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The grand era of stomach evangelism
It was when Reverend Bonke and the Holy Spirit descended on Tema that some of us realised that almost everybody was sick in the part of the body or another.
If you were not sick of chronic hernia, then you might have been suffering from financial lockjaw. If you didn’t suffer from migraine then of course you couldn’t ‘shed load,’ meaning you had chronic constipation and therefore, could not offload even if you were given twenty four hours to do so.
One alcoholic said his mother-in-law was always talking nonsense so he would drag her to Bonke for deliverance of the mouth. He was sure the woman’s mouth and tongue would be tamed in the name of Jesus.
What was of more sensation, however, was the case of a well-built woman who said she was going to practically carry her husband shoulder high to the crusade. Her husband was suffering from locked waist, she claimed.
“For three years now he has not been fulfilling his marital obligations. Even Koforidua bitters could not help. I’m going to carry him to Bonke to unlock his waist,” she said jubilantly. It all sounded as if Reverend Bonke had some screw-driver he was going to use for the waist job. Or was he going to hammer the waist to loosen it up?
When Bonke asked all those who were sick to raise their hands, almost everybody did. But I guessed not everybody was suffering from physical ailment. Some actually were suffering from the poverty disease and only needed some injections for financial relief.
Yes, assembled at the Oninku Drive Park were natives of Sikaman, illegal aliens and witches from all parts of the country, all ready to taste of the sweetness of the Holy Spirit, to repent and believe in the gospel and to bring their peculiar problem before the Almighty for redress.
In fact, it was rumoured that Bonke decided to organise the crusade in Tema because the Holy Spirit had told him secretly that the witches in Tema were professionals and could cause havoc day or night, on land or on sea. They had to be subdued by the holy fire!
At the crusade, you saw people whose faces showed clearly that they were disturbed in marriage, such that their wives or husbands had fallen into wrong amorous hands, and if Jesus did not intercede, they’d decide to go mad by force and dance naked on the streets of Ashaiman.
Yeah, many people are unlucky in love. The story of that young woman whose love affair with three men successively ended on the rocks was a pathetic one. She committed suicide to end it all. What a pity! But she shouldn’t have killed herself. She should have gone for a Bible and cried to the Lord. The Lord gives succour and relief.
Those who go for the Bible always have hope in life, and somehow it works out for them. So all those who did not commit suicide because they were either sick or worried came to the Lord with white handkerchiefs to meet Reinhard Bonke the witch killer, to deliver the word and work miracles.
The blind, the deaf, the lame, stroke patients were all brought around as Bonke preached the gospel. When it came to time for healing, everyone was excited. He prayed and prayed and later testimonies abounded.
A child sick of bronchial pneumonia who could not breathe started breathing easily. A stroke patient walked vigorously on stage. Indeed, the power of God was at work.
I guess those whose pockets were suffering from internal bleeding also got cured and they went home with hopes of a financial breakthrough.
I was impressed with the crusade also for the fact that no collections were asked to be made, bringing home the point that salvation and divine cures are for free. Salvation indeed is not for sale. When Jesus healed, he didn’t ask for payment.
When Bonke was in Tema eleven years ago, I was at the same Oninku Park to receive my share of the miracles. At that crusade, collections were asked to be made. Maybe Bonke’s Ghanaian friends wanted it that way so that they could get some money to pay off certain expenses- hotel bills, public address systems, plane fares, etc.
If collections are indeed for such purposes, they are welcomed. But where churches actually sell salvation like a market commodity is what some of us are stubbornly against.
Sikaman Palaver investigations have noted a rise in stomach evangelism – the commercialisation of the scripture for the sake of the stomach, the sale for profit of the good news. Christian organisations abroad even send Bibles and volumes of the New Testament to Sikaman for free distribution and people are selling them. What everyone cares about is his stomach not about his fellow human being or the spread of God’s works.
Today Sikaman churches are fraught with embezzlements, quarrels over women and money, formication, adultery, deception, blackmail and treachery.
