Filling Of The Spiritual Vacuum

Hab 2:14 The earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of God as the waters cover the sea

As cliché as it might sound, the saying that nature abhors vacuum is very true in its entirety. Be it school, home, church, club, or any other community of human existence, this saying holds sway. Even in our individual lives, vacuum is abhorred. Whether we like it or not; one can even choose to ignore this fact, but to one’s detriment. Islam by reason of its mode of operation has thoroughly capitalized on this. The religion by way of its dynamism has integrated itself into all aspects of human existence. For Muslims, the religion has become a way of life. There is no vacuum in the life of a Muslim because Islam has filled it up.

The Nigerian case portrays this fact. The problem with Christianity is that we Christians have not accepted it as a way of life. We are yet to understand the Kingdom Culture. The Kingdom Culture goes beyond religion. This is where the Christian sees and understands that it is a way of life. Until we do so, Muslims will continue to “persecute” us. The spiritual vacuum in the life of an average Christian has made it such that he cannot stand the least challenge to his faith. He will tend to give in at the least test to his faith.

To fill up our spiritual vacuum and be able to imbibe the Kingdom Culture, we must engage the following:

DISCIPLESHIP: we must go beyond the level of normal Christian living. Every Christian must of a matter of necessity and urgency seek to be a disciple. The issue of discipleship in the life of a Christian can never be over emphasized. A disciple is one that has counted all things as nothing compared to the life of Jesus. A disciple is someone who sees everything in life the Jesus sees them. His life is under the control of Jesus and his discipler.
SELFLESSNESS: we must also understand that we are owned. Everything the Christian has belongs to God. Everything the Christian has must be used to render services to the Kingdom of God. You must begin to live beyond yourself. As much as is within your capacity seek to help others and alleviate the plight of the less privileged.
STEWARDSHIP: as a Christian you must strive to give account of everything you have. All that a Christian has is God’s and must be used to serve God. You must give back everything you for the expansion of the Kingdom of God.
CULTURAL INFLUENCE:here is another important aspect of the Kingdom Culture every Christian must imbibe. Honestly, this is where Islam has got it right while Christianity has succeeded. As a Christian, you must carry the kingdom culture into every sphere of influence. You don’t practice the Christian faith in the church alone. You must take it to the society where it is needed more. Take the Christian values into your school and work place as the case may be.
TERRITORIAL EXPANSION: you must understand and hold fast to the fact that the kingdom culture is the best societal system that can operate in this world. It is the catalyst for national transformation.Therefore, you must seek to make sure everyone you meet buys into this culture. This is the Great Commission. It is a fundamental responsibility of the Christian.

The Heart Of Stone Or Christ?

After a long manhunt, the Police finally arrested the serial murderer that specialized in painfully and slowly killing children. His choice of victims seemed to be children between the ages of 2—5 years old. His method of killing them was the same. He would go to a park, find a child playing alone and lure the unsuspecting child away.

Then, he would use chloroform to make the child unconscious and dunk the child inside a sack and disappear with his victim. After getting to his hideout, he would begin a deliberate torturing of the innocent child with blade and knives. The child would bleed to death while he watched without any emotion. By the time he was finally arrested, he had killed five innocent children, two boys and three girls. Rational human beings could not believe that such a monster could be alive. To add insult upon injury, he later claimed that he did it because he was mentally deranged. How would you describe this man? A monster? An animal? A beast? A lunatic? Whichever adjective you employ, you have just described an abortionist. As a matter of fact, the lady committing abortion is worse that this man. While this man is killing the children of other people, the abortionist is killing her own child. Abortion is not merely “evacuating” a fetus from the womb, it is actually murdering a human being. According to the National Right to Life, a pregnancy normally covers forty weeks, beginning at fertilization, when the sperm and the ovum meet to form a single cell. All the characteristics of each person—sex, eye colour, shoe size, intelligence, etc. – are determined at fertilization by the baby’s genetic code in the 46 human chromosomes. Every person begins as a separate single cell; nothing new is added except oxygen and nutrition. If the process is not interrupted, a human being will live approximately nine months in the mother’s uterus and decades outside of it. At Three Weeks: The baby’s heart begins to beat and pump blood. At Six Weeks: The baby has brain waves that can be measured with an electroencephalograph. (The end of human life can be defined as the cessation of brain waves, but many ignore the scientific evidence of brain waves in unborn babies). At Seven Weeks: The baby is swimming in the amniotic sac with a natural swimmer’s stroke and is already kicking. At Eight weeks: The baby begins swallowing. At Nine Weeks: Parents can watch their baby moving around inside the uterus on an ultrasound scanner. At Ten to Eleven Weeks: The baby can breathe amniotic fluid and urine, is sensitive to touch, and can seize an object placed in his or her hand. At Eleven Weeks: All the baby’s organ systems are functioning. Although still so small that the baby could stand on an adult’s little fingertip, his or her little feet are perfectly shaped. The baby has a skeletal structure, nerves, and circulation, as well as eyelids, nails, and fingerprints. At Fourteen Weeks: The baby’s heart pumps several quarts of blood enough through his or her body every day. At Eighteen Weeks: The child is perfectly formed. At Nineteen Weeks: The baby can conceivably survive outside the womb. Kenya King was born in Florida on June 16, 1985, at nineteen weeks, or just little more than 4 ½ months after her life began. She weighed eighteen ounces. With each abortion that is carried out, a human being is murdered. The person that commits abortion is a cold-blooded murderer that will rather murder an innocent baby rather than have her life of fun interrupted by pregnancy. Or maybe, would rather commit murder than face the consequence of her life of immorality. Either way, the abortionist is a cold blooded murderer that kills her own child. If you are guilty of the sin of abortion, now is the time to repent and ask God for forgiveness. There is no difference between the abortionist and the armed robber that kills to steal. Both of them are murderers. Pray right now and ask Jesus Christ to forgive you and cleanse you from the unrighteousness of shedding innocent blood. To avoid the sin of abortion, STOP sexual immorality. God ordained sex for marriage. Be patient until you get married. Prostitution is not an alternative profession. There are other jobs that could be done to generate income.

