Kampala Pentecostal Church is an English speaking church located in the heart of Kampala City, Uganda. The mission of the Church is "to be an English speaking cell-based community church, celebrating Christ, growing and multiplying as each one reaches one, touching those...
and Redeemed Church had their accounts professionally audit
Audit
The general definition of an audit is an evaluation of a person, organization, system, process, enterprise, project or product. The term most commonly refers to audits in accounting, but similar concepts also exist in project management, quality management, and energy conservation.- Accounting...
ed.
Male sought a judicial investigation into the case of Susan Walusimbi, who was encouraged by a former pastor to enter into a relationship with a man whom the church claimed to have cured of AIDS. Walusimbi says the man later died of AIDS
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
; she is now HIV positive herself, and using anti-retroviral drugs to stay healthy.
Male was one of a group of pastors who received, counselled and supported young men who accused mega church Pastor Robert Kayanja of sodomizing them. A police purported investigation cleared Kayanja. Peculiar about the clearance was Pr Kayanja's construction of Old Kampala Police toilets after the first case was filed at Central Police Station, Kampala. Next were kidnaps of Kayanja's aides, Chris Muwonge and Herbert Tumukunde. Next were arrests of some of the victims and the mysterious retraction of their accusations. David Mukalazi who declined retraction was charged with Pr Male, Pr Kyazze, Pr ssempa, Pr Kaira, Deborah Kyomuhendo. But Male insisted that the case was mishandled, and urged the President to investigate the matter.
Responses from Others
Responding to such allegations, Pentecostal pastor Bishop David Kiganda, Kampala district chairman of the National Fellowship of Born Again Churches, says that only a minority of Pentecostal pastors are involved in questionable activities. He and the National Fellowship ran a program called Operation Clean the House to exclude dishonest preachers from the denomination, and declared 15 of their fellow churches to be "cults."The National Fellowship publicly disowned Male in 2006. He replied with an open letter denouncing their "patriarch" John Obiri Yeboah and other leading figures.
In 2009 a group of pastors from four Pentecostal groups denounced Male as an "accuser of brethren who speaks without authority".