I had hardly given any sustained attention to the teaching of charismatic and prosperity gospel movements. I’d always known of their existence. Most of my friends and family members belong to them, in varying degrees. But I never thought it was something I should try to engage. Although I studied its theology and internal dynamics and continue to read various blogs as well as watch videos to get a sense of what’s happening, I’ve never found the matter intellectually stimulating enough to grab my attention. I was mostly happy with the Africa Statement on the Prosperity Gospel and Word of Faith Theology. Furthermore, I knew of many brothers speaking out against it. So I thought it was enough to spectate—until things changed and the charismatic chaos became impossible to ignore.
The prosperity gospel is more than merely heretical. It is evil. Diabolical.
Things began to change when a friend of mine started to post WhatsApp statuses that I considered exegetical abuses of Mark’s Gospel. The abuse was odious. At the same time, ministering to people in my local church, I started noticing—in ways I hadn’t before—the devastatingly enslaving effects of these beliefs. I was reminded of R. C. Sproul: ideas, even the simple and seemingly harmless ones, have consequences. So there I was, painfully witnessing those ruinous consequences firsthand. Still I didn’t quite anticipate how much worse things would get. Now I’m convinced in my own thinking that the prosperity gospel is more than merely heretical. It is evil. Diabolical. Thus I cannot be indifferent. Below is a brief reflection on the journey that brought me to those convictions.
The Vision for Pastoral Work I Grew Up With
Growing up, a pastor was the go-to person for essentially everything. He was one of the most trusted people in the village. He was the counsellor and advisor. Every household consulted him, even those that didn’t attend his church. He possessed the moral and spiritual capital that was needed to assist people in whatever issues they were facing. He was somehow knowledgeable about anything: diseases and medicine, farming and education, you name it. Everyone went to him with any and every problem.
Pastors were known for their selflessness and service of others.
Visitors to the village always asked to be directed to the pastor’s home. For they knew it was there that they would get a bed and food for the night, before continuing on their journey. Things weren’t that different in cities. The pastor was trustworthy. He welcomed everyone, even strangers. They were known for their selflessness and service of others.
Theologically, you might’ve disagreed with some of their interpretations. However, you couldn’t question the fact that they read their Bible and they loved it. They could quote scriptures in their prayers and teach the Bible. In important ways, they fitted the modern description of an Evangelical. But today it’s the Charismatic movement, rather than the Evangelicalism we grew up with, that’s the face of Congolese Christianity.
Things Changed—Drastically
The Charismatic movement may have been brought to Africa in general and the DRC in particular by a handful of very famous evangelists, who organised sizeable crusades, many of which centred on healings, miracles, and preaching for conversions. Who hasn’t read Reinhard Bonnke’s Now That You Are Saved? This all took place around the turn of the millennium, when Africa was hard-struck by wars and abject poverty, not to mention the HIV crisis. Thus, those evangelists’ message emphasising the imminent return of Christ couldn’t have been more timely.
The emphasis shifted from the Bible to personality; from preaching to miraculous manifestations.
But with the arrival of these preachers, the emphasis started to slowly shift from the Bible to personality; and from teaching and preaching to miraculous manifestations of power. Soon enough, locals learned their tricks. Then they too started propagating the gospel of miracles and healing, which they’d inherited from those travelling evangelists. Ministries with the word International in their names exploded. Everyone with a Gideon New Testament became an “international” evangelist.
However, the dynamics were different—and those differences remain quite ironic. For Western worldwide evangelists could afford international plane tickets. But locals couldn’t. They needed a survival strategy. A profitable plan. And for many, this meant faking it. This was the genesis of the current charismatic chaos that reigns in Congolese Christianity.
Ministries Became Businesses
Perhaps to the surprise of many: faking it paid off. Preaching under the banner of an international ministry, regardless of motives, was a lucrative business. All you needed was audacity and grit. Added to that, you simply needed to make the Bible say what you needed it to say—what itching ears long to hear. Without anything resembling biblical literacy among the people, these preachers knew no one could fact-check their claims. Furthermore, who would dare question the man of God?
You simply needed to make the Bible say what you needed it to say—what itching hears long to hear.
Churches mushroomed. The multiplication was phenomenal. According to the Ministry of Justice, in Kinshasa alone, the number of registered churches went from 3,000 in 2000 to 19,000 in 2026. There are also around 30,000 more waiting for approval. The vast majority of those churches are independent, non-denominational charismatic churches.
With most of these new churches, their modus operandi is the same: look credible by wearing an expensive outfit; speak in tongues, prophesy about prosperity, and always mention a Greek word while preaching; finally, of course, always ask for money. How else will you make it? Don’t forget to do a few polemical TikTok lives. It doesn’t matter what you talk about or say. What matters is getting attention. Accountability is out; attention is in.
Corruption, Propaganda and Political Power
But what if you could make more money in a day than you’ll ever make in a lifetime of ministry? Charismatic preachers are gifted at spotting the next big opportunity; and in the DRC they’ve stumbled on another—politics. The international media has given much attention to Ebola and the war. But what hasn’t been reported on nearly as much is the ongoing attempts to change our constitution and the surrounding debates. But these political issues aren’t isolated. If they were, I’d be less inclined to write about them.
Charismatic preachers are gifted at spotting the next big opportunity. Politics.
The problem came when charismatic preachers invited themselves into the debate. Without hesitation, many aggressively insulted anyone who dared reject the idea of changing our constitution. They summoned people to political demonstrations, invaded TV stations and podcasts to spread heinous lies as well as propaganda. Shamelessly, they misguided public opinion and leveraged their spiritual authority towards political ends and personal profit.
Pulpits became political platforms. Preaching focused on justification—justifying the idea of changing the constitution. Appeals were made, tribe and division was promoted. Complete fabrications were spread about the current constitution. In some cases, violence was encouraged as Christian speech was traded in for hate speech. What motivated this preaching? The promises of money and access to the inner circle of political power.
Of course, none of this messaging is explicit. Instead, our suave pulpiteers dressed it up in visions. “God told me [insert profitable political stance].” Hotly on the heels of this, we learnt that the president doesn’t have a term; he has a divine mission to accomplish. Millions believed it. When all you know is the man of God, you’ll believe anything he says.
Longing for Reformation
The DRC is currently facing a multifaceted crisis. I’ve already mentioned Ebola. Peace talks between the government and the AFC/M23 seem to have reached a dead-end. Six months after signing the Washington Accords, nothing consequential has been implemented. In the meantime, there are more than 266 active armed groups within our borders. The ADF, a terrorist group killed around 300 people since the start of 2026. There are over 5 million internally displaced people, most of whom live in oppressively inhumane, abject conditions. Yet, charismatic preachers have nothing better to propose.
Charismatic preachers get rich by exploiting the misery of the masses.
Seeing and experiencing much of this first-hand, I’ve often been reminded of Europe prior to the Reformation; the parallels are striking. In the DRC, the gospel of grace has been corrupted to the point that it is not recognisable; in its place, a gospel of merit flourishes. Just as people paid indulgences to the Roman Catholic Church to secure pardon, today countless Congolese pay pastors to secure forgiveness and divine favour. And just as the Catholic priests took advantage of their people’s ignorance, charismatic preachers get rich by exploiting the misery of the masses.
We need to rediscover the biblical truth that says “the righteous shall live by faith” (Romans 1:17). Therein lies freedom. It’s also the doctrine that will bring order to the chaos we inhabit. Pray for the DRC. And when you can, consider church planting or doing missions here. My country desperately needs a reformation.