Jesus is noting all down, believe it or not. On that dreadful day, we shall see things and hear things. There is an Ewe song which says if you are a good doer, continue doing good. If you also happen to be a bad doer, continue doing bad. -’Each has its own reward.
This article was first published on Saturday Mar 21, 1998.
WHEN I cast my mind back to a chance meeting which occurred many, many, years ago, I begin to ask myself several questions, the foremost being, was it really a chance meeting?
I can vividly recall that evening at Nkawkaw, when I together with a friend and classmate, went to say hello to another classmate and also a friend called Afful.
As is usually the case when young men, who the youth of today call boys-boys, who are doing their national service meet, the chit chat will naturally involve the careers we would be pursuing at the University.
As the discussion went on, Afful then mentioned that there was a Mining Engineering course being offered by UST (now Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology) at Tarkwa and it offers opportunity to travel outside, specifically to Germany among others as part of the course.
It immediately caught my attention and I made a decision that, I will be going to pursue a career in Mining at UST School of Mines (now University of Mines and Technology), as it was then called. The fact that only six people were admitted each year for the BSc Mining Engineering, did not bother me at all. My mind was made up.
Prior to this meeting, I had in mind Pharmacy, as the course I was going for and was not interested in any of the other engineering courses, but a little worry I had about the pharmacy was my dislike for the scent of drugs that is associated with pharmacies in our hospitals and how I was going to cope with it.
Therefore when I heard about this mining course which had nothing to do with smell of drugs and the added incentive of travelling to ‘aburokyire’, it settled the issue of the choice of career for me. I was going to become a Mining Engineer, end of story. I never discussed it with any of my friends because except one who was going to University of Ghana, the others wanted to go to UST, Kumasi and the fear was that, if I told them I wanted to go to Tarkwa, they might convince me to change my mind.
The decisive and unflinching resolve to go for Mining Engineering despite the chances of not getting in beats my mind up till date. The funny thing is that Afful, who got me interested in the course and had shown some initial interest, never applied for it but went to pursue a different course altogether.
The logical question is, why did I decide to pay a casual visit to Afful on that particular day and time? If we had gone there say in the afternoon, the chances are, he might not be at home or will have been busy and so we will not have had the opportunity to have a long chat for this issue of mining to emerge.
The answer to the questions that readily comes to mind is that fate has something to do with this meeting and that it was orchestrated by a divine authority who rules and reigns in the life of men and especially for those who put their trust in him, he God, directs their path according to Psalm 37:23.
There is a man whose name must also be mentioned to complete this story, Professor Ralph Asabere. An issue cropped up when I was given admission that caused my admission to be withdrawn after I had reported and duly admitted by the then Head of Department and was therefore compelled to return home.
Before I left the campus at Tarkwa, Mr Ralph Asabere, a lecturer, came to my room and comforted me and told me not to worry and that I should go home and further added that, one year is not a long time and so if I really want to do mining, I should apply again for the next academic year and he shall ensure that I am admitted because I have not been treated fairly. I thanked him and left the campus. A year later, Professor Ralph Asabere honoured his word and the rest is history.
NB: ‘CHANGE KOTOKA INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT TO KOFI BAAKO INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT’
By Laud Kissi-Mensah
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TELOMERES, the protective caps on the ends of chromosomes, play a crucial role in maintaining genomic stability and regulating cellular aging.
The length of telomeres has been associated with lifespan and age-related diseases, with recent studies highlighting sex differences in telomere biology.
This article provides a comprehensive review of the current knowledge on the role of telomeres in the lifespan of men and women, highlighting the physiological and molecular mechanisms underlying these differences.
Introduction
Telomeres are repetitive nucleotide sequences (TTAGGG in humans) that cap the ends of chromosomes, protecting them from deterioration and fusion. Telomere length (TL) shortens with each cell division, and when TL reaches a critical threshold, cells enter senescence or undergo programmed cell death (apoptosis).
