Addressing Moral Decay and Its Impact on Development in Africa: A Call to Action for the Church and Society
I’m glad to be here and would like to share my perspective on ministry.
I practice what I call “Developmental Christianity.” The primary purpose of Christ on Earth can be identified from one of the prayers He taught His disciples: “Thy kingdom come on Earth as it is in Heaven.” This signifies the establishment of the reign, supremacy, dominion, and domain of God on Earth.
Proverbs 29:19 states, “Where there is no vision, the people cast off restraint.” Similarly, Leviticus 10:10 tells us to “distinguish between what is holy and what is unholy, between what is common and what is uncommon.” In Leviticus, the children of Aaron brought strange fires—perhaps from their mother’s kitchen—to light the temple candles. However, the fire in the temple was meant to be lit by the fire of God from Heaven. This represents the intrusion of society into the purity of God.
As an African, I want to address the topics of decadence, education, and national development. Christianity must lead to development in Africa. Holiness and righteousness should contribute to this development.
One of my children is currently in China. When she saw the development there compared to the underdevelopment in her homeland, she questioned how much our faith has truly helped to develop us.
I’ve travelled across Africa—from Kenya to Kampala and Ethiopia—and what I see is widespread underdevelopment. We must ask how we can bring about development and righteousness, and how decadence contributes to underdevelopment. Sigmund Freud once said that the character of an adult is formed to a 75% degree within the first five years of life. When I began my ministry, my first inspiration was to raise a new generation of Nigerians by teaching them the principles of God from nursery school. By the time they leave at 16, they should be well-formed adults who can contribute to society.
Even in the Western world, you see children disrespecting teachers. In America or the UK, if you correct a student, you might be sacked. The greatest downfall of these societies may be that they raise children who don’t respect others or uphold values.
Decadence is a moral or cultural decline, associated with overindulgence, excessive behavior, decay in dignity, standards, morals, honor, and discipline. As I observe social media across Africa—from South Africa to Kenya to Ghana—I see moral decay among our young people. There’s a dance called “One Corner” from Ghana. In the past, stadiums were filled during crusades, but now they are filled with musicians like Burna Boy. The interest of our youth has shifted to excessive entertainment, nudity, pornography, homosexuality, and drunkenness.
The school my son attended has now been converted into a bar and lounge. The local government I speak from is the highest beer-consuming local government in Nigeria. As churches proliferate, so do beer parlors. We must take responsibility. I go to schools under the “Save Our Souls” (SOS) initiative to address these issues. In one program, a JSS3 student asked, “Sir, if I want to go to school but my mother wants me to be a prostitute, what should I do?” This 14-year-old girl’s question reflects the depth of our societal decay.
In our schools, we face cultism, immorality, and drug abuse. Children smoke Colorado and take Tramadol; cannabis use is rampant. Across Africa, in the streets of Nairobi and beyond, you see children sniffing glue. The church has focused on building cathedrals and holding multiple services, forgetting the importance of education. The missionaries understood that education would create minds with values, will, and understanding. Tragically, most schools built by pastors are too expensive for poor members to afford. Sunday School was not originally a church program; it was established to bring children from the streets to learn.
Development is an improvement in the quality of life of people in all areas—political, economic, social, cultural, scientific, and material.
In Nepal, development is not measured by GDP but by the happiness index. Recently, a child selling fruit at a stadium refused a 10,000 Naira payment because he knew his mother would not believe he earned that much honestly. This shows the importance of integrity, which begins with education.
Education is both formal and informal. Today, parents hardly spend time training their children.
I’ve been married for 39 years and have never kissed another woman because of the values my father instilled in me as a child. Yet today, corrupt politicians are celebrated in our churches.
They rig elections, and then come to church for Thanksgiving, building cathedrals with their ill-gotten wealth. The children are watching this, and it teaches them the wrong values.
If we focus on educating our children with values, we will not need to punish them as adults. Some countries have prisons filled mostly with foreigners because they have successfully raised law-abiding citizens. A philosopher once said, “Destroying any nation does not require the use of atomic bombs or long-range missiles. It only requires lowering the quality of education and allowing cheating in examinations.”
In Africa, the church has become preoccupied with structures, statistics, and money. We build the biggest churches, yet we are among the most corrupt people. We produce mass Christians, but without quality or substance. If we spend more time instilling values in our children, we will raise great leaders—not only for the kingdom of God but for our nations.
I’m Dr. Charles Apoki, and I urge you to consider these truths as we work towards a better future. God bless you.
