Summary
Rwanda plans to tax church offerings, arguing some churches exploit poor Rwandans through the “prosperity gospel,” which links faith to financial blessings.
President Kagame, who has accused pastors of “squeezing money” from the poor, has already shut down nearly 8,000 churches for failing safety and regulatory standards.
Critics, including journalist Ivan Mugisha, view the move as authoritarian and an attack on religious freedoms.
The government also proposes requiring pastors to hold bachelor’s degrees.
While some acknowledge the need to curb exploitation, others argue taxation could harm legitimate faith-based initiatives and exacerbate inequality.
I’m pretty sure “rogue pastor” in the US is gonna look like Dietrich Bonhoeffer (and probably suffer the same fate). The “rogue pastors” we would want to keep in line with a tax are all huge, HUGE Trump advocates from their pulpits, so mainline now.
I chose the wrong profession…