Telomere shortening has been implicated in aging and age-related diseases, including cardiovascular disease, cancer, and dementia.
Sex differences in telomere length
Women generally have longer telomeres than men, with a slower rate of telomere shortening with age.
A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) found that women had longer telomeres than men across all age groups.
This sex difference in TL is thought to contribute to the female advantage in lifespan, with women living approximately 5–7 years longer than men on average.
Mechanisms underlying sex differences in telomere length
- Estrogen: Estrogen has been shown to increase telomerase activity, the enzyme responsible for maintaining TL, in human cells. Estrogen also has antioxidant properties, reducing oxidative stress and inflammation, which contribute to telomere shortening.
- Genetic Factors: Genetic variants in telomere-related genes, such as TERT (telomerase reverse transcriptase), have been associated with TL and lifespan. A study published in Nature found that genetic variants in TERT were associated with TL and risk of age-related diseases.
- Lifestyle Factors: Lifestyle factors, such as smoking, physical activity, and diet, can influence TL, with women generally exhibiting healthier lifestyle habits.
Telomere shortening and age-related diseases
Telomere shortening has been implicated in various age-related diseases, including:
- Cardiovascular Disease: Short TL has been associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease, including myocardial infarction and stroke.
- Cancer: Telomere shortening is a hallmark of cancer, with cancer cells often exhibiting critically short TL.
- Dementia: Short TL has been associated with increased risk of dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease.
Sex differences in telomere shortening and age-related diseases
Women tend to have a slower rate of telomere shortening with age, which may contribute to their lower risk of age-related diseases.
A study published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society found that women had a slower rate of telomere shortening and lower risk of age-related diseases compared to men.
Clinical implications
- Telomere Length as a Biomarker: TL has been proposed as a biomarker for aging and age-related diseases, with potential applications in clinical practice.
- Telomere-Targeted Therapies: Therapies aimed at maintaining or increasing TL, such as telomerase activators, are being explored for the treatment of age-related diseases.
Conclusion
Telomeres play a critical role in regulating cellular aging, with sex differences in TL contributing to the female advantage in lifespan. Understanding the mechanisms underlying these differences is essential for developing effective prevention and treatment strategies for age-related diseases.
Let’s dive deeper into the topic of telomeres and their role in aging.
What are telomeres?
Telomeres are repetitive DNA sequences (TTAGGG in humans) that cap the ends of chromosomes, protecting them from deterioration and fusion. Think of them like the plastic tips on shoelaces, preventing the chromosomes from unraveling.
How do telomeres affect aging?
- Telomere Shortening: Each time a cell divides, its telomeres shorten. When telomeres become too short, the cell can no longer divide and becomes senescent or undergoes apoptosis (programmed cell death).
- Aging and Telomeres: Telomere shortening is associated with aging and age-related diseases, such as cardiovascular disease, cancer, and dementia.
Sex differences in telomere length
- Women have longer telomeres: Women generally have longer telomeres than men, which may contribute to their longer lifespan.
- Estrogen’s role: Estrogen has been shown to increase telomerase activity, the enzyme responsible for maintaining telomere length, which may explain why women have longer telomeres.
Factors influencing Telomere length
- Genetics: Genetic variants in telomere-related genes can affect telomere length.
- Lifestyle: Factors like smoking, physical activity, and diet can influence telomere length.
- Stress: Chronic stress can lead to telomere shortening.
Telomeres and age-related diseases
- Cardiovascular Disease: Short telomeres are associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease.
- Cancer: Telomere shortening is a hallmark of cancer.
- Dementia: Short telomeres are associated with increased risk of dementia.
Potential Applications
- Biomarker for aging: Telomere length could serve as a biomarker for aging and age-related diseases.
- Telomere-Targeted Therapies: Therapies aimed at maintaining or increasing telomere length are being explored for age-related diseases.
BY ROBERT EKOW GRIMMOND THOMPSON
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