The immediate past President, Baptist Theological Seminary, Kaduna, Pastor Reuben Chuga,  has blamed tribalism for the incessant crises rocking the Church in Nigeria.
Chuga, who stated this at a public lecture at the weekend in Lafia, urged Christians, especially church leaders, to preach unity and work hard to rid the church of such divisive tendencies.
Chuga spoke on the theme: “Crisis in Contemporary Church: A Challenge  for Christians  in Nigeria”.
“As leaders, especially church leaders, never allow tribalism to affect the oneness of the body of Christ,” he said.
The Tide’s source reports that the lecture is part of activities to mark the public presentation of a book titled: “Pastors and Members in Crisis: The way out”, authored by Rev. Donald Arak, Senior Pastor, First Baptist Church, Lafia.
According to him, a major instigator of crisis in Christianity in Nigeria is tribalism.
“People always emphasise their tribe. They think first of their tribe. Leaders must change this. The Church must come first.
“We must begin that reorientation so as to drive home the fact that the Church of Christ is one and tribalism should not be allowed to tear us apart,” he warned.
Chuga asserted that once tribalism was kicked out of Christianity, the Christian brethren would easily begin  to actualise the teachings of Jesus Christ in their lives and in their relationship with those around them.
The cleric also warned against “expressive individualism” where some Christians were regulated by their own rules other than Biblical doctrines.
“These are societal trends that have sneaked into the church unnoticed. People want to follow rules they have made thereby rebelling against the teachings in the church and unconsciously instigating crisis in it.
“Again, many people see Christian morals as outdated and archaic. They begin to ask questions such as why should I dress like this or live like that”.