Thomas Muthee
Encyclopedia
Thomas Muthee is a Kenya
n preacher and bishop. During the 2008 United States Presidential campaign, his visit to the Wasilla, Alaska
Assembly of God
in 2005, including a blessing that he gave Sarah Palin
, was widely discussed. His prior claims of successful spiritual warfare
in Kiambu
, Kenya
involving an alleged witch known as "Mama Jane" also came under specific scrutiny. In addition to his Alaskan visits, Muthee has spoken to churches in multiple European countries and is involved in humanitarian work in Africa.
in practical ministry and founded the Word of Faith Church in February 1989 in the town of Kiambu, Kenya (near Nairobi
) before going on to found approximately 400 churches in the nearby regions of Kenya
, Uganda
, Tanzania
, Sudan
, and Gisenyi
in Rwanda
. The original church is also known as the "Prayer Cave" because meetings were originally held in a grocery basement. Muthee's late wife, Margaret Muthee, was a teacher, and they had two children: Joshua and Ann. Joshua, a student at Sacramento State University in Sacramento, CA, resides with a pastor of his father's local financial supporter, Radiant Life Church. As of 2008, Thomas served as the East African director of the International Spiritual Warfare Network.
, where he had finished his graduate studies, in 1988. They soon felt that they were "called by God to Kiambu" and after six months of prayer, research, and "spiritual mapping," they came to believe that a woman known as "Mama Jane" was a witch, and thereby caused traffic fatalities, traffic accidents, crime, and spiritual oppression in the area. Muthee alleged that "top government and business leaders [were] afraid to do anything without her approval," that at least one person per month would die in a car accident in front of her "divination
house" and that she weekly "went to Thomas' church site, performed magic, and cast her spells and curses." Muthee publicly declared, “Mama Jane either gets saved and serves the Lord, or she leaves town! There is no longer room in Kiambu for both of us!" Soon after his followers began to pray that God would either save or oust Mama Jane, three young people died in another apparent accident in front of Mama Jane's house, according to Muthee's account. Angry townsfolk wanted to stone
Mama Jane in retaliation for the traffic accidents. When the police entered Mama Jane's home to intervene, they were allegedly startled by what they believed to be a demon
and shot her pet python
to death. Mama Jane was then questioned by police, after which she left town, according to some accounts.
Muthee has frequently referred to the Mama Jane event as an example of successful “spiritual mapping," which includes locating specific witches by research and prayer, and spiritual warfare
, claiming that crime and traffic accidents were reduced as a result of chasing Mama Jane out of town. Others have referred to the event as an example of the power of prayer. The event was depicted in two videos by George Otis, Jr., in which Muthee claimed that the crime and traffic accident rate in Kiambu dropped drastically after Mama Jane left, and that he is responsible for positive social change in the town.
Workgroup "Back to the Bible," headed by Pastor Rien van de Kraats of Kamperland
, Netherlands
, found no police reports or any other sources that backed up Muthee’s claims. Investigators have asserted that "Mama Jane" is Jane Njenga, a local pastor who never left Kiambu.
in 2005, delivering several guest sermons. During one sermon, Muthee covered seven areas of society that he said Christians should control, including the economic area:
There has been debate over the meaning of his comments, with some interpreting them to be antisemitic, while others believe that Muthee sees Jews as role models for Christians.
Muthee also said that he believed that Christians should influence education, stating, "If we have that in our schools we will not have kids being taught how to worship Buddha
, how to worship (Prophet) Mohammed. We will not have in the curriculum, witchcraft and sorcery."
During the same sermon, Muthee prayed over Sarah Palin
, who was then campaigning for Alaska governor, asking God to "bring finances her way even for the campaign in the name of Jesus... Use her to turn this nation the other way around and to keep her safe from every form of witchcraft." When Palin spoke to missionaries at the church in June 2008, she referenced the blessing, saying, "Pastor Muthee was here and he was praying over me, and you know how he speaks and he's so bold. And he was praying 'Lord make a way, Lord make a way'... He said, 'Lord make a way and let her do this next step.' And that's exactly what happened." On Sept. 25, 2008, during the United States presidential election
, an Associated Press article on the blessing was published in international news. Some sources compared the story to the Jeremiah Wright controversy
, but The Boston Herald described it as "all smoke and no fire," pointing out that some religious experts believed that, in light of Muthee's cultural background, there was nothing strange about the prayer.
Muthee returned to the Wasilla church as a guest speaker for the weekend of September 20–22, 2008. He spoke there again in October 2010, with video footage available on the church's website.
, Sweden
. In 2008, Muthee was also a speaker at the Exchange Africa-Australia Summit. In addition, Bishop Muthee has a "strategic partnership" with Yarra Plenty Church of Victoria, Australia, with an October 2008 sermon by Muthee available on their website.
