Celestial Church of Christ Shepherd Sanctioned Over James Brown Deliverance

Celestial Church of Christ Shepherd Sanctioned Over James Brown Deliverance

 

OpenLife Nigeria reports that the Shepherd of the Celestial Church of Christ (CCC) Prophet Eze Timothy of Orisun Iye Parish, Alpha and Omega located in Ogun State, Nigeria.

has been challenged and sanctioned by a disciplinary panel after a public deliverance he conducted for James Brown, the Nigerian entertainer and cross-dresser, sparked widespread controversy.

Critics argued that the act contravened both Nigerian law and scriptural teachings.

During the panel’s questioning, the Shepherd explained his side of the story, insisting he did not know James Brown personally.

“I didn’t know James Brown; he is a friend of my daughter,” he said. “My daughter brought James on 1st of February and asked me to pray for him.”

He added that he was unaware of James Brown’s gender because James was already in female attire when he entered the church.

“I didn’t know his gender, because he was already in garment before entering the church, so I asked my member to go get minerals to use to pray for him,” he said.

“Immediately I prayed for James, before the closing of the service, he had already left the church.”

The Shepherd emphasized that he did not receive any payment.

“I didn’t take a dime from James Brown,” he said. He also explained that the controversy only escalated after the video of the incident went viral. “It was after the video went viral people started shouting ‘James Brown, James Brown’ online. Later, my daughter explained to me that he is a man but acts like a woman.”

The CCC disciplinary panel pressed further questions, asking:

“Why do you have to leave preaching to pray for someone you claim you don’t know and is just your daughter’s friend?”
“What is the use of the minerals?”

“As a senior prophet and Shepherd, why didn’t you ask the Holy Spirit to know who knelt before you before praying to him?”

“Why did you arrange the minerals in a circle if you claim what you did for him isn’t spiritual work?”
The Shepherd pleaded for forgiveness, both from church authorities and the public.

“I pleaded with all the CCC authorities and founder, I pleaded with the young and old to forgive me my mistake and promise such will never happen again,” he said.

The controversy surrounding James Brown’s visit to the Celestial Church of Christ highlights the clash between traditional religious expectations and modern expressions of identity.

While the Shepherd has pleaded for forgiveness and clarified his intentions, the incident continues to spark public debate about gender expression, social media influence, and the responsibilities of religious leaders in Nigeria.