Source: houseofkaris.net

CAN Objects To New Education Curriculum In Nigeria

This is the report by CHRISTIAN ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA (CAN ) delegates and NIGERIA CHRISTIAN GRADUATE FELLOWSHIP (NCGF) REPRESENTATIVES to the NATIONAL EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL (NERDC)

The NERDC team was led by the Executive Secretary, Professor Ismail Junaidu in the company of five Directors of the Council including the Director of Book Publishing and Curriculum Development.
The paper presented was by Prof. Charles Adisa and Prof. Funmi Adesanya-Davies. The Delegation was led by Dr. Sam Itina, National President of the NCGF and other members of the delegation were:

(NCGF)

1. Prof . A Adisa (NCGF)
2. Dr. Mrs Ejiro Iwuoha (NCGF)
3. Pst. Onyenachi Nwaegeruo(NCGF)
4. Dr. Josiah Kantiyok (NCGF)

(CAN)

1. Bishop Jude Arogundade (Catholic Church) (CAN) – (ABSENT)

2. Prof. Bishop Funmi Adesanya-Davies (Protestant Church) (CAN)

3. Dr. Mrs. Ofoegbu(Catholic Church) (CAN)
4. Rev. Fr. Patrick Balogun (Catholic Church) (CAN)

TEAM KEY POINTS PRESENTED AT NERDC WERE:
Following a brief introduction of the NCGF and CAN, obvious lapses in the new curriculum which included the list below were presented:

1. Inciting/Derogatory statements which attack the foundation of Christianity. For example, that Jesus was not the Son of God, Jesus was not crucified and did not resurrect and the supremacy of Quran over the Holy Bible, supremacy of Muhammad over Jesus Christ, etc.
2. Textbooks in print that combine Islamic Religious Knowledge and Christian Religious knowledge in a single textbook thus exposing children to other religion which negates the principles of our constitution.
3. Absence of approved list of textbooks as an appendix in the curriculum/ NERDC website
4. Watered down content of the various subjects, as a result, creating an omnibus textbook.
5. Making religious studies compulsory without the adequate provision of Teachers in those subjects. The implications are that a Christian student in the core north will be forced to take IRK and ditto a Muslim student in the South. In addition, a student that refuses to take the subject as a result of conflict with his/her religion is short changed of marks for that compulsory subject and may have his educational career truncated.
6. Absence of subjects like History, Geography and Economics in the new curriculum.

FACTS AND FINDINGS AT NERDC

1. That the five (5) subjects: Religious Studies (CRS/IRS), Civic Education, Social Studies and Security are combined under one umbrella in the Curriculum is sacrosanct.

2. NERDC asserts that CAN was part and parcel of the stakeholders invited to air her views and input on the development of the New Curriculum. However the NGGF has never been invited and represented and are welcome from now on.

3. It was acknowledged that the Curriculum on Religion and National Values needs to be reviewed as the Christians and Muslims are of the same viewpoints that the New Curriculum is unacceptable.

4. Curriculum for Religion and National Value is assuredly for the three Basics (Lower, Middle and Upper) of the BEC 9-year Program.

i.e 1-3, 4-6, and 7-9. (Thus, there are 3 curriculum booklets)

5. That the design was that Text books for CRS and IRS are to be separated by Publishers as different Text books but they are written together in the same Curriculum Booklet with Civic Education, Social Studies and Security.

6. That the status of the Subject Religious Studies is Compulsory is sacrosanct and a pupil must offer either but not both.
7. That NO Publisher’s Textbook has been approved by NERDC yet. So ALL BOOKS in the market for now are FAKE and fictitious and should be checkmated immediately.
8. That CAN could bring professionals to Review the Content of the said present Curriculum under assessment – (I volunteered to do the review

with Prof. Charles Adisa and it was approved.)

