Beware the Christian Ng'anga

It sounds like an oxymoron and yet it is functionally true. There are those in the church who in the name of prophecy are functioning as ng’angas, divining and soothsaying. Not only are they robbing the gullible of their hard-earned monies but, like the ng’anga paradigm they are operating under, they also create chaos in the aftermath of their prophecies. A case in point: John and Jane (obviously not their real names) are engaged to be married. Five months ago John’s mother visits one of these renowned prophets and is told that the wedding that’s about to take place in her family may not happen as Jane is four months pregnant! Jane is taken for a pregnancy test which clears her of the accusations. But by then the rumours have started making their rounds that Jane is pregnant. When their pastor finally gets to hear of it, it’s the week before the wedding and the wedding announcements have been made in church. What to do? Jane goes for another pregnancy test and is found negative. The rumours are as false as the “prophecy”, or should we say, divination.

This and many other incidents illustrate that many charlatans are robbing gullible Christians in the name of “prophecy”. I think there are three basic reasons that this happens to these immature believers: the said Christians have not loved the word of God so are susceptible to deception, they are ignorant of Scripture’s primacy of character above charisma, and they are operating under a ng’anga paradigm of witchcraft. May I issue a disclaimer here: I believe that the New Testament warrants an ongoing prophetic ministry and have actually written on the nature of such gifting from a Neocharismatic perspective (see my forthcoming Kachere Document, The Two Witnesses of Revelation 11: An Eclectic Continuationist Appraisal). So I’m not here knocking down bona fide prophetic ministry.

Loving the Word or the World?

These gullible believers don’t make any effort to grow in their understanding of God’s truth so they are easily deceived. The apostle Paul when warning about the Antichrist’s deceptive miracles wrote:

9 The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders, 10 and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. 2 Thessalonians 2:9, 10 (English Standard Version)

Notice that the deception came about “because they refused to love the truth”. We know that God’s word is truth as Jesus said in His prayer for His all disciples, “sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth” (John 17:17). That word is the Bible – both the Law and Prophets of the Old Testament and the writings of the New Testament – of which Christ Himself said “For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished”, (Matthew 5:18). In fact, those that are walking in Christ’s truth are protected from deception as John writes in 1 John 2:20, 26-27:

20 But you have been anointed by the Holy One, and you all have knowledge… 26 I write these things to you about those who are trying to deceive you. 27 But the anointing that you received from him abides in you, and you have no need that anyone should teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about everything, and is true, and is no lie—just as it has taught you, abide in him.

Hence those that are not abiding in Christ, His anointing (or authority) is not on them and open themselves to deception. The enemy also has power to work miraculous signs and if these healings and spectacular displays of spiritual power over demons become the main thing that people run after, then deception has set in. It’s particularly interesting that Jesus did not use exorcisms to awe people into submission or entertain them as is done in some Christian quarters. The gullible, in their love for the world, forsake the word to their own peril.

Character before Charisma

Another reason for the thriving of the ng’anga “ministry” is also the tendency to place spiritual gifting, or charisma, above character. This stems from a pragmatic orientation that says “if it works, it’s good” meaning that “as long as the prophet can get me what I’m looking for (wealth, health, etc) then it’s good”. With such a mindset, there really is no need to check from whom I’m getting what I want as long as I get my “miracle”. All Scripture is thrown to the wind in the frenzy of getting one’s “breakthrough”. This is the reason that an older generation of gullible believers snuck out at night to go to the ng’angas when attacked by witchcraft as the church that they belonged to either didn’t believe in the existence of witchcraft or just didn’t know what to do about it. But, behold, the ng’anga is amongst us!

So in their haste to get the “breakthrough”, gullible believers have placed a minister’s gifting above his/her character to both theirs and the ng’anga’s demise. Judas Iscariot who betrayed Jesus did as many miracles as the other disciples during the time of his “ministry” with the Lord: he cast out demons, healed the sick, preached the Kingdom of God, and baptized people (Matthew 10; John 4:1-3). He was so trusted with finances that he kept the ministry funds though he stole from the kitty (John 12:4-6). You couldn’t tell Judas apart from the other disciples except for his character that revealed itself when he betrayed Jesus to the authorities according to God’s predetermined will. The fact that somebody is “anointed” and performing miracles or is a great preacher is no guarantee that they are bona fide ministers of God. It is only the fruit of their lives that becomes the final arbiter of who they really are:

15 Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. 16 You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17 So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. 18 A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Thus you will recognize them by their fruits. 21 Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’

The point is: if gullible believers valued character, they would not be easily duped by the ng’anga ministries since they would seek ministers who have been tried and tested with time and are accountable to a church or other ministers. Unfortunately, the lone ranger cowboy “man of God” who alone hears from God seems to be the preferred choice of minister for many in these circles.

Ng’anga Paradigm

The witchcraft paradigm of the ng’anga ministry is best illustrated by another ng’anga occurrence told me by a fellow pastor. A husband went to one of the “prophets” and was told by the prophet that the reason he was not advancing in life was because his wife had bewitched him by placing some mankhwala (magic potion) under a tree in his home village. The husband told his wife about it who demanded to be shown by the prophet where the alleged tree and mankhwala she had planted was. After several attempts to meet the prophet failed, she decided to go with the Police to the prophet who confessed that he was just making up the story. Imagine what carnage was wrecked in that family. Just like the ng’anga always finds a mfiti (witch/wizard) for a client’s misfortune, usually the client’s antagonistic relative, so these prophets speak of enemies that are close to their client’s usually with devastating results for the accused. Many old grandmothers have met their death as mobs bayed for their blood because they were considered witches usually on the flimsy evidence of children.

The prophets are not at fault by themselves; the gullible Christians also play their part. They do this by seeking from the prophets what a ng’anga does. For example, I know of people that consulted a “prophetess” to inquire if they should go overseas or not and whether or not their visa applications would be successful. All for “chowinda”(offering) for the prophetess, of course. Others go there to find out who is bewitching them or their kin. Nothing wrong to pray for deliverance from witchcraft but to start naming names and thereby creating animosities that result in witch-killing is neither what deliverance nor prophecy was intended for. Again herein lays the importance of operating within the parameters of Scripture lest we be deceived by familiar spirits.

Conclusion

Worse than robbing the gullible of their monies, the ng’anga ministries pose a dangerous deviation from the mission of the church to proclaim and demonstrate the gospel to the ends of the earth by making us focus on just our needs to the exclusion of mission. On the other hand, are they an indicator of how far the church has deviated from the path of truth in pursuit of “what works”? I hear others say that this is a Pentecostal-Charismatic phenomenon and that the “mainline” churches are spared. I don’t think so. The pervasive influence of the Pentecostal-Charismatic movement has transformed the “mainline” churches way of worship to the point that many trends that were considered “Pentecostal” are to be found in them such as “praise teams”, night-of-prayers, and intercessions where some actually pray in tongues. Also satellite television has brought ng’anga ministers into the homes of all Christians. As long as Christians make gifting and not character the mark of true gospel ministry, this ng’anga epidemic will have enough fodder to continue deviating the people of God from their mission of taking the Good News of the Kingdom of God to the ends of earth