By Denis Tumuhaise
OPINION | Edwin Ruyonga, as arguably the best pop christian celebrity in the last decade and possibly most creative ever, its been a tough month on your side and ours your fans, especially after your last controversial social media post – an avoidable one.
The backlash has been sad, some rude and some totally human – many argued you’re challenging God’s sovereignty, and that you’re proud – some got into conspiracies that you’re being paid or have shares in the ‘Mbonye Machine’ – some threatened to delete all your music, making mean jokes that you have bad luck when it comes to thinking.
Some purported you’re just looking for attention and relevance to save your career, or you’re planning a secret album launch or just love provoking, and of course you’ve had your Mbonye supporters countering and calling those fans as ‘religious’, uncircumcised Philistines,’Pharisees’ or ’non deep’. Not a good look even if one claims “persecution”. All avoidable again!
First, I hate social media religious battles, rude attacks and abuse provoked or fostered by any religious fanatics. Christianity is not fanaticism, otherwise, why then do we criticize Muslim fanatics? Fanaticism is devoid of kindness, objectivity and sprouts subtle hate to anyone against your beliefs, as Al Queda! Lets be civil and sensitive as it puts a worse reflection if one chooses to be feisty and reflects badly on Prophet Mbonye, and if indeed you’re ‘Jesus.’ Kindly treat me, and what I share with respect and ‘1 Corinthians 13’ love.
I won’t argue as to why your earlier posts seemed blasphemous as everyone can read parts of the Bible and even defend adultery with it. But I will just point out, choices have consequences and your responsibility and Power as a Celebrity, Husband and a Father, especially to non believers who are always watching, so allow me to cite a Bible study on Titus.
You see RUU, you have so many teen kids ,adults who look up to you, who would go for any concert you planned, who scream at Phat Fest, personally I was greatly inspired with you when I tried making beats in 2010 and lousy rapping, you’re story is one of amazing resilience and discovery of Christ for many drug addicts and lost youth, its why you’re music was played in Clubs and my unsaved friends deemed you the best African rapper.
There is responsibility to what you do in the Public eye, if neglected you can stumble others ( Romans 14:15-16, Corinthians 6:3, 1 Cor 8:9, 2 Pet 1:5)
As a true christian, I don’t think you’ll feel good about ostracizing people you’re supposed to be evangelizing to, you’re niche was the preaching to the unchurched and reaching those in Pop culture, but you provoked them to doubt you, abuse you and call you “deluded” – forgetting that many of them actually do know God to some extent, from Childhood and too get offended – And even if you felt you’re ‘revelation’ was right and so powerful, you’d have kept it to your circle, no one begins teaching a 6 Year old Quantum Physics immediately.
As for your fellow believers, you caused unnecessary gossip, arguments, strife and created some divisions while you subtly challenged other ministers serving God or provoking debates of whose prophet’s God is deeper, more evident or more legit based on miracles and prophecy, Babes milk and trivial nonsense honestly compare to God’s true identity and the Great Commission.
I pray you may not ridicule me or think am a hater or popularity seeker, who just writes for “likes” but seeing your post made me genuinely teary and because God is bigger than our bickering, miracle olympics , prophectic supremacys, whose church sits more people, or has a nicer car and our pissing contests.
I’m not really deep or even Biblically good, but try to sensitive. Its PRIDE (Proverbs 16:18,1 Sam 15:23, Gal 6:3), if any believer engages in such competitive nonsense if we are ONE! The devil will attack us all the same and wont see Serwaddas flock differently from Bujjingo’s.
As for claiming “persecution”, feeling resented and envied yet we are not being biblically godly, we need to stop playing victim and sort errors, no shame, the Biblical church sometimes faces the temptation of fighting a legitimate battle in the wrong way. We always are tempted to fight the world with the weapons of the world. We always are tempted to use a sword of steel instead of the sword of the Spirit.
Being unapologetic, arrogant, unobjective doesn’t show humility and character. It shows you really don’t care for the people we want to convert or show Jesus, and is a Me-Centred Gospel Approach, wonder why the Lord’s Prayer never had “I”.
As I conclude my Brother RUU, In chapter 3 of Titus, the apostle shows us how the church is to live in the midst of this city of man and how to keep of sound repute so that people can really see us as a follower of CHRIST. As the salt and light Jesus called us to be, we are to seek change from the inside out through faith in the person and work of the Savior and through a personal walk with Him and fruit we bear.
Basically Titus 3 Reminds us that we are not of the world (John 15:19; 17:14, 19) but we are still in the World and our reflection of Christ matters and should be of sound repute.
The apostle addresses this very issue in 3:1-11, remind them to subject themselves to rulers and authorities,t o be obedient, sound repute,to be ready for every good work. 3:2 to slander no one, to be non-fighting (peaceable), to be gentle and sensitive, showing all courtesy (considerateness) to all people.
Our purpose is to challenge the church to confront the world with the one message that is able to transform society, one life at a time, not to instigate trivial incidences.
Jesus loves the same world we as believers tend to ridicule quietly, because if it wasn’t that, as soon as we get saved we’d be transported to heaven.
Cult personality, claims to superiority and pride don’t solve anything. Mr Ruyonga and Elvis Mbonye, the same Bible you and I read, don’t push people and make them afraid of the true power of the gospel, miracles and prophecy. Let us take the required approach to spreading the Gospel not the Mbonyenism.
What Paul had in mind was the promotion of godly behavior in believers since good works via the affirmation of this truth is for “those who have placed their faith (believed or trusted) in God.
If Mbonye is truly “audibile” Jesus, then all his followers will be godly or atleast pretend to be and stop acting like you’re the best thing to happen to Uganda since Independence! Uganda serves one God, not the God of Mbonye, Skinner or Kayanja, but the King of Kings, Alpha and Omega, the Great I AM.
We don’t have time to define Him or separate Him, while putting believers against each other and against the unchurched. He is alone and no one owns Him, and we are all loved by Him equally as Mbonye is.
He is our Good Father, not only Mbonye and Ruyonga’s. If you can’t retract, then just avoid such statements openly as we move with the great Commission, We are all your siblings Sir, so Lets all be as wise as our veteran Brother Titus.
The writer is a music minster and computer engineer.
