Profiting from the Gospel

Every year churches worldwide rake in billions of dollars and in countries like Namibia televangelists have become household names. In the Land of the Brave churches spring up over night, with leaders claiming to be the final prophet or messenger from God or they simply promise you blessings and riches if you plant a ‘seed’ by handing over your money. Pastors ride flashy cars and live in that house on the hill, while their flock scrape around, eking out a living. There has also been increasing debate about the money-making ‘business’ churches have become and with this, the spotlight has fallen increasingly on their non-taxable status. Currently churches are registered as non-profit entities under Namibian law, but businesswoman and social commentator Hilda Basson-Namundjebo said that even Jesus advocated paying tax to the State. She said there are indications that churches are indeed profitable and if you are profitable you should be expected to pay a portion of your revenue to the tax man. Basson-Namundjebo said the situation on the ground is that most churches don’t even have community programmes like soup kitchens. “It has been biblically documented that Jesus paid tax. The term ‘Give unto Caesar what is due to Caesar and give on to God what is due to God’ is a term derived from there,” she said. The owner of Oxygen Communications said that these days there is no accountability and that is why churches have simply become business entities. Asked what her opinion is about the public perception that some churches are taking advantage of people in the way they are soliciting funds, Basson-Namundjebo said that people are indeed misled by so many of these so called “prophets”. “People aren’t reading their Bible anymore. They go from one meeting to another and from one church to another and the church will tell them what God says, as opposed to people seeking God themselves. It’s almost like these prophets have replaced witchdoctors. People go seeking wealth by terming it blessings and believe these prophets can change their fortunes,” she said. Basson-Namundjebo also spoke out against the number of new “prophets” in Windhoek and questioned why it seems that any pastor or prophet these days can get a work permit in Namibia. “As a committed Christian I have I have no problem with an individual who feels called and wants to advance the Gospel. Still, it’s time the Namibia Qualifications Authority (NQA) looks into the qualifications of these pastors and prophets, as work permits should naturally be granted when it’s been established that such expertise isn’t in Namibia.” She said that often you find preachers with no training in Theology plying their trade in Namibia. “Anyone can call themselves a pastor or prophet and that’s why there is such havoc with churches these days,” she said. Basson-Namundjebo said she feels work permits should only be granted to pastors with qualifications from reputable institutions. The Council of Churches in Namibia (CCN) this week defended churches being exempted from paying tax, despite growing concerns that churches have indeed become profitable organisations. Under current laws, churches are considered faith-based organisations and are exempted from paying tax due to their non-profit status. CCN President, Bishop Azariah Kamburona, refused to comment about allegations that some churches were abusing their non-taxable status. Instead, Kamburona said that each church has its own doctrine. “How can a church solicit funds from its members?” he questioned. Asked about calls for church income to be taxed, Kamburona said that churches are NGOs and make no profit and therefore should not pay tax. WINDHOEK GORDON JOSEPH