The most dangerous moment for a religious institution is not necessarily when political power attacks it. It may be when political power embraces it so warmly that the institution forgets why it exists. Persecution can clarify conviction; patronage often dissolves it. The church rarely loses its moral authority in one dramatic surrender. More often, it trades that authority away gradually – one invitation, one title, one endorsement and one photograph with power at a time.
When the pulpit becomes political currency, By David Nzekwu
