Preaching, Evangelism, and Philanthropy in a Religiously Diverse Nigeria, Prophet Isaiah Michael Wealth

Nigeria is a religiously diverse nation, possessing an excellent balance between the two dominant religions, Christianity and Islam. Although, Nigeria has one of the largest Muslim populations in West Africa, the country is also home to more than 80 million Christians. The nation’s Muslim population is concentrated in the north, while Christians dominate the southern region. The two religions coexist, but conflicting beliefs and values create a frictional divide among the faithful.

The religious divide between Christians and Muslims creates possibilities for pastors, clerics, evangelists, and imams to inspire people to understand their respective religions. Nigeria and other African nations also have a strong appetite for prophets because of their curiosity and fondness for predictions. Nigeria is among the leading countries in Western Africa and Ghana, comprising prophets due to the large Christian populations and their inclination towards predictions.

A leader working for peace and harmony is a welcome change in a country where religious tensions adversely affect the population. The hostility, aggression, and violence caused by radical views and behavior entail religious leaders coming forward and playing their role in bringing peace and harmony to Nigeria. Prophetic evangelism and preaching also create opportunities for shifting the focus from hostility and anger to conciliation and pacification.

Prophecies are integral to religious preaching and evangelism in Nigeria because, prophetic declarations influence people to follow a particular figure or faith, especially if they are non-practicing individuals. Prophets become particularly popular when their prophecies accurately predict future political, social, and climatic events.

Isaiah Michael Wealth is one such pastor that calls people to Christianity through evangelism and prophetic anointing. He became famous among Nigerians after making prophecies about Donald Trump’s victory in the U.S. presidential elections and the reinstatement of the death penalty in the Philippines. Wealth also made prophecies regarding Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari’s return after his mysterious disappearance in 2018.

Many prophets claimed President Buhari died during his disappearance, but Wealth accurately predicted the president’s return. The prophecies about Trump and President Buhari made Wealth famous and enabled him to attract more people to his church and sermons. The religious rift between Nigeria’s Christian and Muslim communities adversely affects interfaith harmony due to negative perceptions. The adversarial behavior and aggressive stance of many clerics and pastors also drive people away from places of worship. However, a few religious figures make efforts for spiritual congruence through philanthropy and charity. Isaiah Wealth also utilizes his philanthropic work to cut across religious lines and promote interfaith harmony.

Wealth’s philanthropic activities revolve around poverty alleviation initiatives, including The Empowerment Network (TEN), which works under the umbrella of OneSound Charity to eradicate poverty in Nigeria. Wealth also uses his religious influence to gain support for his charitable activities from across the globe.

Prophet Isaiah Wealth preaches the significance of combining hard work with prayers to achieve success and happiness in life. Prophecies are integral to Wealth’s persona because they help develop a strong following in Nigeria and abroad. The Gospel Pillars International Churches, founded by Isaiah Wealth, attract followers and faithful from across the globe. The large following allows Wealth to garner support for his non-profit organizations from different parts of the world.

According to Wealth, he created the OneSound Revival TV in 2022 after God revealed that it was the perfect time to revive Christ’s mission. The television channel offers religious programming across the globe while providing free satellite decoders to viewers in Asia and Africa. OneSound Revival TV also helps promote philanthropy and interreligious harmony in Nigeria and other parts of the world.

Isaiah Wealth is also an author and composer with several books and songs to his credit on Christianity and church management. The songs and books act as a bridge for interfaith harmony and help Wealth garner support for his philanthropic work. Wealth is a staunch supporter of interreligious harmony and utilizes his books and songs to promote peace and harmony among people.

Isaiah Wealth is an example of how preachers in Nigeria lead by example through their attitude, behavior, preaching, and persona to promote peace and harmony among people despite tensions and aggression. The books and songs are a buffer between different religions and create a bridge for tolerance and synchronization.