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The Presiding Bishop of the Methodist Church Ghana, Professor Kwabena Asamoah-Gyadu, has cautioned Christian ministers against what he describes as a growing culture of deceptive prophetic practices, following public controversy over failed prophecies linked to the recent New Patriotic Party (NPP) presidential primaries.
His comments come in the wake of a prophecy by the General Overseer of Spirit Life Revival Ministries, Prophet Elbernard Nelson-Eshun, who ahead of the January 31, 2026 primary predicted that former Assin Central Member of Parliament Kennedy Agyapong would win the contest, claiming the revelation had been delivered to him by an angel of God. The prediction, however, did not materialise.
In a Facebook post on Saturday, January 31, Professor Asamoah-Gyadu stressed that prophecy within Christian theology is not about public performance or political prediction, but divine communication meant to edify believers.
“Prophecy is when the Lord speaks to his people through human vessels,” he wrote, adding a strong admonition: “Do not fake the voice of the Lord our God.”
The Methodist leader described the scale of prophetic failures in both global and local Christian spaces as deeply troubling and symptomatic of a broader crisis of credibility facing prophetic ministries.
“The extent of catastrophic prophetic failures in Christianity today is tragic,” he noted.
He cited a recent case in the United States involving Shawn Bolz, a prominent charismatic figure who was reportedly dismissed by his church after being exposed for allegedly sourcing personal information about congregants from the internet and presenting it as prophetic revelation.
“In the USA, Shawn Bolz, a so-called prophet, has recently been exposed and dismissed by his church for mining information on church members from the internet and using them as prophetic insights. It is happening in our country too!” he wrote.
Professor Asamoah-Gyadu also directed a warning at clergy, particularly within the Methodist Church, against what he termed “prophetic vainglory.”
“I pray no minister of the Methodist Church in Ghana is tempted to travel this path of prophetic vainglory,” he stated.
He described the issue as not only an ethical concern but a serious theological and moral failure within Christian ministry, questioning how ministers of the Gospel had arrived at such a point.
“How did we come to this as men and women called to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ for the salvation of souls?” he asked.
At the core of his criticism, he said, was a violation of the Third Commandment, warning ministers against attributing false claims to God.
“This whole deceptive prophetic phenomenon blatantly flouts a particular commandment: ‘Thou shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain…’” he wrote.