A video of esteemed Nigerian Pastor E A Adeboye admonishing Christians who do not pay tithes – the practice of giving 10% of their earnings to the church – has enraged some Nigerians on social media.

In the recording, Pastor Adeboye can be heard saying to his congregation:

“Anyone who is not paying his tithe is not going to heaven, full stop.”

Some of the tweeters wondered on what authority he was making his statement:

But a few others were in full support of the pastor:

Pastor Adeboye, who heads the Redeemed Christian Church of God – one of the biggest churches in Nigeria – has been listed by Forbes as one of the richest clerics in the world with a net worth of $130m (£91m).

Tithing has become a heated topic here.

Another respected pastor, Tunde Bakare, told BBC Yoruba earlier this year that tithing was not compulsory.

 

BBC