Bishop of Living Faith Church Worldwide alias Winners’ Chapel International, David Oyedepo, says people who do not give a tenth of their income to the church are under a financial curse.
Oyedepo, who Forbes claims is Nigeria’s wealthiest pastor, said this in a tweet on Thursday.
The cleric tweeted, “Tithing is an inescapable covenant obligation. Prosperity not just wealth is impossible without tithing because when you are not paying tithe, you’re under a financial curse.”
In a subsequent tweet on Friday, Oyedepo, said many problems men face could be traced to their financial dealings.
“The way you handle your financial dealings determines greatly what happens to you financially. Many things that afflict men are traceable to their monetary dealings. False financial dealings can open doors to inexplicable afflictions,” he said.
While Oyedepo’s message was well received by many of his followers, some critics on social media described his message as archaic and improper.
Popular Broadcaster, Ifedayo Olarinde aka Daddy Freeze, said on social media that Oyedepo’s message was wrong.
He wrote on Instagram, “Utter nonsense! Are you one percent as prosperous or as wealthy as Jeff Bezos, Bill Gates and Warren Buffet who don’t tithe? I personally find this unscriptural statement manipulative and cruel.
“Christ didn’t collect tithe neither did the disciples, yet no one was cursed! Tithing is the old law, obeying the old law partially, without obeying all the 613 laws of Moses is what carries a curse. That’s why to us Christians, it’s referred to as the law of sin and death!”
The critic, while quoting from Hebrews 7:5 said the law of Moses required that the priests, who are descendants of Levi, must collect a tithe from the rest of the people of Israel, who are also descendants of Abraham.