ERRORS CHURCH LEADERS MAKE, WHY IT’S TIME TO CORRECT THEM
Bishop Nick Iheanacho
EASTER has just rounded off its 2025 celebration. The Christendom feasted on it with glowing tributes; lots of choral ensemble purposively extolling the resurrected Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, with some spicing up the occasion with old flavour of Easter eggs and bunnies, without deciphering its inherent idolatrous import. Easter doesn’t belong to the church, it has root in demonic practices in honour of a goddess in ancient Europe.
Is Easter really biblical? The word Easter is mentioned once in the new testament, and it is associated with evil. Acts 12:4 says; “And when he had apprehended him, he put him in prison, and delivered him to four quaternions of soldiers to keep him; intending after Easter to bring him forth to the people.”
Was the term Easter intentionally adopted by the Church leaders to perpetuate the legacies of pagan culture of the influential Roman empire? At that time the Church and the monarchy were very powerful institutions that foisted what they consider as truth and right on people. Dissenting voices were silenced, either by death or banishment. So you can imagine why no one raised objections against the term Easter to mark the Resurrection Sunday.
Background of Easter
James Capo in his expository titled, The Surprising History of Easter wrote:
How did the name and practices of Easter, devoted to a pagan goddess of fertility, become linked to a holiday supposed to honor the resurrection of Christ?
Religious and secular sources plainly show that many cherished traditions of today’s Easter celebration are not Christian in origin. In fact, they are a shocking departure from the teachings of Jesus, the apostles and the first-century Church. They are borrowed from the pagan, polytheistic world, which the first-century Christians were called out of (1 Peter 2:9), were told to be separate from (2 Corinthians 6:17), and were to have no fellowship with (Ephesians 5:11). “For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light,” wrote the apostle Paul (Ephesians 5:8).
How Did It All Get Mixed?
Karim Maguid argued that some centuries ago, especially under Emperor Constantine in the 4th century, Christianity became the Roman Empire’s official religion. Many pagan practices were absorbed or rebranded to “Christianize” local customs.
Thus, festivals celebrating spring, fertility, and new life (Eostre-style) got merged with the celebration of Christ’s resurrection.
That’s how pagan spring festivals, bunny and egg symbols, all blended into what we now know as Easter.
CHRISTMAS
Similar error is associated with the term Christmas. Pat McCaw and Christopher Muscato in their findings asked: “Is Christmas in the Bible? While the story of Jesus’ birth is in the Bible, the date of his birth is not. The Bible suggests that Jesus’ actual birth was likely in the spring around the time of Passover. The Bible mentions shepherds herding animals around Jesus’ birth which likely occurred in the spring.
Church leaders declared December 25th Christmas day to attract pagan followers celebrating the winter solstice.
The background of Christmas
The origin of Christmas is traced to pagan celebrations of the winter solstice. Merriam Webster explains that solstice occurs about June 21 to begin summer and December 21 to begin winter in the northen hemisphere. Before Christianity, pagans celebrated the solstice at the end of December. Church officials later adopted Christmas as a celebration of the birth of Jesus and declared December 25th the official Christmas holiday. The date was chosen to coincide with pagan solstice festival to attract non-Christian followers. Pagans celebrated the winter solstice with dances, singing, and large feasts.
CHURCH CONVENTION
or Holy Convocation?
Why do Church leaders adopt the term Convention to describe their annual spiritual convergence? This is also clearly not biblical, as the right term is
Holy Convocation.
The biblical term for annual spiritual gathering is Holy Convocation, as expressly stated in scriptures. Etymologically, the term Convention belongs to the political or academic gathering, and not the Church.
According to Merriam Webster, the term Convention has several entries, but what resembles a large gathering is associated with political or academic convention, and not Church or spiritual convention. Yet, the church over the years have shown great attachment to the term Convention instead of Holy Convocation (Leviticus 23:2).
Who will correct these errors? Bishop Nick Iheanacho argues that such errors must be corrected. According to him, the Church should be vigilant against adapting ideas from foreign traditions and deities, as they are sacrilegious to the Christian faith. Iheanacho anchored his aversion for the terms Easter, Christmas and Convention, and many other errors documented in his yet to be released book, on
Psalms 11:3 “When the foundations are being destroyed, what can the righteous do?” His deepest heartache is watching how large Pentecostal congregations across the globe who know about these errors, have continued to promote them, describing such practice as a slur on the Church. He contends that Easter be changed to Christ Resurrection, Christmas, Christ Birth and Convention, Holy Convocation.
