Continuous ridicule about the naivety of born again believers, just doesn’t seem to leave the lips of certain people. They ridicule all their norms, from praying long hours, to their extravagant giving, and everything else in between. However, these believers usually allow the mockers to revel in their mockery without explaining themselves. The result though is very telling. The born again fraternity in Uganda has increased from 11.1% of the Ugandan population in 2014, to 14.8% in 2024. It is the fastest growing faith but even then, its leaders dispute this figure because, the faith wasn’t rightly described in the way that faithfuls refer to themselves.
The correct reference easily identifiable to followers is, ‘born again’ or ‘balokole’. According to the leaders, the correct figure is about 22.5% since Churches have increased from 25,000 ten years ago, to the current 50,000.
This article is not for the critics. It is for those that are genuinely seeking to have an appreciative peak into the seemingly confounding practices of Christ’s followers. In this case, the reference point is Dr. Jim Spire Ssentongo’s diatribes on X recently.
The respected Uganda academician, seems to think that believers, out of desperation, poverty and frustration, end up searching for miracles to answer challenges caused by the breakdown in a country’s service delivery. He mockingly refers to Churches as ‘profitable ventures of modern conmanship’ while adding that the state doesn’t intervene because it is relieved thath masses, instead, blame every problem on demons. Apparently, there is global evidence that societies do not solve their problems by calling on God to intervene. He says many other condescending things, and winds up by indicating that this mass desperation is big business. While Dr. Spire bundles traditionalists and Christ’s followers together, I will speak for the latter.
As it is right now, the Church has two sets of followers. One end has the religious who follow dos and donts to qualify as believers in Jesus Christ. They get baptized, say their prayers as regularly as they can, and follow the instructions of the bible, as expressions of their faith. However, at the extreme end of the continuum, the Church has the spirituals.
This group is spirit-filled, co-exists with the former, but does not necessarily follow the usual religious script. For the critics on the outside, the second group is usually the most concerning because their actions are sometimes, neither logical nor scripted. Their practices do not make sense, both to the likes of Dr. Spire, and to the religious minds. They believe in divine solutions to all challenges in life, and with good reason.
Ideally, a follower of Jesus Christ should first be born again, or born into a new realm called the spirit realm. Unfortunately, many followers do not have an experience of this rebirth.
Their spiritual sensibilities are just as dead as for a non-believer. It is like giving birth to a child who remains a day one old baby. Many non-believers cannot even begin to comprehend this. However, the very same way that a child is born and everything is new for this child, is the very same way a spiritual rebirth in Christ happens. Suddenly, just by professing Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour, a person finds themselves in a new world that is physically invisible while very real to their spiritual senses. From then on, spiritual growth is experienced to various depths, depending on how much effort an individual is willing to put in.
Now, to the non-believer who has never professed Jesus Christ, this explanation is perplexing. It is akin to a baby still in the womb trying to understand the world that a baby or human being, on the outside, is experiencing. The unborn child feeds through a fallopian tube and their world is full of amniotic fluid with limited movement. The one on the outside is seeing the sky, the clouds, cars, and everything else on the outside.
Obviously, the one on the inside will be absolutely right in countering all the experiences of the born child but does this invalidate the former’s experiences? How do you explain a car and an airplane to someone that has never seen one? The unborn child should be willing to let go of their superiority complex, and limited womb experience. In the least, they should be willing to listen without judgement because they do not have an experience of the outside. This example is a depiction of the likes of Dr. Spire who, while in utero, have refused to be born [salvation], yet they continue to deride the reality of those on the outside world. One of the most famous quotes of a man who has deeply cultivated the spiritual realm that I greatly admire, Prophet Elvis Mbonye, says, “A man with an experience is not at the mercy of a man with an argument.” It is for this reason mostly, that those that have been born of the spirit quietly treasure and enjoy their world, while their confused critics go about mocking them loudly, as if they care.
Dr. Spire, while highly learned, is like that an unborn child who hits all growth milestones perfectly, yet ignorantly uses his womb experiences to fiercely debate and ridicule the experiences of those on the outside. For the people on the outside, life may sometimes get very complicated in comparison to that of a fetus. The majority of human beings however, can never wish to go back into their mothers’ womb. They do not even remember the life while they were in the womb.
Next time, I will answer to the effect that we are not being conned, we are not discounting government’s poor service delivery and neither are we a desperate, ignorant and gullible mass. Again, the article will be for the open-minded. Understanding the spirit realm, whether the world of light or darkness requires humility and reverence. By virtue of their contemptuous arrogant attitude, mockers are blinded to its existence and cannot comprehend it however much they may try.
Agnes Namaganda
Politician
aggiemire@yahoo.com
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