By - Dr Asangba Tzudir
They say, the truth sets one free but in today’s world, especially in the face of carefully constructed lies, truth often becomes a dangerous thing. Whenever a community, particularly a faith based community faces the exposure of wrongdoing, the truth no longer feels liberating but threatening, and especially when the murmurs relates to financial misappropriation within the Church, an institution that is meant to be the very embodiment of moral integrity, transparency, and service.
For many believers, the Church is not just a place to congregate and worship but a sacred place where one wholeheartedly places trust. When money offered in faith and sacrifice is misused, the betrayal cuts deep not only financially but morally and spiritually. The real tragedy, however, is not merely the act of misappropriation itself, but the Church’s response to it.
In situations like this, truth becomes inconvenient and dangerous. While it disturbs peace, it questions authority, and threatens reputations built over decades. Hence, any attempt to suppress truth, if at all, will be not only painful but ironical for an institution that preaches honesty and repentance wherein the Church becomes a 'secret fortress' when its own conscience is tested. So, how should the Church respond? Will it seek the truth?
History offers us numerous lessons. Whenever institution, religious or otherwise, have chosen lies or half-truths over honesty, the eventual exposure has been far more devastating. Cover-ups rot the moral core and this is where the Church especially cannot shy away from accountability and transparency. A faith built on concealment is no faith at all, but a hypocrisy clothed in holiness.
Transparency, though painfully revealing, is the only path to redemption. When misappropriation occurs, the first response should not be defence but fully confess. To err is human, and to confess divine. The act of repentance which is central to the Christian faith, is not meant only for the individual sinner but for the entire community of believers. It calls for courage to acknowledge one's wrong even if one's position is at stake. Reflecting on the story of Jonah in the Bible, Jonah himself told the sailors to throw him into the sea to calm the storm. Jonah was thrown into the sea and immediately the sea grew calm. But God saved Jonah by sending a big fish which swallowed him. It was inside the fish the Jonah prayed a prayer of repentance.
The congregation deserve to know how their offerings are used, how policies and decisions are made, and the Church’s finances. A Church that practices financial transparency strengthens its moral credibility.
In the end, truth will always emerge, no matter how deeply concealed or buried. The question is whether it will come out by way of confession or as an exposure. Ultimately, what is really important is the need for the Church to undergo a process of healing, and thereby reclaim integrity, and restore faith and trust and remain a scared place of God’s grace.
(DrAsangbaTzudir writes a weekly guest editorial for The Morung Express. Comments can be emailed to asangtz@gmail.com
