Monrovia — The statement by President Charles Taylor last Friday that 'Jesus Christ is not God' appears to have shocked the Christian community, prompting reactions from Christian prelates.

Archbishop Michael K. Francis and Pastor Oliver Kpaan of the Life Tabernacle Church on Benson Street, Monrovia, reacted that the question of Jesus Christ being God was undebatable in Christendom.

Bishop Francis, in a sermon broadcast on the Catholic Radio Veritas, said defenders of the Christian faith should excommunicate those who are denying the divinity of Jesus Christ as God, saying that in their role as prelates they are under obligation to defend the divinity of Jesus Christ.

Bishop Francis said it was not healthy for people who say they are Christian to argue against the "fact of Jesus being God."

Also aggravated by the President's statement, Elder Kpaan is quoted as saying that Jesus Christ is God of all creations and there was no need for any debate.

According to a broadcast monitored on the Ducor Broadcasting Corporation (DC 101.1 FM) yesterday, Pastor Kpaan, in the regular Sunday sermon at the Life Tabernacle Church, explained that Jesus is God in the flesh and not a lesser God as perceived by the President.

The clergyman said while he believes that many Christians do not understand the doctrinal issues surrounding the deity of Jesus Christ, denying Christ divinity as God is tantamount to denying the Christian faith.

Pastor Kpaan noted that except one believes that the Jehovah of the Old Testament is Jesus of the New Testament, he or she could be classified as a member of one of the cult groups and not a Christian.

The clergyman called on Christians to search the scriptures for themselves in order to avoid running into errors.

The reactions of the Christian preachers are in apparent response to views expressed by President Taylor, when he spoke on the Kiss-FM Radio and TV during a recent edition of "Issues With The President".

The President said God is punishing this country because it has sinned. "...There is this major sin in this country. God has punished this country, and has continued to punish this country until Liberians turn to God."

According to him, he is just a vessel being used by God, "so I don't worry, I don't suffer from heart blood pressure, nothing . . . I have an altar and a chapel. I pray and I believe in God." the President said

The President noted that he worries only about doing the right thing so that he will live in peace during his final days when he meets his maker (God).

The President said, "I cannot compromise God even with Jesus Christ," emphasizing that "I put my total trust in God. I am a very tough believer, I'm so tough about my beliefs about God that I don't compromise God even with Jesus Christ, I don't compromise that."

"There are beliefs that there is one God; that Jesus is not God, he's God's son . . . I don't equate God with anyone, nothing. He's Supreme, and I give my life and my all to him, so I don't worry . . . " the President said.

The President's statement followed a question posed to him about his personal life style.

But Bishop Francis and Pastor Kpaan have disclaimed the pattern of theological belief of President Taylor, saying that Jesus is God.