True religion and nation building: a biblical perspective

Abstract

From Egypt to Morocco, Libya to Tunisia, Iraq to Afghanistan, and from Bosnia to Biafra, mankind has watched nations struggle, and has sought to rebuild them. There have been records of revolutions religiously and politically. Some have taken to arms, often branded rebels and at times terrorists. Mankind's record is one of failure. Nigeria is not shielded from this malady. She is a nation of two contraries: classed as a nation with happiest people and yet one of the most corrupt in the world. Efforts have been made and are still being made to rebuild decadent Nigeria. Politically, the civil war of 1967-1970, military coups, and formation of political parties are all efforts to set our nation on the right track. Economically, several borrowing from the World Bank, International Monetary Fund, the different economic policies like Austerity measure of the Shagari era, Structural Adjustment Program of Ibrahim Badamosi Babaginda and the most recent privatization policies are all stakes to wake the sleeping giant. Religiously, the story is not different. Today, Nigeria seems to record the greatest number of sects and religions than her neighbours. Because of the crushing hardship bedeviling our nation, some seem to look up to God for solution. Some have created imaginary God and are living in utopian world. Most so called Men of God seize the opportunity to loot the already wounded flock through prosperity preaching and false promises in the name of prophecies. It is the position of the researcher that authentic guidelines for quality control and nation building are in the pages of the Bible.