9. That CAN could participate fully in the production and review of yet to

be accepted /approved Textbooks – I also volunteered.

10. That they will endeavour to list out the finally approved books right

in the Curriculum and we can make recommendations.

11. The Executive Secretary approved the team as partners in progress from hence.
12. All participants we well pleased at the end of the discussions.

RESPONSE OF THE EXECUTIVE SECRETARY
• NERDC will be willing to collaborate with groups like the NCGF (based on their educational endowments) • Two different teachers manual for IRS and CRS were made to reflect the separation of the two subjects.
• Religious study is compulsory so as to provide a moral framework for adherence to the teachings of civic education, social studies and security education.
• He disowned the publishers and the books currently in the market but WAS UNABLE TO GIVE US THE NAME OF ANY APPROVED TEXTBOOK MEANT FOR THE SUBJECT- AFTER 8 YEARS OF PUBLICATION OF THIS NEW CURRICULUM.
• He accepted the recommendation of listing the approved books in the appendix of the curriculum as well as on their website
• NERDC will not be able to exercise oversight function on what the schools are using, rather schools should verify from NERDC, the books that have been approved
• NERDC is in the process of achieving a regulatory statue like NAFDAC to enable them prosecute publishers that are in deviance of the standard and principles of the curriculum
• Accepted the need for further public hearing, sensitization and review of the new curriculum.
• He insisted that it is the responsibility of government at various levels to provide Teachers for the subjects, and where this is not observed, parents should sue the government and demand for the requisite teachers. • He explained that they have re-introduced History.

OBSERVATIONS

• Publishers should be supervised so that the textbooks in print are a reflection of the principles and standard of the curriculum.
• List of recommended textbooks should be incorporated as an appendix in the curriculum. In addition, these lists should be freely available on the NERDC website.
• Curriculum developers should ensure that the content conforms with the curriculum and our constitutional provision.

• Curriculum developers should be conscious of the religious and cultural sensibility of Nigerians. •Re-introduction of History, geography, economics and accounting back into the curriculum.

RECOMMENDATIONS
Now that all the cards are on the table, as a minister and a professional who had lectured and still lectures in a University of Education in the past thirty years, I wish to recommendation as follows:
1. ChristianRK Curriculum and IslamicRS should stand alone, as individual subjects on subject listing as it was before.

2. Civic Education, Social Studies and Security should be combined under one umbrella in the Curriculum as a subject i.e. (Nigerian National Value).

3. ChristianRK Curriculum and IslamiRS should be made compulsory, only for the religion adherent.

4. NERDC should produce separate curriculum booklets of IRS and CRS as it was before, statuesque ante, as it is done with the Teachers manual.

5.Christian RK Curriculum must be reviewed immediately with inputs from our old CRK Curriculum in the 3 BEC of the 9-years.

6. Islamic RK should be reviewed by editing off all grievously offensive phrases/frivolous expressions about Christianity in the 3 Basics Education Curriculum because the material is in the public domain and we Christians said nothing about Islam which existed 600 AD after the death of Christ in our curriculum.

7. Correction to the Curriculum and the Implementation of the Text Books must conform with the Constitution, National Policy on Education, as well as the Cultural, Social and Religious Values of the Republic

8. All publishers of the FAKE Books should be written for discussions, that the dissemination of the Books must stop immediately. The Church should seek court injunction immediately to enforce this.

9. We need to work with such and some other publishers to peacefully resolve the issue if they so desire and to ensure that their reviewed books on CRS would be acceptable to us.

10. NERDC should be advised to always produce separate textbooks for ChristianRK Curriculum and IslamicRS and supervise their publishers to ensure the books are produced separately

12. CAN and NCGF should urgently set up a committee to review the content of the present CRS to reflect the true teachings of Christianity as the current curriculum is inferior to the previous curriculum.

13. It is necessary to adequately mobilize and sensitize the churches to pray about the challenges posed by this curriculum to our faith.

14. If the recommendations are not acceptable and implemented by NERDC, CAN and NCGF should consider other actions and litigation.

OPTIONAL:
1. We recommend separation of the two (2) Curriculum in same booklet for the three (3) Primary Basics: If they refuse the separation in the Curriculum as in the text; just like Christian children, Muslim children would also have access to the Christian curriculum and this could be evangelical as light is not afraid of darkness.

2. CRS/IRS OPTIONAL/ COMPULSORY: Making CRS/IRS a Compulsory Subject is advantageous, but it must be separately compulsory as the religion of the pupil, parent or guardian that is Christians must offer CRK and Muslims IRS. We should remember it was also compulsory in the Old Curriculum.

On behalf of the team, I hereby express our gratitude to CAN for affording us this rare opportunity to serve in our Lord’s Vineyard.

Our God reigns! Jesus is Lord!! Praise the Lord!!! Amen.
Amb. (Bishop Prof.) Mercy Funmi Adesanya-Davies