Pastor of the Household of God Church, Lagos, Reverend Chris Okotie yesterday restated his earlier viewpoint that the Christian Association (CAN) cannot speak for Christians, especially as it concerns their well being in the COVID-19 era.

In a statement issued yesterday by his Media Adviser, Ladi Ayodeji, he said “CAN is an amorphous organisation sustained by a Christian appellation. It is bereft of any authority to speak on behalf of the Church of Jesus Christ. Arrayed in Episcopalian vestments, the leaders are the modern day Pharisees who arrogate divine honors to themselves.

“They have a form of godliness and yet hobnob Nicodemus (ly) with enemies of the Lord Jesus. The true ministers of the sanctuary must recognise CAN’s treachery and reprehensible Phariseeism. That which a man spits against heaven shall fall back upon his face. We shall not bow to the idol called Coronavirus. Jesus is Lord.”

Okotie also condemned CAN’S proposed recommendations of distancing in the seating arrangement in churches as “blasphemous infidelity” and desecration of the Church of Jesus Christ.

He explained that he was in total support of social distancing and other safety measures ordered by the Federal Government to contain the spread of the COVID 19 pandemic.

However, he rejected the extension of social distancing to Churches because it compelled the reordering of seating arrangements and the determination of the size of congregational worship per service for fear of spread of the virus, arguing that to accept such arrangement was to nullify the redemptive work of Jesus Christ, which involved healing.

President of CAN, Dr. Samson Ayokunle had released guidelines for the reopening of Churches, which he said, would be discussed with the Federal Government for approval, after consultation with leaders of the other religious bodies.

In the guidelines, Ayokunle said CAN recommended social distancing of one meter in seating arrangement in Churches, wearing of face masks by worshippers, 90-minute worship sessions, provision of sanitisers and hand washing with soap, among others.

But Okotie called the CAN President and made his position known, stressing that those guidelines in the Church of Jesus Christ were tantamount to blasphemous infidelity and an impeachment of the integrity of the word of God, adding, “Healing is fundamental to the redemptive work of Jesus.”