Expert calls for renewal of African Christianity amidst toxic beliefs, moral decay

African churches must urgently confront the spread of toxic doctrines and moral disorientation threatening the future of society, a university don has warned.

Delivering Babcock University’s 55th inaugural lecture, “Toxic Beliefs, Twisted Morals: The Urgency of Theological Detox in a Morally Disoriented Age,” Prof. Efe Ehioghae charged Christian institutions to resist cultural conformity, challenge false teachings, and embody the Gospel’s transformative power.

He argued that communities of faith and the wider society require a “divine detox” from wrong-headed beliefs and weakened moral values in order to recalibrate ethical standards. According to him, “toxic beliefs have undermined truth, and twisted morals now walk the streets as virtue,” a situation the church must not ignore.

Prof. Ehioghae stressed the need for curriculum reforms that prioritise sound biblical interpretation, contextual theology, and Christ-centred ethics. He urged churches and seminaries to reclaim their prophetic role in speaking against political corruption, ethnic violence, exploitation, and other social ills. “Theological detox is not a rejection of faith,” he maintained, “but a return to its authentic core—that truth convicts, liberates, and transforms.”

The don insisted that silence in the face of corruption and manipulation only normalises confusion. He called for accountable, servant-oriented leadership shaped by humility, warning that toxic beliefs thrive where leaders are idolised and religious authority goes unquestioned.

Among his recommendations were integrating ethics into evangelism and discipleship, promoting grassroots theological literacy, dismantling prosperity-driven doctrines, and reviving the biblical doctrine of holiness. He also highlighted the importance of intergenerational mentorship and the development of distinctly African ethical theologies to address public life.

Prof. Ehioghae further emphasised that theology should not remain confined to the pulpit or classroom but must actively engage governance, public policy, environmental stewardship, and justice. “Only a renewed mind and purified theology can heal a fractured world and restore the moral integrity of the church,” he concluded.