The Gospel According to Self: Why Christianity in Kenya Has Failed to Transform Us

What does it truly mean to be good?

Socrates asked this question, and so did the writer of Proverbs. The ancient Greeks believed the examined life was the only one worth living. The Hebrew Bible implores us to walk humbly, do justly, and love mercy. Jesus said the greatest commandment is love—of God, and of neighbor. Yet despite all these teachings, human beings often seek shortcuts to virtue. 

In Kenya, where Christian devotion saturates the public and private sphere—where gospel music flows from every matatu, church gatherings abound, and Bibles decorate countless coffee tables—there remains a chasm between belief and moral action.

Why does Christianity seem powerless to transform us?

We are a nation flooded with religious ritual but starved of ethical reflection. You can go to a church service on Sunday, steal land on Monday, destroy a young woman’s life on Tuesday, and blame it all on the devil by Wednesday. We memorize scripture but forget to live it. We cry during worship songs and curse the house help in the same breath. The disconnect is alarming—and it demands a reckoning.

There is a rupture here. A dangerous, soul-rotting disconnection.

Socrates once said, “The unexamined life is not worth living.” Jesus warned, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven.” Zhuangzi taught that a person who clings too tightly to doctrine is often furthest from truth. These are not the voices of preachers, but of men who spent their lives interrogating what it means to be truly good.

So what happens when we inherit scripture but not its spirit? 

We are a people steeped in religious devotion, yet bankrupt in ethical fruit. We call ourselves Christian, yet our systems, our relationships, and our daily lives are often marked by moral failure.

The Philosopher’s Mirror vs. The Worshipper’s Blindness

The wisdom of Confucius, Seneca, Marcus Aurelius or even indigenous African philosophers like Mbiti or Okot p’Bitek urges introspection. You read these texts to reflect, to grow, to confront yourself. They don’t ask you to love them. They ask you to wrestle with your behavior.

But with Christianity in Kenya, love has become the currency.
Love God. Praise God. Worship God.
But we rarely pause to ask: What does it mean to actually walk with God?
What if the obsession with “loving God” has become a bypass? A mask? A decoy?

Because here's the disturbing truth: we love the idea of loving God more than we love the hard work of becoming ethical, decent human beings.

When Love Becomes Performance

Perhaps part of the problem lies in how we have framed our relationship with God. The popular language of "loving God" can be misleading, especially when human beings associate love with emotional highs, acts of service, or personal gain. We say we love God but treat His commandments like suggestions. We tithe faithfully, not out of obedience or justice, but hoping for material return. We fast not to humble ourselves, but to manipulate outcomes. It is no longer about becoming good, but about becoming blessed.

This turns Christianity into a transactional faith, one that mirrors Kenya's transactional culture. You pray for a job. You sow a seed for a promotion. You serve in church to get a spouse. And if all goes well, you assume God is pleased. But what if moral character—not material success—is the true fruit of spiritual life?

Scriptures We Weaponize and Scriptures We Ignore

Kenyan Christians are often selective with scripture. The verses that rebuke our conduct are dismissed or reinterpreted. Meanwhile, scriptures about judgment, grace, or divine mercy are quoted liberally to justify ongoing sin.

“Do not judge, lest you be judged.” – Matthew 7:1

This verse is wielded like a shield by adulterers, conmen, thieves, and spiritual abusers to avoid accountability.

“Man looks at the outward appearance, but God looks at the heart.” – 1 Samuel 16:7

Used to excuse everything from sexual immorality to business fraud.

“David was a man after God’s own heart.”

An adulterer and murderer, yes—but also deeply repentant, humbled, and crushed by the weight of his sin. We rarely talk about the part where his household was cursed, or that he paid dearly for his choices.

“Touch not the Lord’s anointed.” – Psalm 105:15

Too often used to silence dissent and protect abusive religious leaders.

There is no shortage of scripture. But there is a severe shortage of conviction.

The Bible as a Mirror, Not a Mask

The Bible, if read as a moral mirror, should stop you in your tracks.
Take this:

“The LORD detests lying lips, but he delights in people who are trustworthy.” — Proverbs 12:22

“Woe to those who call evil good and good evil.” — Isaiah 5:20

Yet in Kenya, lying is a currency. Trust is a joke.
Even pastors fake prophecies and manipulate emotions.
We fast on Friday and bribe on Monday.
We tithe religiously and treat our house helps like slaves.

And then we say, “Only God can judge me.”

We quote David—“a man after God’s own heart”—to excuse our cheating.
We quote Solomon, the man with many wives, to justify our fornication.
We use Paul’s “I do what I don’t want to do” to justify moral laziness.

But we forget that David was broken when confronted. That Solomon’s lust led to ruin. That Paul was describing the war within the soul—not giving you a license to sin boldly and spiritualize your dysfunction.

Religious Performance Has Replaced Ethical Practice

How can a country that plays gospel music in matatus, hosts citywide prayer rallies, and consumes the word by the kilo be one of the most corrupt, dishonest, and sexually compromised societies?

