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Miracle Crusades Offer Hope To The Hopeless

By Katy Salmon, IPS, 6 June 2000

NAIROBI June 6 (IPS) - "You have come here in your wheelchairs. You have come with your Aids. You have come with your cancer. You have come with your blindness. You have come to the feet of the preacher. You have come to the feet of Jesus. Jesus is here," thunders the blonde American evangelist, Reverend Peter Youngren, shaking his fist.

And they came in their hundreds of thousands, many shuffling along on walking sticks and crutches. Beneath the hot African sun, a mother struggles to get her young wheelchair-bound son to drink some orange squash.

Ahead on the stage, a banner proclaims: 'Jesus is the answer, only believe.'

Wiping the sweat from his brow, Youngren continues: "We are going to pray a mighty miracle prayer. We will heal every part of this town. How many in this place would say: 'I need God?' Lift up your hands now."

The crowd surges towards the podium. Thousands of hands stretch upwards. Tears roll down anguished faces. Within minutes, a dozen women at the front collapse, some unconscious, others wailing hysterically.

Preaching is a thriving business in Kenya today. International evangelists visit Nairobi almost every month, attracting million-strong crowds and collecting vast amounts of money.

"If you have a prayer request, put it inside the envelope with your offering. Give a great offering of thanksgiving to Jesus himself," Youngren tells his audience.

Smartly dressed men, in suits and dark glasses, direct the distribution of dozens of boxes full of envelopes.

"Make sure everyone is blessed by giving his offering," Youngren instructs the hundred-odd ushers weaving their way through the crowd, holding out large sacks.

"We counted the money for two days... I have never seen so much money in my life," says Charles Babbler, who hosted the Benny Hinn miracle crusade in April, attended by an estimated 1.2 million faithful.

Kenyans are desperate. There is little hope on the horizon as unemployment and crime continue to rise. People are struggling to survive in the midst of a biting recession.

Conditions are worsening by the day as the prolonged drought sweeping the Horn of Africa takes its toll. Last month's introduction of the most severe power rationing the country has ever experienced has increased the gloom. Thousands more jobs will go.

Some, like Francis Irungu of Rhema missionary outreach in Nakuru, explain the country's ills - the tribal clashes of 1997, numerous train accidents, the August 1998 Nairobi bomb blast, disease epidemics, HIV/ Aids, road carnage and economic difficulties - as judgments God has released upon Kenyans.

"This is God's bone of contention with you, Oh Kenya," he preaches. "You have failed to feed the hungry. You have not shown kindness to your neighbours. Therefore I have broken loose with my anger upon you Oh Kenya. My rod of chastisement is upon you and none will deliver you except your return to me. Return to our missionary call."

In a country where half the population live below the poverty line and cannot afford basic health care, repentance - which costs nothing - is their only hope. "Blind see. Lame walk. Deaf hear" Youngren promised in 40,000 adverts plastered around the capital city of Nairobi.

"Everyone here is a desperado," says James Gathanga who came with his tenant, Mr Jenga, who was left in a wheelchair after an accident in 1998. "After Benny Hinn came, (Jenga) said: 'Next time there is a white preacher, take me,'" says Gathanga.

"People have the mentality that when the preacher is a white guy, there will be an impact. What outsiders come and do is quite impeccable. You just feel it. They've done more research. These guys are more inspired. If you spend time with preachers who are white, you gather more than with a black person."

"When a mzungu [foreigner] comes, he doesn't need your money. He doesn't ask for his airfare. He's from a first world country. In those countries, everyone has money. Here there's no money and there's no work, except mugging."

Jenga was 'cured' at the crusade and, with Gathangas support, he walked up onto the stage, pushing his wheelchair. He had a lot of faith for weeks that he would go home fully healed or with a change," says Gathanga.

Many religious leaders are wary of questioning these crusades.

"When it comes to miracles some things are beyond our understanding. To explain how miracles happen is a mystery," says Father Emmanuel Ngugi of the Holy Family Basilica.

"We are all preachers and he has given us different gifts. Some are gifted in praying for people and they get healed."

Nonetheless, he admits: "Our people need hope. For those of little understanding it is very easy to be used and mishandled."

Professor Ndung'u, head of Nairobi University's religious studies department also emphasises the positive impact of miracle crusades.

"Healing is not just physical. It could be mental or spiritual. If he touched anyone's heart in a way that changed their lives, then that too was a miracle."

Other people are more sceptical. "Most of these preachers are crooks. If [the miracles were real] there is no need for us Kenyans to go to hospital. They are there for the financial gain," says Dominic Ruheri, a taxi driver.

Some preachers pressurise their followers to give large sums of money.

For example, Korean-born Reverend David Cho, who has visited Kenya several times, told his congregation: "Today is the end of the month and I know that you have all been paid. I expect at least KSh1,500 from each one of you."

Ruheri attributes the miracles to the strength of people's own convictions. "In your prayers you have a time when you are possessed by a spirit and you can do anything. There is a kind of fanatical belief. If someone completely believes, he can easily be conned."

Ruheri is frustrated that more and more people are turning to religion to solve their problems. "It would be better for them all to march to State House," he argues. "Our problems come from those goddamn politicians."