Churches in Finland have donated funds to Muthee's congregation to build and support projects including a vocational center to provide training in tailoring, dressmaking, and fashion design; hairdressing and beauty therapy; computer studies; catering; plumbing; motor vehicle mechanics; and welding and metal works. As of June 2009, Word of Faith Community College has been completed and is training students in some of the planned professions. The computer studies program has been accredited by the Computer Society of Kenya.
Beginning in January 2008, the Word of Faith Church in Limuru
cooperated with the Kenya Red Cross and UNICEF to house internally displaced person
s. Kenya's Daily Nation reported in October 2008 that some families were still being sheltered there.
Members of the children's ministry group, Kids Works™ International, visited Muthee's congregation in late 2008.
Muthee's recent ventures include plans to provide a pastor for the Maasai in Kenya as part of a project with Eagle Rock Covenant Network to help the tribe dig a well and build a village. Muthee was also involved with Restoration Alliance in providing potable water
to Kenya. Restoration Alliance is affiliated with Radiant Life Church in Sacramento where Thomas Muthee has been a frequent speaker and personal friend of Pastor Tony Cunningham.
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
n preacher and bishop. During the 2008 United States Presidential campaign, his visit to the Wasilla, Alaska
Wasilla, Alaska
Wasilla is a city in Matanuska-Susitna Borough, United States and the sixth-largest city in Alaska. It is located on the northern point of Cook Inlet in the Matanuska-Susitna Valley of the southcentral part of the state. The city's population was 7,831 at the 2010 census...
Assembly of God
Wasilla Assembly of God
The Wasilla Assembly of God is a church in the town of Wasilla, Alaska. Founded in 1951, it is a member of the Assemblies of God, a Pentecostal Christian denomination....
in 2005, including a blessing that he gave Sarah Palin
Sarah Palin
Sarah Louise Palin is an American politician, commentator and author. As the Republican Party nominee for Vice President in the 2008 presidential election, she was the first Alaskan on the national ticket of a major party and first Republican woman nominated for the vice-presidency.She was...
, was widely discussed. His prior claims of successful spiritual warfare
Spiritual warfare
Spiritual warfare is a range of activity by various Christian groups whereby Satanic demons are combatted, using a variety of methods depending on the group, but typically through prayer.-Range of practice, history, and methodology:...
in Kiambu
Kiambu
Kiambu is a town in Central Province, Kenya. It is located at around , in the elevation of about 1,720 m. It has an urban population of 13,814. It is the capital of the Kiambu District, which bounds the northern border of Nairobi...
, Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
involving an alleged witch known as "Mama Jane" also came under specific scrutiny. In addition to his Alaskan visits, Muthee has spoken to churches in multiple European countries and is involved in humanitarian work in Africa.
Background
Thomas Muthee's church website states that he holds a Master's degreeMaster's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
in practical ministry and founded the Word of Faith Church in February 1989 in the town of Kiambu, Kenya (near Nairobi
Nairobi
Nairobi is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The city and its surrounding area also forms the Nairobi County. The name "Nairobi" comes from the Maasai phrase Enkare Nyirobi, which translates to "the place of cool waters". However, it is popularly known as the "Green City in the Sun" and is...
) before going on to found approximately 400 churches in the nearby regions of Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
, Uganda
Uganda
Uganda , officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. Uganda is also known as the "Pearl of Africa". It is bordered on the east by Kenya, on the north by South Sudan, on the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the southwest by Rwanda, and on the south by...
, Tanzania
Tanzania
The United Republic of Tanzania is a country in East Africa bordered by Kenya and Uganda to the north, Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west, and Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique to the south. The country's eastern borders lie on the Indian Ocean.Tanzania is a state...
, Sudan
Sudan
Sudan , officially the Republic of the Sudan , is a country in North Africa, sometimes considered part of the Middle East politically. It is bordered by Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the northeast, Eritrea and Ethiopia to the east, South Sudan to the south, the Central African Republic to the...
, and Gisenyi
Gisenyi
Gisenyi is a city in Rubavu district in the Western Province of Rwanda. Gisenyi is contiguous with Goma, the city across the border in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The population of the city is about 106 000 .-Description:...
in Rwanda
Rwanda
Rwanda or , officially the Republic of Rwanda , is a country in central and eastern Africa with a population of approximately 11.4 million . Rwanda is located a few degrees south of the Equator, and is bordered by Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo...
. The original church is also known as the "Prayer Cave" because meetings were originally held in a grocery basement. Muthee's late wife, Margaret Muthee, was a teacher, and they had two children: Joshua and Ann. Joshua, a student at Sacramento State University in Sacramento, CA, resides with a pastor of his father's local financial supporter, Radiant Life Church. As of 2008, Thomas served as the East African director of the International Spiritual Warfare Network.
