The Member of Parliament (MP) for Akim Oda Constituency, Mr Alexander Kwesi Acquah, is pleading with the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II and his subjects to allow peace to prevail in dealing with Founder and Leader of the Lighthouse Chapel International, Bishop Dag Heward-Mills over ‘offensive’ preaching.
Bishop Dag Heward-Mills, apologised to the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, after a sermon he preached in which he criticised the Asantehene went viral and offended his subjects.
In the said audio, the renowned global evangelist preached a sermon about kingship, during which he used the Asantehene as an example, and questioned his impact and legacy beyond the yearly celebrations of his reign.
The audio offended the King’s subjects with many pouring out their anger via social media, with some threatening to attack Lighthouse Chapel branches in Kumasi, the seat of the Asantehene.
In a statement on Saturday, June 19, 2021, Bishop Dag Heward-Mills explained that the message was preached nearly 20 years ago but had been taken out of context and maliciously circulated.
Bishop Dag Heward-Mills alleged that the message was maliciously reshared by certain individuals who had previously threatened to close down branches of his church in Kumasi.
Despite the apology, some interest groups associated with the Asante Kingdom held a press conference, threatening the Pastor to shut down all branches of Lighthouse Chapel International in the Ashanti Region within 48 hours or face their wrath.
Some of the Subjects of the Asantehene have also expressed displeasure over the Pastor’s message, calling on him to go to the Manhyia Palace and kneel before the Asantehene for forgiveness.
But speaking on Atinka TV’s morning show, Ghana Nie, with Abena Dufie Asare Adjepong, Mr Alexander Kwesi Acquah called for calm on both sides.”
He recounted how peaceful the Asantehene dealt with him as a producer of a show and his panelist when they were invited by the Asantehene to the Manhyia Palace over comments his panelist made about Otumfuo which were untrue.
“Otumfuo is a very good person and he carries the spirit of the Ashanti Kingdom. Yes, you can talk about him, but let us be mindful of what we say about him,” he said.
He urged the subjects of the Asantehene to speak to the youth groups to exercise patience and calm down, and as well advised believers to speak with their Leaders to be circumspect in whatever they say or preach about others.
“We don’t want things to go the way they are going, because we have peace in Ghana. We have even been ranked the second most peaceful country in Africa, we should not allow this to dent our image,” he added.
Ghana| Atinkaonline.com| Porcia Oforiwaa Ofori
Writer’s email: [email protected]
