Paris And The Pentecostals

In this week’s contribution to her ongoing series Religion Without Borders, Sandra Amas Egbaran visits a Pentecostal Church in South East London.

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As I entered The Refiner’s Place on Abery Street off Plumstead High Street, I was greeted by a solemn congregation of around 50 worshippers facing a big red velvet curtain in front of which stood Pastor Walter Erzim.

It was the Sunday after the massacre in Paris, and Pastor Walter led us in a prayer for those that had lost their loved ones in the terrorist attack. He reminded his congregation of the importance of a godly lifestyle through prayers, and told us to reach out in love and tolerance.

But he also warned us about present-day decadence, saying that immorality within our society was breaking our bonds with God and therefore making it more difficult for God to protect us.

Pastor Walter also warned that good and bad things will continue to happen as long as there is life and death, because Satan’s purpose on Earth is to steal, kill, and destroy mankind and our only way to escape the wrath of the devil is through repentance and righteous living.

I found the sermon comforting in that it preached forgiveness, and condemned extremism and violence. But I was still troubled by the question of how someone who purports to be pious, as ISIS members certainly say of themselves, can nevertheless behave in such an ungodly way. This is a question I hope to be able to answer as I continue my journey through the religions of East London.

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