In a recent interview with BBC Pidgin, Pastor Jimmy Odukoya emphasized that his physical appearance is not in conflict with his role as a minister.
He clarified that every aspect of his appearance is rooted in his spiritual beliefs and is not arbitrary.
Odukoya explained, “God called me just as I am, with my dreads and all. The story behind my dreads is quite extensive, but the key point is that everything I do is grounded in scripture.
If someone questions my long hair, I would refer them to the Bible, where the Lord instructed Samson not to cut his hair.”
Regarding his facial hair, he justified his appearance by highlighting that even Jesus had a beard, which was pulled during his crucifixion. Therefore, having a beard cannot be considered sinful.
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He stated, “When people say, ‘He’s a pastor and he has a beard,’ remember that the Bible mentions that when Jesus was tortured, his beard was pulled from his face.
If he didn’t have a beard, what hair would they have pulled? Would it have been fresh skin?”
Odukoya encouraged individuals to differentiate between personal preferences and opinions and what constitutes a ‘sin,’ as they are not always the same.
“Personal opinions should not be confused with sin. If you prefer short hair or long hair, that’s fine. But if you assert that I can’t have long hair because ‘it’s a sin,’ my brother, that’s where we will disagree,” he affirmed.
Pastor Jimmy Odukoya was ordained as a minister in 2009 and led the youth division of the church (Church 3:16) until 2022. He also established another branch called ‘The Cave’ in 2019.
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