Church's missteps with Jamaica 50

by Devon Dick

LAST MONTH, there was a church service organised by the ecumenical church to launch the 50th anniversary of political independence from British colonial rule. The guest preacher was Archbishop of York, Dr John Sentamu. In the order of precedence in England and Wales, Sentamu is ranked higher than British Prime Minister David Cameron. Therefore, Sentamu is high profile. He also has outstanding achievements in jurisprudence in Uganda, where he was born, as well as in theology.

Nevertheless, it was a misstep to have used the Archbishop of York, not because of the personality but because of what the office represents. It is paradoxical that we are celebrating independence from Britain and yet we looked to our coloniser for a guest preacher. And if a Jamaican church leader wants to go and preach in the United Kingdom, he or she would have to get a British visa - which is not guaranteed. The Church of England is still a State Church which Jamaica rejected after the Paul Bogle-led Native Baptist War of 1865. Furthermore, the Queen of England is the head of the Church of England and she owns horses which engage in horse racing, and these same church leaders called down hell fire against an additional day for horse racing. The church made a strategic mistake.

If the church wanted someone from England it would have been better to have selected Jamaica-born Joel Edwards, an ordained minister of the New Testament Church of God. In 1997, Joel was the first person of African origin to be appointed general director of the Evangelical Alliance (EA). The EA represents over one million evangelical Christians and plays a key role in lobbying government on behalf of the Christian community and uniting churches to work together on common goals. Joel has also lobbied on behalf of Jamaicans. Shortly after Jamaicans were required to get a visa to enter Britain, he arranged a meeting at the British Home Office with the person who was instrumental in the visa policy becoming a reality. At that meeting was Bishop Herro Blair, political Ombudsman; Rennard White, then president of the Jamaica Evangelical Association; Pastor Bobby Wilmot, my wife Mary and myself. We argued for a change in the visa requirement, but to no avail. So although Jamaicans fought for Britain against Germany in World War II, war veterans have to get a visa while Germans do not require a visa to go to England. Joel wanted that changed.

And if the church wanted they could have asked recently retired Anglican Bishop Alfred Reid who mandated the erection of a Bronze Negroid crucifix at St Jude's church which was affirming the worth of people of African origin in the eyes of Jesus.

Or why not Jamaican Neville Callam, first person of African origin to be general secretary of the Baptist World Alliance or Paul Gardner, president of the worldwide Moravian Church, if we wanted persons with lofty office.

Missed opportunity

The church missed an opportunity to reflect Jamaica's independence and maturity. It missed an opportunity to affirm that God's Spirit can speak through ordinary Jamaicans. The church missed an opportunity to display self-confidence, self worth and sensitivity to our history as a former colony.

Furthermore, the church service should have affirmed the mother language and a document of the church's witness and work in the last 50 years.

It is said that when Jamaica was celebrating its Independence in 1962, the church had a float that was at the back, which was a symbol of the church being relegated in the affairs of the State, and by selecting a representative from England, who is from the Church of England for Jamaica's 50th anniversary, the local church has symbolised backwardness.

Devon Dick is pastor of the Boulevard Baptist Church in St Andrew. Send comments to columns at gleanerjm.com.