WorldStage Newsonline– Ambassador (Rev) Ladi Peter Thompson, Deputy Secretary-General and Director for Peace and Security for the African Union’s Sixth Region, says the divine counsel that urges Christians to become all things to all men that they may win them for Christ must have been the wisdom that guided guided Pastor Enoch Adeboye of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) in a public address that sparked controversy across both Christian and traditional Yoruba communities in Southwest Nigeria a while back.
Reflecting on the recent Ifa adherents’s respectful accusation of Pastor Adeboye of plagiarism that his “Ejigbo coronation” narrative was drawn directly from the Ifa Corpus without proper attribution, Thompson outlined four critical points in support of Adeboye’s address as an act done to ensure the gospel of the kingdom is properly understood.
According to Rev. Thompson, Divine counsel urges us to “become all things to all men” that we may win them for Christ.
This wisdom, he stated, appeared to have guided Pastor Adeboye in a public address that sparked controversy across both Christian and traditional Yoruba communities in Southwest Nigeria a while back.
Narrating the controversy the RCCG’s General Overseer generated he said: “Some Ifa adherents respectfully accused Pastor Adeboye of plagiarism, claiming that his “Ejigbo coronation” narrative was drawn directly from the Ifa Corpus without proper attribution.
“Speaking from the platform of the ‘Oracles of God,’ I offer four critical clarifications to ensure the gospel of the kingdom is properly understood.”
The first, he stated, is that a spiritual exposition is not an academic exercise requiring detailed citations and footnotes.
“God’s spiritual law of life demands only truth, clarity, and integrity and no room for falsehood, vagueness, or misrepresentation. Consider Apostle Paul’s approach—he understood Greek culture and philosophy intimately, regularly quoting Stoic philosophers without attribution,” he argued.
He recalled that educated as a religious legalist under Gamaliel, he added a mastery of classical literature, philosophy, and ethics.
He also cited Paul the Apostle who he credited with communicating fluently in Greek, Hebrew, Aramaic, and Latin, and who when addressing the Epicureans and Stoics in Athens (Acts 17:24-34), quoted Seneca, the renowned Roman Stoic philosopher several times, without naming him once.
Rev. Thompson added that Seneca had written: “Temples are not to be built to God of stones piled on high…the whole world is the temple of the immortal gods.”
” Paul adapted this insight, opening their minds to salvation’s marvelous light without compromising gospel standards. This precedent validates cultural engagement in spiritual communication,” he stated.
Continuing in offering critical clarification, the Rev. stated: “This leads us to the 2nd point—many religious Christians limit their effectiveness in Christ’s body through rigid sectarianism.
“Even after three and a half years of discipleship training, Jesus restricted his apostles’ ministry scope, instructing them to avoid Samaritans and Gentiles due to their spiritual immaturity and tendency toward religious condemnation.
“Scripture reserves ‘strong meat’ for the mature. Could Pastor Adeboye have been communicating in a language God approves for those He trusts to influence traditional rulers without compromising spiritual standards? There is a level of maturity and wisdom needed to reach the cultural gatekeepers effectively.
“The 3rd point is deeply spiritual—the ‘Ejigbo coronation’ narrative referenced witches, covens, and drum speech incantations. This does not mean Pastor Adeboye encouraged traditional rulers to embrace such forces alongside Christ.
“Rather, his message to Christian traditional leaders was clear: become father to all, slave to none. God Almighty honors freedom of choice, and even Islam declares ‘no compulsion in religion.’
“ The kingdom gospel preaches a level playing field where humans must not kill in God’s name but allow God to demonstrate His righteousness. This principle was officially absorbed into our cultural practices after the Imagbon war of May 1892, involving Awujale Atuwase and British imperial interests.
“The 4th point focuses on the demands of the Ifa Corpus—Orunmila’s Ifa system encompasses both mathematical expression and divination aspects. The Ifa corpus, an extensive body of oral literature, feeds the divination system.
“It contains 256 Odu (major sections) with numerous verses (ese) offering life guidance. These verses, passed orally through generations of diviners, utilize implements including Opele (divination chain), Ikin (palm nuts), and Opon Ifa (divination tray) in its administration. Our Omoluabi culture was designed for progress, encouraging deep thought (Ironu) while rejecting superstitious, non-critical ideas (Oponu).
“Professor Sophie Oluwole’s thesis established the congruence between Socrates’ and Orunmila’s classical philosophies. This implies that the Ifa corpus can stand independently on its own merit, free of the divination elements.”
He stated that Pastor Enoch Adejare Adeboye represented both respected religious leadership and global statesmanship, adding that as an exemplary Omoluabi, he understood that our people have never engaged in acrid religious wars throughout 1,600 years of civilization.
“A people robbed of their history,” Rev. Thompson argues, “will accept any future offered to them. We are aware that divine providence guided Oduduwa’s footsteps to 7th-century Ile-Ife, where he appointed our people as custodians of the Omoluabi Matrix—a comprehensive civilization program, an all-encompassing value system plus a governance code.
“We possess solutions to Nigeria’s multiple existential threats and systemic problems. Our nation is breaking down as darkness keeps descending and human worth equals that of livestock.
“With apostolic insight and prophetic accuracy, we can conclude that Pastor Adeboye was not opening doors to religious compromise, but illuminating a pathway to Nigeria’s future of peace, prosperity, and progress.”
Rev. Thompson disclosed that their au6rg.org vision sees traditional stools integrated into governance structures with legislative functions alongside a constitutional ‘house of faiths.’
“This five-legged stool would provide stability that America’s three-legged democratic republic cannot offer. With proper checks and balances, this Omoluabi game-changer represents exactly what Nigeria needs now,” he stated.
Rev Thompson presented the Omoluabi Matrix as a peacebuilding and religious conflict prevention tool at a UN Track III event in the US Congress Auditorium.
