Patrick Doyle, the ace Nigerian actor, has criticised the phrase “I am chosen”, commonly chanted by members of The Lord’s Chosen Charismatic Revival Ministries.

In a recent Facebook post, Doyle described the phrase as “nonsensical” and argued it is not a Christian doctrine.

“The phrase ‘I am a chosen,’ as used by members of the religious sect called ‘Chosen,’ should never be connected to the Body of Christ,” he wrote.

“The members of this sect do not have Jesus in mind when they chant the phrase. Their adoration is unequivocally directed at a man, their GO, and the sect he founded. The phrase does not mention or even imply Jesus in any way.

“To infer that the nonsensical phrase is remotely connected to giving glory to the name or person of our Savior, Jesus Christ, is to make a mockery of our faith.

“Bloggers and content creators using the phrase are not mocking the Church of God but the sect in question and its founder.”

Doyle’s remark comes on the heels of skepticism surrounding testimonies from the church.

Last week, social media users shared old clips of congregants recounting their miraculous experiences.

In one video, an elderly woman claimed four armed robbers attacked her but miraculously gained control of their guns, leading to the arrest of three of the assailants.

Similarly, a man testified that he survived a kidnapping, machete assaults, and gunshots “without sustaining any injuries.”

Another man alleged that a lion rescued him from kidnappers by lifting him into the air and guiding him to safety.

Kemi Lala Akindoju, the Nollywood actress, has criticised the doctrine of The Lord’s Chosen Charismatic Revival Ministries.

The film star’s comments come after viral social media clips showed church members sharing strange testimonies.

In one video, an elderly woman claimed four armed robbers attacked her but miraculously gained control of their guns.

Similarly, a man testified that he survived a kidnapping, machete assaults, and gunshots “without sustaining any injuries.”

Another man alleged that a lion rescued him from kidnappers by lifting him into the air and guiding him to safety.

A church member recently argued the testimonies are “verifiable” and referenced businessman E-Money and the Bayelsa governor as witnesses.

In a video, the man warned critics to stop mocking the church, citing the risk of facing God’s wrath.

“Let me make an input so that people who want to make money from the videos can stop it,” he said.

“It is not good for your image, it might affect you tomorrow and you come to the altar of Lord Chosen to kneel before the God of Chosen and apologise.

“When my pastor made that declaration for all members worldwide, he said it can be said once you meet a danger.

“Be it armed robbery, fire or road accident or seeing a snake or lizard in the bush. After the declaration, you will see something beyond human power.

“… Many testimonies have happened. These are all verifiable testimonies, chosen testimonies are verifiable. They are not cooked up.

“.. I’m advising you not to make caricatures of the testimonies so that the wrath of God will not come upon you.

“If you doubt it, ask E-Money and governor of Bayelsa.”

Reacting to the video, Akindoju wondered why church members are instructed to call upon their pastor’s God instead of Jesus in times of trouble, contrary to Biblical teachings.

The movie star attributed the doctrine to church members’ “lack of knowledge about their religion”.

Akindoju emphasized the importance of understanding one’s religion and reading the Bible personally.

“I’m not a fan making fun of the testimonies. But what happened to calling Jesus in time of trouble? As stated in the Bible,” she wrote on Instagram.

“Why should people be indoctrinated to shout chosen thrice and call on the God of their pastor?

“Anyway, it is because they won’t read their Bible for themselves. And their leaders are happy to keep them ignorant.”

The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has condemned a viral testimony of a Lord’s Chosen Charismatic Revival Ministries member who claimed “an angel” provided answers to her during an examination.

In the undated video, the congregant claimed during her promotional examination, an old man appeared to her and gave her answers to some questions.

“Brethren, nobody knew this question. So, all I did was to raise the question paper and declare to it: ‘I am a Chosen! I am a chosen!! I am a chosen!!! This question, who are you? Where is the God of my pastor power?’” she asked.

“Then, suddenly, an old man appeared by my right-hand side in white apparel. He told me, ‘My daughter, begin to write.’ And I began to write.”

According to Punch, Stephen Adegbite, CAN chairman in Lagos, described the testimony as “fabrications”.

Adegbite also criticised the church for allowing such testimonies while emphasising the importance of verifying claims.

He stressed that not all testimonies are suitable for public consumption and urged churches to scrutinise members’ stories before allowing them to testify.

Adegbite said CAN plans to meet on September 28 to address the concerns.

“She is entitled to her opinion as she is the owner of her mouth. But for anyone to say such, we must verify that. We must see the people in the hall, and they must testify against her that that was never the situation,” he said.

“But looking at it ordinarily, that is a foolish talk, and nobody should accept that. There are testimonies you don’t allow to be given in the church. And that is why before people give their testimonies, you should invite them and know what they want to talk about.

“If it is something that is good for public consumption, you should allow it to go. But if you know that the story they are telling can only be told to monkeys, you should ask the person to go and face the monkeys and say that, not in the church. So, that type of testimony should be served to the monkeys and not to human beings.”

Efforts by TheCable Lifestyle to get Daniel Okon, CAN president, to comment on the matter have proven abortive.

There has been growing skepticism surrounding testimonies from the church. Last week, social media users shared old clips of congregants recounting their miraculous experiences.

In one video, an elderly woman claimed she was attacked by four armed robbers but miraculously gained control of their guns.

Similarly, a man testified that he survived a kidnapping, machete assaults, and gunshots “without sustaining any injuries.”

Another man alleged that a lion rescued him from kidnappers by lifting him into the air and guiding him to safety.

Dee One, the comedian, earlier warned critics not to incur the wrath of Lazarus Muoka, the church’s general overseer.

IK Ogbonna, the actor, also called on the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) to tackle the issue of “fake miracles” in churches.