More reactions at the weekend trailed the suspension of John, the son of General Overseer of Deeper Life Bible Church, Pastor W.F. Kumuyi, whose wedding in far-away Jamaica was considered anti-doctrinaire.
John and his bride, former Miss Love Odih, were sanctioned by the church authorities over the wedding gown worn by the wife, seen as 'worldly attires', and other aspects of the wedding viewed to be at variance with the church's standard.
The bride was clad in a transparent, fitted and stylish short sleeve wedding gown; eyelashes, earrings, makeup and wedding flower, which had never happened in the history of the church. Love, the new bride is the daughter of another principal officer in the Deeper Life church.
Though John afterwards tendered apologies for the 'offensive nature of the wedding', the church all the same suspended him and his wife.
Reacting however, Primate Elijah Ayodele of the INRI Evangelical Spiritual Church, Lagos took exception to the action taken by the Deeper Life Church. He was of the opinion that "it is not what you wear that will take you to heaven.
"We are all struggling to make heaven and I don't want anybody to miss heaven. So, whatever clothes they put on, is not my business. The Deeper life Bible Church have their doctrine and we practise what the Holy Bible says here."
But in his reaction, the out-going General Secretary and Chief Executive Officer of the Bible Society of Nigeria, Rev (Dr.) Fred Odutola, urged that "whatever 'sinful' act that John had committed with his bride should be separated from the office and personality of the father, Dr. William Kumuyi, who is the founder and General Overseer of the Deeper Life Bible Church.
"This is because if I have a son who is 18 years and above, he should be held liable for whatever act he has committed. So the issue is not about Kumuyi, the father that we know, but the son.
"Secondly, we should learn to separate the tenet of Christianity from the dogma of the church. There is the difference between the tenet of Christianity-Christ in you, the hope of glory because these days, people put on the robe of Christianity and they are worst than Jezebel.
"It is majorly about you, about your character and what you do. So we Christians must learn to be moderate. The more reason our parents who are Christians must correct their children when they are growing up before they mature and become something else.
"I give you the story of my daughter while she was growing up. There was a day she came in with a sleeveless "T" shirt to my function with the inscription, 'Queen Bitch.' Can you imagine that? Immediately I drove her back with the driver that brought her. Thank God today, she is a medical doctor.
We must all learn that the way you dress, you will so be addressed. So if the clothes they put on is what they chose as adults, and it is against the doctrine of the church, then, they must change their church, rather than be in the church and chose to be a rebel to the church. As it is, I am not here saying that they are going to hell because of that, but there must be Christian 'moderacy'. In some churches today, when you see people dress, you start wondering if this is a church," Odutola analysed.
Also speaking, Special Apostle Pastor Olusesi Sowande, Chairman, National Executive Council of Cherubim and Seraphim Unification Church of Nigeria, said the decision of the church against the new couple "is too harsh.
"More often than not, there are overzealous people in the church. The wedding day of the couple is supposed to be the happiest day of their lives. When they were born, they did not know what happened, and when they die, they also will not know what happened. But at the point of marriage is what they know about and would want to make an impression.
"I take you to the Bible, when a lady was breaching the Jewish law of adultery and Jesus rose and said 'those of you that have not committed adultery before should throw the first stone,' they all dropped their stones and Jesus told the woman, 'go and sin no more. They should have admonished and forgiven them. Those criticising these young couples today, if they have the opportunity, they will do worst things than what these ones are being sanctioned for.
"Though John Kumuyi is the son of the General Superintendent of Deeper Life, that does not make him different from other members, it is his responsibility to be seen as living above board. I think it should have been the duty of the church elders to prevail and call him to order and tell him to sin no more. Yes, they may want to use them as examples to others but that does not mean that those that have been following that doctrine will win automatic ticket to heaven," Senior Apostle Sowande rationalised.
National Mirror