'Miracles attacked and ridiculed' - Alleluia Ministries cries foul

Alleluia Ministries now says that its pastor Alph Lukau did not claim to have brought a dead man back to life.

In a hotly anticipated statement released on Wednesday, the church claims to be the victim of an "unwarranted and sustained attack" that is fuelled by bias, speculation and "a blatant" refusal to accept "certain irrefutable facts".

"At no stage did the pastor [Lukau] claim that he resurrected the person shown in the video, who was identified by his family as Elliot," said the church.

The church earlier admitted that when the coffin carrying the man arrived at the service, he had already "come back to life".

"Prior to even praying for Elliot, pastor Alph states that Elliot is in fact breathing," said the church.

Following allegations that "Elliot" had previously been employed as a cameraman for Alleluia Ministries, the church refuted claims that the man depicted in some photos with Lukau was the same man who had supposedly risen from the dead. 

"This is not the case - and the cameraman, who is not Elliot, is still employed by the church," they said.

The church said they remain steadfast in their belief that not only can people be healed but they can be resurrected.

"God's power, simply put, knows no bounds," said the church.

"Whilst this should be the celebrated reality, the unfortunate truth is that miracles which are delivered through the power of God are now no longer celebrated for ... being divine interventions. They are - conversely, in fact - attacked and ridiculed, along [with] those who believe that through the grace and power of God anything is possible.

"We are accused of being charlatans and those who share our belief in the divine power of God are labelled naive," added the church.