Pastor Jimmy Odukoya responds to queries on why he keeps dreadlocks
Pastor Jimmy Odukoya, the head pastor of Fountain of Life Church has responded to criticism over his deadlock and scriptural messages.
While responding to an interview by the BBC, he noted that his appearance has nothing to do with his calling as a minister. He emphasized that his preaching is backed by scriptural calling and has nothing to do with circumstance.
“God called me the way I am, just as I am. As for my dreads, the story behind it is long but the thing is everything I do is backed up by scriptures. If you tell me something, I’d tell you ‘Let’s check the scriptures’. If someone says that long hair is wrong, I’d tell you to check the Bible where the Lord told Samson not to cut his hair.” according pastor Jimmy
Speaking about his facial hair, he backed up his appearance by stressing that Jesus himself had a beard which was pulled when he was being crucified, therefore his beard cannot possibly be sinful.
He said, “When people say, ‘Oh he’s a pastor and he has a beard,’ remember the Bible said that when Jesus was tortured his beard was pulled from his face. If he didn’t have a beard, what hair did they pull from his face, was it fresh skin?”
Odukoya charged people to distinguish personal preferences and opinions from ‘sin’ because they are not always mutually exclusive.
“Personal opinion is different from sin, If you like short hair or long hair no problem, but if you tell me that I can’t have long hair because, ‘It’s a sin,’ my brother that’s where we won’t agree,” he said
Pastor Jimmy has come under several attacks after he was announced as the lead pastor of Fountain of Life Church sequel to his father’s death, Pastor Taiwo Odukoya, in August 2023.
He is facing criticism over his appearance which some think undermines biblical theology and the practice of the christian faith.
