The Man of God (BAP Production)

Samuel, the main character in the Nigerian film The Man of God, reminds me of myself as a young college guy in my 20s with ambitious dreams of ministry. We both grew up in heavily Christian households, though Samuel's Christian upbringing was much more extreme than mine! Samuel's dad, Josaiah, would whoop boys' asses for not taking the ministry seriously. That's pretty harsh, right?!

The big difference between me and Samuel is that Samuel’s faith didn’t evolve the way mine did. He lived a worldly life while maintaining his Christian beliefs through his 20s and 30s. I, on the other hand, lived a non-worldly life while my beliefs evolved from Christianity to atheism to secularism.

Movie writer Shola Dada did a great job capturing the psychology of Christian behaviors through the story. From strict Christian households headed by Josiah, Samuel’s father, to a worldly Christian lifestyle, to greed-blinded ministry, and finally repentance. Even though it’s set in Nigeria, I’ve witnessed those same behaviors in the African American community here in the USA.

The Man of God was filmed by BAP Production, based in Nigeria. BAP stands out because of Bolanle Austin Peter, an entrepreneur and lawyer. They produce both films and theater. It reminds me of my godmother, Canara Price, who is a career woman herself and used to run a local theater in Orlando, Florida, years ago.

Unlike my previous movie reviews where I shared the story of the movies, this time I’ll discuss the character Samuel and share my understanding of him based on my own experience.

So, let’s begin!

Samuel was Bishop Josiah’s first child, and there was a lot of hope invested in raising him in a Christian household. I want to make it clear that there’s a big difference between believing in the Christian faith versus believing in the Christian lifestyle and culture. For example, part of the Christian lifestyle and culture emphasizes making sure your kids are saved or love the Lord through the parents' efforts, whereas other parents trust the Lord, believing that their kids' salvation is being taken care of. I can't imagine devout Christian parents telling their kids that they don't have to believe in God, but that it's their job to make sure the kids know the Gospel and then just move on with family life. Nope, that’s not how it usually goes.

Instead, these parents expect their kids to live with the Gospel constantly in front of them. Most of the time, they do this out of fear of eternal consequences for their kids or embarrassment in front of fellow church members. That’s the case with Josaiah, Samuel’s father.

Freshly graduated from high school, Samuel had enough of Josiah’s strict discipline. He made it clear to his dad that he could no longer tolerate his expectations and left home on his own. I’m not sure if Josiah regrets his parenting behavior, since it wasn’t mentioned in the movie, but I’m sure he does.

Samuel could have joined liberal-minded Christian groups at college, but instead, he adopted a worldly lifestyle: drinking, promiscuity, drama, and drugs. I didn’t attend church or get involved with the Christian community regularly, but I never adopted the worldly lifestyle, especially since it wasn’t my cup of tea. I’m not sure why I didn’t do what I could have done—maybe I just felt more comfortable with a simple, conservative lifestyle.

A common ground between Samuel and me is that neither of us had skills outside of church. Samuel was a Gospel singer at his father’s church and later became a band leader during his college years, but he wasn’t a great academic student. He was eventually hired as a Gospel music leader at a church and later converted his music ministry skills into pastoral ministry. But Samuel only became a pastor (a self-called preacher) because he was interested in money and material wealth, as advised by his former college roommate and secret mistress, Reka. She even said, "If I could be a hypocrite, I'd become a pastor." It's true, though, that religion is a big business in Nigeria!

Contrary to Samuel’s experience, the only career skills I’ve managed to acquire in my 30s were CDL trucking and machinery. Unfortunately, my lifestyle changed so quickly that it forced me to realize both careers weren’t the right fit for my living situation, especially being a parent to a toddler boy with multiple disabilities who needs attention 24/7! Samuel, on the other hand, never had kids, even though he was married to his college sweetheart. Therefore, Samuel could have easily pursued a career outside the church without any issues, but it seems that he stayed in the church because of the easy money, or so I assume.

With Reka’s advice, Samuel established his church, "The Vineyard Ministries of Love." Existing financial resources and connections made it easy for Samuel to thrive in the ministry. His church grew so fast, thanks to his charismatic nature. Meanwhile, Reka and Samuel used the church as a "front" for human organ and drug trafficking. They funded the trafficking business with the new, non-drug money that came from Samuel’s church.

Everything fell apart when Samuel received the news on the phone that Reka had passed away. His wife, Teju, learned the truth about Samuel’s secret escape plan to Canada with his former college crush, Joy, who was married to another man, as well as his illegal business behind the church. Samuel admitted that he wasn't in a happy relationship with Teju. Teju was hurt and hurtful with Samuel’s confession. Teju turned in all the evidence at the police station, and Samuel was arrested. A few years later, Samuel was released from prison and returned to his childhood church, where he found his father, Josaiah, preaching. Josaiah and Samuel were finally reunited.

It's interesting to note that, as I mentioned earlier, Samuel’s faith evolved through many chapters during his journey. I believe Samuel returned to his father's church with fresh emotions, as if to say, "It's good to be home again.

But it's clear that Samuel isn't a theologically informed or philosophy-driven person, so he never had any issues with faith challenges or questions, even though he lived a worldly lifestyle. On the other hand, I never lived a worldly lifestyle, but I was constantly challenging many things that questioned Christian beliefs and beyond.

I gave this movie 5 stars for its great storytelling. I'm really curious about where or how Shola Dada got the inspiration for the story. Maybe she observed someone's testimony that she personally knew. I'd love to meet Shola one day!