We have confused ritual for transformation.
We think prayer is a substitute for character.

We think quoting Jeremiah 29:11 cancels out adultery.
We think playing Don Moen’s music makes a corrupt tender award “blessed.”
We mistake fasting for spiritual clout, even while harming the people closest to us.

The Kenyan Delusion of Righteousness

Many Kenyans believe they are good, godly people.
They help build churches, donate to the poor, fundraise for medical emergencies.
They believe this makes them kind, generous, morally upright.

But ask their house help.
Ask their child they haven’t spoken to in months.
Ask the person they slandered in a WhatsApp group.

Goodness, biblically, is not measured in songs sung or verses memorized.

“If anyone says, ‘I love God,’ and hates his brother, he is a liar.” — 1 John 4:20

That verse alone should shake us.
But we keep loving God loudly, and harming people quietly.

The Rot Runs Deep

A church elder who hosts a youth mentorship group is texting teenage girls on the side.
A woman who leads worship on Sunday spends Monday through Friday tearing down others in gossip.
A Christian boss quotes scripture on LinkedIn but doesn't pay staff on time.

And still they say, “God knows my heart.”

Yes. And that should scare us.

So, What’s the Problem?

• We’ve made Christianity about loving God emotionally, not becoming good practically.

• We confuse blessing with rightness—if I have money and health, then God approves of me.

• We weaponize scripture to escape accountability.

• We surround ourselves with devotion, not confrontation.

• We treat the Bible like an accessory, not a surgical tool.

The Fruits of Failed Christianity

If our religion worked, it would be visible in how we live.

Yet look around:

• Corruption thrives, from government offices to church treasuries.

• Adultery is rampant and often excused.

• We steal from our employers and justify it as “eating our share.”

• We lie to get jobs, bribe to avoid consequences, and mistreat our staff while claiming to be blessed.

And all the while, we raise our hands in worship.

How can a nation with so many pastors, bishops, prophets, and prayer warriors be so morally bankrupt?

What Is Christianity For, Then?

Christianity is not a feel-good club. It is not a key to prosperity. It is not an identity badge. True Christianity is a call to self-denial, justice, truth, and compassion. It is a lifelong refining of the soul—a daily crucifixion of ego, lust, greed, and pride.

“Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.” – Luke 9:23

That cross is not a literal one. It is the death of selfishness. The death of pride. The death of our appetite for praise, control, and excess.

Tell-Tale Signs of a Failed Christian Life

1. You know all the verses, but none of them convict you anymore.

2. You feel blessed when your bank account is full, not when your conscience is clear.

3. You confuse religious activity for spiritual growth.

4. You mistreat the people closest to you while honoring distant pastors.

5. You fear being found out, not being unjust.

6. You use grace as an excuse for mediocrity and rebellion.

7. You’re quick to defend your pastor, but slow to defend the vulnerable.

8. You pray loudly but can’t apologize quietly.

A Christian Life Worth Living

A morally upright, Christian life is not glamorous. It demands honesty, restraint, and sacrifice. You will lose some battles in the world of shortcuts. You will be mocked for being rigid. You will stand alone. You will lose opportunities that compromise your ethics.

“Enter through the narrow gate.” – Matthew 7:13

It is not easy. But it is right.

• You speak truth even when it costs you.

• You return money that isn’t yours.

• You admit when you are wrong.

• You defend the poor and challenge the powerful.

• You forgive before revenge poisons you.

This is the Gospel in action.

What’s the Way Forward?

Christianity must return to its original function: a confrontation with the human condition.

Ecclesiastes is not about love—it’s about mortality, vanity, purpose.
Proverbs is not about worship—it’s about wisdom, restraint, justice.
The Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5–7) is the most radical ethical document ever written.
It calls us to love enemies, give quietly, forgive deeply, and live with integrity.

But we don’t teach that.
We teach sowing seeds for harvest.
We teach fasting for breakthroughs.
We teach spiritual warfare but ignore the war inside our hearts.

Final Thought:

The devil does not need to stop you from going to church.
He just needs you to go religiously and never change.

If your gospel makes you cry on Sunday but oppress your employees on Monday, it is not gospel.
If your Christianity makes you praise but not apologize, it is a shell.
If your God lets you fornicate, lie, manipulate, and still feel “blessed,”
then perhaps you’ve created a god in your image—not the other way around.

In the end, religion is not meant to flatter us, but to confront us. If your faith always comforts and never convicts you, you are likely worshipping your ego in God’s name.

Christianity is not about loving God with words. It is about living in such a way that even those who don’t believe begin to wonder what is different about you.

“By their fruits you shall know them.” – Matthew 7:16

So… what are your fruits?

Because singing about God while destroying His image in others is not worship. It is delusion. And no matter how loud the choir or how high the offering, nothing substitutes for a life lived in truth.

If your life were evidence in a court of law, would there be enough proof to convict you of being a Christian?