‘The devil is in the church’
MANY of us would have experienced even one of those hellfire sermons at some point in our lives, where the preaching is to repent, or face eternal damnation. They’ve been used as fodder to draw souls to the altar for ages, and charismatic preachers in particular will make sinners feel that it’s a ‘come now or face damnation’ matter.
But what happens when you’ve confessed your misdeeds to the pastor, then hear reference to your sins in the next Sunday’s service? What happens when the preacher resorts to leaving the pulpit for the pews, where he urges you to repent, listing every sin from fornication to jealousy?
Below readers share some of the moments in church when their sins, or perceived sins, were laid bare by the pastor for everyone to hear.
Michelle, 46:
I’m a Christian now but back then, in my 20s, I was a hard party girl. But I would go to church anyway, because I grew up in the church. It was also a time when I didn’t realise what appropriate attire was. Well, there was a Mennonite church near to my house and one Sunday I decided to visit. Sure, the dress was a little too short and the make-up too heavy, but that didn’t give the preacher authority to criticise. As soon as I walked in, he stopped what he was doing and lamented, ‘The devil is in the church!’ Everyone turned around to look at me, walking up the aisle.
Rochelle, 24:
I had just started working, but I didn’t give tithes for about two months. The third month into my job, the pastor said, ‘When some of us never had the job, we used to fast and pray. Now we’re feasting and not giving God his share’. The lady beside me kept glancing at me and nodding, with her lips set in a duck-face position.
Nika, 36:
The pastor’s wife was praying and said, “Every imp and demon get out!” Now I was at the altar, only to feel the woman touch me in my forehead and say, “You stubborn, but loose! I rebuke you, loose!”
Jevon J, 30:
My girlfriend was pregnant, but no one knew apart from the pastor. In the sermon, he started speaking about fornication and how wrong it was. Then he went, ‘Some a you young boys think you’re men, but it seems like the trousers squeezing and you had to let free willy swim a little’.
Sharon W, 35:
I was sleeping in church and as I opened my eyes the pastor shouted out, ‘Some of us don’t sleep in our beds at night time and tek church as motel and get up a shout hallelujah as if a heaven them coming from’.
Daniel T, 22:
I was 18 and just got baptised and decided that I wasn’t taking communion. After communion service the pastor said, ‘Young people, I am warning you, take heed. Some of you only went down as dry sinner and come up as wet hypocrite. You must eat and drink of the body of our Lord Jesus Christ’.
Marie L, 41:
He was preaching about the seven deadly sins and started listing them. He became overwhelmed and then called my name and said, ‘Look here, let go your pride, let go your lust after the people husband, let go your envy and bad mind, let go your greediness, it is sin, it is sin, a you me a talk!’
Natalie T, 27:
I was late for church and walked in with my fiancé during the sermon. Pastor: ‘Mek I tell you something, you young people love to rush things and take up all sort of devil and uncircumcised Philistine carry come show pastor bout unnu a go married. Search for a man of God!’
Ryan D, 44:
My marriage of five years was coming to an end and coincidentally the minister was speaking about the importance of marriage and cracking jokes here and there. He then looked me in the eyes and said, ‘Alimony is like buying oats for a dead horse, work out the thing man’.
Rory W, 48:
I’m a pastor’s child and I was very rebellious in my teen years. Well, one Sunday I was in the meeting room of the church kissing a girl who was nominated to be a missionary. Someone informed my father and when praise and worship finished and we headed back inside, he said, ‘We need a testimony from the two young people that just came in. Son, I know you had a taste of religion and possibly felt the spirit during worship’.
Shane B, 30:
I was about to sit down and the pastor was making an altar call. He said, ‘Don’t sit. All backsliders, please remain standing’.
