Abiy Ahmed could be repeating Abune Paulos' transgression.

Haile Tessema, Jan. 19, 2019

Not only did the late EOC Patriarch Abune Paulos allow his pictures and banners to hang at churches, but also look the other way when statue of his image was being erected at Holy Savior (Jesus Christ) Church's main gate in Addis Ababa.

The late Patriarch's defense of that ungodly, self-exalting act was that it wasn't him, but rather admirers who did it. Yet, fact is, he was the authority who -- with a few words or written lines -- could've put an end to it, but chose not to.

Soon after, a man who caved in to the temptation of having a statue of himself left the world leaving the statue behind as a symbol of a great controversy.

Less than a decade later, the incumbent Ethiopian Prime Minister – who received testimony from protestant "prophets" and his predecessor as one chosen by God – is not only allowing his pictures to hang from churches, but also include the part of a scripture from Ephesians 14:2: "Has made the two groups one" on a banner with his picture on.

The full scripture goes:

"For He Himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility."

The "He" evidently refers to Jesus Christ whose baptism we are celebrating today, and the cause for the misguided banner to be displayed for the occasion.

And what the Apostle Paul is teaching is Jesus' willingness to leave his heavenly sanctuary; to come to come earth; had nowhere to lay his head; went through all the sufferings as a human being; got verbally abused, beaten up, got crucified, died and resurrected so as to unify man with his creator by 'destroying the barrier' Satan was able to erect through Adam's transgression.

Are you with me, church!

Thus, to equate that with Abiy's single trip to the U.S. (which wasn't even for primarily for that purpose); sit for a couple of hours with two fighting factions of a church and its respective patriarchs, with that what Christ had to endure is ridiculous at best, blasphemous at worst.

This raises the question, where are the "prophets" such as "Prophetess" Bertukan and former PM HMD – who told us that God had told them that Abiy would become the current PM – to counsel him to act in a godly manner?

Or has he left the faith? If so, he should be formally ex-communicated lest he becomes a stumbling block for believers. Or is it that God has stopped communicating with the self-proclaimed prophets?

As for the PM, it may very well be helpful if someone reminds him, "It wasn't me" may work for Shaggy in the carnal hip-hop world, but perhaps not in the spiritual realm.

May God give wisdom & humility to PM Abiy, which he appears to need both in bundles!