SEXUAL IMMORALITY: BEYOND CHOIR’ EXCLUSIVITY

By Dr. Jarlat Uche Opara

Recently I came across a long letter of admonition by Rev. Fr. Prince Chidi Philip to choir members on Facebook. He cautioned them to be very restraining in expressing their sexual feelings among themselves, a practice that seems very characteristic of some church choir groups.

I was shocked not by what the priest wrote, rather by the validation of many people on the comment section.

Some shared very embrassing but touching stories they either had or experienced as choir members, a narrative that painted some choir members as bunch of randies whose sexual appetites and craving seem very doggish.

I am not writing to validate or dismiss his position and the position of thousands of comments that lent credence to his position, rather I am writing to broaden the scope, beaming my searchlight on others, like the Church Warden, Altar Servers, lay readers and other societies in the church where inter personal relationship of members involve male and female genders.

Though similar things may be happening among other societies but the visibility and frequent occurance of such practice among choir members paints them on a glittering canvas for public condemnation.

I have friends who are choir members with impeccable moral values that are above reproach. However, not every choir member I would vouch for on this matter.

Sexual immorality isn’t predominantly choir exclusive. It is one sin that is incredibly ravaging the very foundation of the church. There is no corner of the church that this seed of sexual immorality isn’t sprouting daily, growing with intensity, blossoming exponentially and bearing fruits that defie the sanctity of the sanctuary.

Beam your searchlight on Lectors, one could see such , increase the intensity of ones light, some cases could be seen among the hospitality group. Even among the youths, a dimmed light would be bright enough to expose such moral depravity, the altar servers may not be completely innocent.

Beam it too on other societies and associations in the church one could see some images that validate Fr. Prince’ worries and disaffection.

The choir is often at the centre of such scandal because of the role they play in the church, lifting hearts and souls to God and bringing liveliness into the liturgy. Some attribute such to lucifer, who was once the quintessential of mellifluous voice before his down fall. In the midst of choir members he finds himself, sowing seeds of defilement, causing pollution of their voices, making it difficult for God to dwell in the praises of his people.

He understands how God relishes praise and worship. He knows how Godly praise and worship appeals to God, denting their voices with the morass of immorality makes their voices an irritating noise to God than a sweet smelling offering.

He seems very strategic with it and from the statistics of prevailing immoral activities among choir members, it appears he is doing a good hatchetman job.

Check what is happening in the music industry, the pollution, the nudity, the immoral signature that it carries, the lyrics etc it wouldn’t be a fogged reality how infiltrated it has become.

Though choir members may seem to be having the brunt of this sexual infiltration, other societies in the church have their own piece of sexual immoral cake to bite.

What is the urgency here? It is not to cast aspersions on the choir. They may not know what is doing them. The best approach for me is to create this awareness of ‘Demonic agenda in the church, in homes, in schools etc and tackle it with the intentionality of prayer, personal consecration and ordination to dim its attraction to our feeble and most impressionable mind.

The truth very resoundingly is, sexual immorality has caused a lot of blindfolding in the church, casting slurry substances and making it difficult for the flow of God’s presence to be seen and felt by many congregants.

The choir may carry the insignia the most, the truth is, flakes of this sexual immorality are drenching many societies in the church, reducing them to mere social gathering than spirit filled one

May God help us to overcome. It is terribly eating deep into our spiritual lives, our eyes dimmed, our ears blocked and our spiritual antennas to pick signals, very malfunctioning because of this sexual immorality many carry like garland, brandishing it as a trophy, those who don’t have it, unconsciously are either made to feel inadequate or are missing out on something essential.

The truth is, it isn’t choir exclusive, it is the crave of human nature only those filled with the Holy Spirit and express self control escape from its onslaught.

Jarlathuche@gmail.com