THE LIBERIA Council of Churches (LCC), once a noble custodian of the nation’s conscience, has brought shame upon itself. In choosing to bestow its prestigious “Statesmanship Award” on House Speaker Richard Nagbe Koon — a figure widely criticized for his role in undermining Liberia’s constitutional order — the Council has not only lost credibility but has also abdicated its sacred responsibility to speak truth to power.
THIS DECISION, announced during the LCC’s 35th General Assembly, was framed as a recognition of Speaker Koon’s contributions to “peacebuilding, unity, and governance reforms.” But to many Liberians, it represents something far more troubling that the church’s willing entanglement with partisan politics and a disturbing readiness to reward questionable leadership.
THE SPEAKER’S recent actions, particularly during last year’s constitutional crisis in the House of Representatives, have left deep scars on the nation’s democratic fabric.
SPEAKER Koon’s maneuverings — seen by critics as an attempt to bend the Constitution for political convenience —drew widespread condemnation and plunged the legislative branch into chaos.
THAT SUCH a man would now be honored by the LCC defies reason. It is not merely a lapse in judgment; it is a betrayal of the Council’s historic mission and the Christian values of integrity, justice, and accountability.
THE BACKLASH has been swift and deserved. Theologian and civil society advocate Michael T. Biddle called the move a “moral collapse,” and went further to describe the event as a “shameful alliance between political elites and compromised clergy.”
HIS WORDS were not those of a fringe critic, but of a voice rooted in the church’s own tradition of moral leadership. Biddle, in a now widely circulated statement, revealed that he had reached out to no fewer than six senior LCC officials to understand the rationale behind the decision. None could offer a convincing explanation. The silence — or worse, evasiveness — of those at the helm only deepens the public’s concern that the LCC has lost its way.
BISHOP ANDREW Jagaye Karnley, too, publicly rebuked the Council, questioning whether it had lost its moral compass. “The bestowing of honor on a controversial political figure leaves me wondering and asking if the LCC has lost its bearing,” he lamented. Coming from a respected member of the clergy, this comment is a sobering reminder that the outrage is not merely political—it is ecclesiastical, spiritual, and generational.
EVEN MORE striking is the stark contrast between Speaker Koon and his predecessor, former Speaker J. Fonati Koffa. Koffa, who was offered a separate honor by the LCC as “Advocate for Justice and the Rule of Law,” declined the award.
IN A gesture of humility and perhaps protest, Koffa stated simply, “I do not deem myself worthy.” His rejection serves as a damning counterpoint to the acceptance and celebration of Speaker Koon — a man whose recent record is at best controversial and at worst corrosive to Liberia’s constitutional democracy.
KOFFA’S act of restraint elevated him in the eyes of many, while simultaneously casting a longer shadow over the LCC’s decision to honor Speaker Koon. It raises a fundamental question that If a man who arguably has done more to uphold the law considers himself unworthy, what then does it say about the Council’s moral compass in deeming Speaker Koon worthy of praise?
THE CONSEQUENCES of the Council’s decision were already manifest at the event itself. Attendance was thin, many top officials and invitees chose to stay away, and the program failed to ignite the spirit of unity it purported to celebrate.
THE ATMOSPHERE, by most accounts, was tepid at best, a reflection of the disconnect between the church leadership and the broader body of believers it claims to serve.
THIS YEAR’S ceremony was held under the theme, “Reconciliation: Acknowledging the Past, Accepting the Present, and Adjusting for the Future with True Healing.” But honoring a figure at the center of political division and constitutional controversy hardly sets the tone for reconciliation or healing. Instead, it reopens old wounds and sows deeper cynicism about the integrity of the nation’s religious institutions.
MORE BROADLY, this episode speaks to a deeper decay within the LCC. Once a fearless voice under the leadership of icons like Archbishop Michael Kpakala Francis and Bishop Arthur Kulah, the Council today is adrift.
DURING THE Samuel Doe military regime, it was the Council — under the moral force of Bishop George D. Browne— that stood up against state brutality and spoke truth from the pulpit. Now, that same institution is being remembered not for its prophetic voice, but for its political favoritism and spiritual ambiguity.
WHERE ONCE the LCC called out tyranny, today it seems content to curry favor with those in power. Where once it championed justice, today it distributes accolades to those who undermine it.
THE SILENCE of the Council over the years on major national issues — from corruption to electoral violence to impunity — has already chipped away at its moral relevance. But this most recent decision may be the final straw for many Liberians who had long looked to the church as their last line of moral defense.
THE UPCOMING National Intercessory Prayer Service on May 31 offers a moment for the Council to reflect. But reflection without repentance is meaningless.
PRAYER WITHOUT institutional reform is hollow. And honor without merit is an insult not only to the recipient but to every Liberian who still believes in the possibility of ethical governance and true spiritual leadership.
IF THE Liberia Council of Churches wishes to restore its place in the national consciousness — as a beacon of hope, truth, and justice — it must first reconcile with its own founding principles. It must remember that its strength has never come from proximity to power, but from its distance from it. It must remember that to serve God is to serve the people, not the politicians.
UNTIL THE LCC returns to that sacred duty, its voice will remain faint, its witness irrelevant, and its credibility in ruins.
LET THIS be a turning point—not further descent into disgrace.