Mama Jane
Muthee and his wife returned home to Kenya from ScotlandScotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, where he had finished his graduate studies, in 1988. They soon felt that they were "called by God to Kiambu" and after six months of prayer, research, and "spiritual mapping," they came to believe that a woman known as "Mama Jane" was a witch, and thereby caused traffic fatalities, traffic accidents, crime, and spiritual oppression in the area. Muthee alleged that "top government and business leaders [were] afraid to do anything without her approval," that at least one person per month would die in a car accident in front of her "divination
Divination
Divination is the attempt to gain insight into a question or situation by way of an occultic standardized process or ritual...
house" and that she weekly "went to Thomas' church site, performed magic, and cast her spells and curses." Muthee publicly declared, “Mama Jane either gets saved and serves the Lord, or she leaves town! There is no longer room in Kiambu for both of us!" Soon after his followers began to pray that God would either save or oust Mama Jane, three young people died in another apparent accident in front of Mama Jane's house, according to Muthee's account. Angry townsfolk wanted to stone
Stoning
Stoning, or lapidation, is a form of capital punishment whereby a group throws stones at a person until the person dies. No individual among the group can be identified as the one who kills the subject, yet everyone involved plainly bears some degree of moral culpability. This is in contrast to the...
Mama Jane in retaliation for the traffic accidents. When the police entered Mama Jane's home to intervene, they were allegedly startled by what they believed to be a demon
Demon
call - 1347 531 7769 for more infoIn Ancient Near Eastern religions as well as in the Abrahamic traditions, including ancient and medieval Christian demonology, a demon is considered an "unclean spirit" which may cause demonic possession, to be addressed with an act of exorcism...
and shot her pet python
Python (genus)
Python, from the Greek word , is a genus of non-venomous pythons found in Africa, Asia and Australia. Currently, 7 species are recognised. A member of this group, P. reticulatus, is among the longest snakes known.-Geographic range:...
to death. Mama Jane was then questioned by police, after which she left town, according to some accounts.
Muthee has frequently referred to the Mama Jane event as an example of successful “spiritual mapping," which includes locating specific witches by research and prayer, and spiritual warfare
Spiritual warfare
Spiritual warfare is a range of activity by various Christian groups whereby Satanic demons are combatted, using a variety of methods depending on the group, but typically through prayer.-Range of practice, history, and methodology:...
, claiming that crime and traffic accidents were reduced as a result of chasing Mama Jane out of town. Others have referred to the event as an example of the power of prayer. The event was depicted in two videos by George Otis, Jr., in which Muthee claimed that the crime and traffic accident rate in Kiambu dropped drastically after Mama Jane left, and that he is responsible for positive social change in the town.
Workgroup "Back to the Bible," headed by Pastor Rien van de Kraats of Kamperland
Kamperland
Kamperland is a town in the Dutch province of Zeeland. It is a part of the municipality of Noord-Beveland, and lies about 11 km northeast of Middelburg.In 2001, the town of Kamperland had 1342 inhabitants...
, Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
, found no police reports or any other sources that backed up Muthee’s claims. Investigators have asserted that "Mama Jane" is Jane Njenga, a local pastor who never left Kiambu.
Wasilla Assembly of God
Bishop Muthee visited the Wasilla Assembly of GodWasilla Assembly of God
The Wasilla Assembly of God is a church in the town of Wasilla, Alaska. Founded in 1951, it is a member of the Assemblies of God, a Pentecostal Christian denomination....
in 2005, delivering several guest sermons. During one sermon, Muthee covered seven areas of society that he said Christians should control, including the economic area:
The Bible says that the wealth of the wicked is stored up for the righteous. It is high time that we have top Christian businessmen, businesswomen, bankers, you know, who are men and women of integrity, running the economics of our nations. That’s what we are waiting for. That’s part and parcel of transformation. If you look at the Israelites, you know, that’s how they won. And that’s how they are, even today. When we will see that, you know, the talk transport us in the lands. We see, you know, the bankers. We see the people holding the paths. They are believers. We will not have the kind of corruption that we are hearing in our societies.
There has been debate over the meaning of his comments, with some interpreting them to be antisemitic, while others believe that Muthee sees Jews as role models for Christians.
Muthee also said that he believed that Christians should influence education, stating, "If we have that in our schools we will not have kids being taught how to worship Buddha
Buddha
In Buddhism, buddhahood is the state of perfect enlightenment attained by a buddha .In Buddhism, the term buddha usually refers to one who has become enlightened...
, how to worship (Prophet) Mohammed. We will not have in the curriculum, witchcraft and sorcery."
During the same sermon, Muthee prayed over Sarah Palin
Sarah Palin
Sarah Louise Palin is an American politician, commentator and author. As the Republican Party nominee for Vice President in the 2008 presidential election, she was the first Alaskan on the national ticket of a major party and first Republican woman nominated for the vice-presidency.She was...
