Renowned Ghanaian international evangelist, Rev. Dr. Lawrence Tetteh, has taken a swipe at the Ghana Police Service for attempting to regulate prophetic declarations in churches particularly during December 31st Watch Night services.
The Police, which issued a warning to churches and prophets last year, issued another statement on December 27, 2022, reminding them to stay away from doom prophecies.
The Police Service said while it is not against people’s expression of their faith as enshrined in the constitution, they must not infringe on people’s rights and threaten public peace.
The Service said as part of sustaining the gains made in compliance to this directive, it has adopted 27th December of each year as ‘Prophecy Communication Compliance Day’.
“This day is being set aside to remind all of us to practice our faith within the confines of the law to ensure a safe, secure environment, free of anxiety generated from predictions of impending harm, danger or death.”
“Let us continue to remember that whereas we have the right to practice our faith in religion, freedom of worship and speech, this right must not be exercised in violation of the rights of others and the public interest” the statement noted.
Contributing to discussions on the posture of the police, Rev. Dr. Lawrence Tetteh, who’s the Founder of Worldwide Miracle Outreach, said the Police cannot stop the Church from making prophetic statements on December 31.
He said, “We have to be very careful not to throw the baby with the bath water away. In every community, we have the good, the bad, and the ugly. The Police should not use the attitude of a few bad ones against the hard-earned reputation of the majority of the clergymen. The work of the Church should not be taken for granted.”
“I am the first to agree that some of my colleagues have been irresponsible with their statements during December 31, by pronouncing death and horrifying things, but that should not undermine the fact that prophecies are real, and it is not in the place of the police to determine what prophecy should be given at the end of the year.”
“I believe that should be considered an insult to the Church, and I personally take a strong objection to the police assuming that authority,” he noted.
The international preacher said Ghana is a very religious community and that Ghanaians take December 31 very seriously because there are many people who do not get the opportunity to go to Church, except on that day to reaffirm their faith in God.
“Whether we like it or not, in the Bible prophecies are real and are of God, and the fact that somebody has given a scary prophecy does not mean that the Police should give such a ‘blanket’ statement that gags the Church.
“It is very dangerous and undermines freedom of expression, freedom of views, and freedom of worship, and I think it is wrong for the Police to make such a pronouncement,” he stated.
He urged the Police to engage such pastors and talk to them instead of making a general statement, stressing that the organs of government should be very mindful not to forget the important role of the church in nation-building.
“We should also consider the Bible because there were prophecies that Nathan had to give to David. There are prophesies that are for the nation and those that are for individuals.”
He said the Police should be thinking about a variety of issues on December 31, such as armed robbery and not what the Church was doing, stressing “a nation without a prophetic word is lost.”
