A viral video of the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Pastor E. A. Adeboye has been trending on social media since the first week of October. The claim accompanying the video states that Adeboye apologised over his tithe comments from April 2018 and increased tithe payment to forty percent.
The 2-minute video has been shared widely on YouTube, Facebook, and X, which has sparked reactions from social media users.
On October 4, an X user posting with the handle @rukky_nate shared screenshots from the viral video with the caption: “Pastor Adeboye said: “It is wrong to limit you to ten percent of tithe, it should be for beginners.” He went further to say: “At a time when some of you should be paying 20%, 30%, or even 40%”. I fear who fear old takers, top tier manipulator.” The X user’s post has generated over 22,500 impressions, with 20 replies, 34 repost and quotes, 140 likes and 14 bookmarks.
Meanwhile, @thechriskbrand posted an extensive version of the video in three frames, two of which were 2 minutes 20 seconds long each and one which was 1 minute and 30 seconds long. The videos were posted with the caption: “Before you swallow Social Media Bloggers’ Cut and Paste, watch this well and learn! You’re challenged to giving beyond 10%! The title of the trending video should be:👇👇👇Pst E. A. Adeboye Apologises and challenges Christians to a higher biblical standard(beyond 10%)! #adeboye.”
One of the comments on the post by @New_Love_Ltd stated that: “Don’t mind them. They look for the slightest opportunity to attack men of God, since they are the ones that make it difficult for them to Fornicate, cheat, keep sinning. You won’t get good comment.” This post which was shared on October 4 has had about 1,700 views, 3 comments, 5 reposts and quotes, 13 likes and 11 bookmarks.
One Mathew Onuta posted a reaction video alongside the viral video on Facebook with the caption: “Una Papa Pastor E.A. Adeboye has issued a public apology over his scamming behavior, Misconduct or method about tithe, in which he has used to enrich his self for a long time 
Comments and reactions to the purported apology were found here, here, here, here, here and here. The transcription of the viral 2-minute video by Pastor Adeboye quoted him saying: “I’m going to be apologising for making a mistake for saying that if we don’t pay tithe you might not make it to heaven. I’m sorry, that’s wrong, that’s not in the Bible, what the Bible says is be at peace with all men and Holiness without which no man shall see God. Now let me tell you, listen to me you know it is possible to be right and wrong at the same time, I prove it to you. I mean I’m a scientist so I know that for years we taught that light travels in straight lines, now is that correct at least those of you who know a little bit of it will say sure the light doesn’t bend at a corner, it goes straight but later on we discover it’s not just one straight as a rod, light travels in waves going one direction but in waves. It is wrong to limit you to 10% at a time when some of you should be 20%, 30%, 40%, 10% should be for beginners.”
VERIFICATION
Screenshots from the viral video were subjected to Google Reverse Image Search and some of the exact matches took us to RCCG’s YouTube page. Digging through the page, we found a video on the page where Pastor Adeboye’s attire from the viral video is similar to the video of the Plenary Session 10 of the RCCG INTERNATIONAL YOUTH CONVENTION 2024.
The 3 hours, 55 minutes and 59 seconds video which was shared on the channel on October 3, 2024, has been viewed twenty-two thousand, nine hundred and eighty-one (22,981) times as of the time this report was published. While watching the video, we discovered that the cutout video that went viral across all platforms was culled around 1 hour 48 minutes into the video.
In the video, Pastor Adeboye clarified a statement that he made in the past that whoever doesn’t pay his tithe will not make it to heaven. The statement which Adeboye referred to was made at the April 2018 edition of the monthly Holy Ghost Service at the Redemption Camp, along the Lagos/Ibadan Expressway. At the event, with video evidence from six years ago, Adeboye clearly announced that whoever is not paying the church’s tithe is not going to heaven.
The trending video was originally posted on X by the RCCG Young Adults & Youth Affairs on the 4th of October, 2024, at around 3:08 AM but has since been deleted following backlash online. However, in the viral video, Adeboye apologised for saying does who do not pay tithe will not make heaven and that he was wrong to say that because this was not stated in the bible but said it was wrong to limit tithe payments to 10 percent when some people have the capacity to give as much as twenty, thirty or forty percent tithing and only beginners should be paying 10 percent.
CONCLUSION
The viral claim going around on social media that Pastor E. A. Adeboye apologised for saying whoever doesn’t pay tithe will not make heaven is TRUE. However, some of the reactions to the viral video saying Adeboye increased tithe to forty percent is MISLEADING as his speech from the convention only advocates for people to give more if they have the capacity.
By Emmanuel Awoko
