Singer, actor, and politician Olubankole Wellington, better known as Banky W, has spoken out against what he describes as distortions of true Christianity through both the prosperity and poverty gospels.
Banky W, who appeared on the recent edition of the MENtality podcast hosted by media personality Ebuka Obi-Uchendu, which was aired on Saturday, said that many modern interpretations of faith miss the balance that genuine spirituality requires.
While acknowledging concerns over corruption and misconduct within some religious circles, Banky W cautioned against using the shortcomings of a few to condemn the entire church.
He said, “I think that there are fair allegations in certain regards. I have a problem when we make generalistic statements. And that, I think, is… We’re speaking generally, which is wrong, but I get you.”
Banky W noted that people do not reject all doctors because of a few bad ones or condemn all teachers because of isolated mistreatment, drawing comparisons between the church and other industries like education and healthcare, where both good and terrible people coexist.
He stated, “But I think that therein lies the problem, because you don’t say, ‘Because there were doctors who were bad or guilty of abuse, then I’m never going to go to a doctor,’ or ‘Hospitals are evil,’ or whatever the case may be, right? You have bad teachers and good teachers.
“In the same secondary school, I have teachers that I loved who were instrumental in making me the person I became. I had teachers who were abusive.
“Everybody has that story. In the same families, there’s always, you know, one or two people that have great touch. So I don’t think that it’s fair when we make generalistic statements and say, “Because I’ve seen evidence of this here, then everybody is guilty of this thing.”