, who was then campaigning for Alaska governor, asking God to "bring finances her way even for the campaign in the name of Jesus... Use her to turn this nation the other way around and to keep her safe from every form of witchcraft." When Palin spoke to missionaries at the church in June 2008, she referenced the blessing, saying, "Pastor Muthee was here and he was praying over me, and you know how he speaks and he's so bold. And he was praying 'Lord make a way, Lord make a way'... He said, 'Lord make a way and let her do this next step.' And that's exactly what happened." On Sept. 25, 2008, during the United States presidential election
United States presidential election, 2008
The United States presidential election of 2008 was the 56th quadrennial presidential election. It was held on November 4, 2008. Democrat Barack Obama, then the junior United States Senator from Illinois, defeated Republican John McCain, the senior U.S. Senator from Arizona. Obama received 365...
, an Associated Press article on the blessing was published in international news. Some sources compared the story to the Jeremiah Wright controversy
Jeremiah Wright controversy
The Jeremiah Wright controversy is an American political issue that gained national attention in March 2008 when ABC News, after reviewing dozens of U.S. 2008 Presidential Election candidate Barack Obama's pastor Jeremiah Wright's sermons, excerpted parts which were subject to intense media scrutiny...
, but The Boston Herald described it as "all smoke and no fire," pointing out that some religious experts believed that, in light of Muthee's cultural background, there was nothing strange about the prayer.
Muthee returned to the Wasilla church as a guest speaker for the weekend of September 20–22, 2008. He spoke there again in October 2010, with video footage available on the church's website.
Other appearances and projects
Muthee has traveled extensively as an international guest speaker and pastor. He and his wife were guest speakers of a Greenville, PA church in December 2002. In 2004, Muthee delivered two sermons as a guest pastor at the Kingsgate Community Church in the United Kingdom, recorded and posted at its web site. The following month, in May 2004, Muthee reprised his role as a guest speaker at an international prayer conference organized by the International Christian Chamber of Commerce in ÖrebroÖrebro
-Sites of interest:Örebro's old town Wadköping is located on the banks of Svartån . It contains many 18th and 19th century wooden houses, along with museums and exhibitions....
, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
. In 2008, Muthee was also a speaker at the Exchange Africa-Australia Summit. In addition, Bishop Muthee has a "strategic partnership" with Yarra Plenty Church of Victoria, Australia, with an October 2008 sermon by Muthee available on their website.
Churches in Finland have donated funds to Muthee's congregation to build and support projects including a vocational center to provide training in tailoring, dressmaking, and fashion design; hairdressing and beauty therapy; computer studies; catering; plumbing; motor vehicle mechanics; and welding and metal works. As of June 2009, Word of Faith Community College has been completed and is training students in some of the planned professions. The computer studies program has been accredited by the Computer Society of Kenya.
Beginning in January 2008, the Word of Faith Church in Limuru
Limuru
Limuru is a town in central Kenya. It is also the name of a parliamentary constituency and an administrative division. Current 2004 population is about 4800....
cooperated with the Kenya Red Cross and UNICEF to house internally displaced person
Internally displaced person
An internally displaced person is someone who is forced to flee his or her home but who remains within his or her country's borders. They are often referred to as refugees, although they do not fall within the current legal definition of a refugee. At the end of 2006 it was estimated there were...
s. Kenya's Daily Nation reported in October 2008 that some families were still being sheltered there.
Members of the children's ministry group, Kids Works™ International, visited Muthee's congregation in late 2008.
Muthee's recent ventures include plans to provide a pastor for the Maasai in Kenya as part of a project with Eagle Rock Covenant Network to help the tribe dig a well and build a village. Muthee was also involved with Restoration Alliance in providing potable water
Drinking water
Drinking water or potable water is water pure enough to be consumed or used with low risk of immediate or long term harm. In most developed countries, the water supplied to households, commerce and industry is all of drinking water standard, even though only a very small proportion is actually...
to Kenya. Restoration Alliance is affiliated with Radiant Life Church in Sacramento where Thomas Muthee has been a frequent speaker and personal friend of Pastor Tony Cunningham.
External links
- Word of Faith Church
- Word of Faith Church - Kenya (older website, now defunct)
- Kingsgate Community Church - Muthee sermons (MP3MP3MPEG-1 or MPEG-2 Audio Layer III, more commonly referred to as MP3, is a patented digital audio encoding format using a form of lossy data compression...
audio format) - Wasilla Assembly of God Church: Bishop Thomas Muthee from Kenya - Muthee sermons (RealMediaRealMediaRealMedia is a proprietary multimedia container format created by RealNetworks. Its extension is ".rm". It is typically used in conjunction with RealVideo and RealAudio and is used for streaming content over the Internet....
audio and video format) - Radiant Life Church