Senior pastor of The Fountain of Life Church, Jimmy Odukoya, has sparked widespread discussion online after questioning certain Christian perspectives on food and interfaith relations.
The viral sermon focused on attitudes toward consuming food offered by Muslim neighbors during festive occasions like Eid al-Adha, also known as Salah.
Odukoya addressed what he called overly rigid interpretations of Christian teachings. He said:
“Some of us religion has bounded us where God has set us free. Some people want to tell you Christianity by what you eat. There are Christians who believe you lose your faith by eating Salah meat. What? You ate meat sacrificed to idols? You sat with them? You have Muslim neighbours, they invited you, they gave you meat and you ate it? You’re going to hell!. Can you imagine I went to a restaurant and saw someone with wine, and people began to question his faith? Please, what did Jesus turn water into? It was not grape juice.”
He encouraged Christians to approach interfaith interactions with love and openness:
“If God has told you to go to your neighbour’s house who is a Muslim, and the only Bible he will read is your life, eat his food. Do not tell him you cannot eat it because it is Salah food. Sit down, bless it, give thanks and eat.”
His comments align with previous Nigerian clerics’ teachings promoting harmony and coexistence in a diverse religious society.