In light of the result of the recent gambling referendum result, a religious leader said the church has a three-fold responsibility in its mission to those in need -- a priestly m...ission which calls for prayer and leading in services on national occasions; a prophetic ministry in which it declares the Word of God on moral issues in the community and a compassionate ministry, demonstrating Christian love in action, based on the ministry of Christ. Reverend J. Emmette Weir, former pastor at Our Savior Lutheran Church in Grand Bahama said applying the three-fold mission of the church means that the church is called upon to exercise its role in praying for the welfare of the nation and leading in services, a role he said the Bahamas Christian Council (BCC) has served over the years.
Rev. Weir who describes himself as a liberationist theologian said he takes issue with people who seek to limit the church only to prayer. He said if the church is to follow in the footsteps of Christ, the preacher, teacher and healer, the church cannot be limited only to prayer. "Martin Luther [King Jr.] taught and demonstrated that prayer is a spur to action, not a substitute for action. And Gustavo Gutierrez (a Peruvian theologian and Dominican priest) emphasized that to know God is to work justice among men. This means that the church must be involved in action to bring about better conditions for all humankind," said Rev. Weir.
"Applied to our situation, the church would have to exercise a ministry of compassion towards any who may be displaced by the closing down or reduction in economic activity of the web shops in our nation." As the country gears up to celebrate its 40th anniversary, Rev. Weir said it behooves the clergy of all churches, as well as laypersons to engage constantly in prayer for divine blessings upon all leaders from the government officials to the leadership in the church. The prophetic role of the church "The church does have as its responsibility the proclamation of the gospel. This means that the church is the moral conscience of the nation.
With regard to the role of the church in events leading up to the referendum, there can be no doubt that the leaders of the church fulfilled their prophetic responsibility. The Christian Council, under the dynamic leadership of Rev. Ranford Patterson, and with the support of other Christian leaders including Pastor Lyall Bethel, Evangelist Rex Major, Rev. Myles Munroe, Bishop Neil Ellis, Bishop the Rev. Derek C.O. Browne and others, lifted their voices in righteous indignation against gambling.
There can be no doubt that their contributions figured prominently in the vote of the public against gambling," he said. At the same time, Rev. Weir said the church should always exercise a ministry of compassion. And that there are at least three positive things the church can do to help people who may be affected. "The church can offer a ministry of counselling, of demonstrating concern for [people] by simply listening to their cries and giving sound advice to help them. Many pastors are trained as counselors and can provide much needed assistance," said Rev. Weir.
The Methodist priest said if web shops are allowed to continue to operate that there is no doubt that people will end up addicted to gambling. And that families may suffer if the bread winner spends money on gambling that should be used to support the family. He said members of the clergy, trained in counseling, can assist these people, and advise them on the proper use of money and the need for self control. He said that if the web shops are deemed illegal and have to close that they know there will be many people displaced and that the church would have to become involved in helping them to find alternative employment, and in general, counsel them as they adjust to life without a paycheck.
The Methodist priest also said counselling must be undergirded by acts of charity. And he said it was encouraging to note that pastors had met to consider ways and means of assisting people who might be displaced or become unemployed should the web shops close. Rev. Weir described it as a step in the right direction. "The church has always been involved in helping those in need, however, should the web shops be closed and many persons are placed on the dole, then the church would be called upon to rapidly expand its ministry of compassion.
Indeed, the whole Christian community would be called upon to take a leaf out of the book of the Salvation Army and embark upon a huge program of rehabilitation." According to Rev. Weir, the church should be mobilizing its resources during this period of legal battles so that it can adequately serve those people who may suffer as a result of the legal deliberations. As the church may be called upon to do much more than it is doing to help people in need should workers be displaced.
"At the practical level it may mean assisting them by providing meals, helping them with the payment of the light bill, rent and mortgage. And the church may open more of its facilities for the training of those who are displaced to enable them to become computer literate to be able to work in jobs requiring such skills. There is much that can be done by the churches to assist those in need, giving them assistance until they can get on their feet upon finding alternative employment. The knowledge of God calls for working for justice for His children."
Rev. Weir said the church's aim should be to ensure that no worker should be made to suffer if the web shops have to close. Clear understanding According to the priest, with the legal wranglings now going on there is an element of confusion among the populace which voted against the regularization and taxation of the web shops, and against the establishment of a national lottery, but web cafes are still operating. In light of the developments, he said the church should abide by the decisions made by the legal authorities.
"As the Master advised 'Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's and to God the things that are God's'. Moreover, according to the preamble to our Constitution, ours is a nation established upon the principles of democracy, Christianity and the rule of law. On the basis of the independence of the judiciary, a fundamental pillar of a democratic state, then, all citizens must abide by the decision of the court and allow the web shops to operate until the courts determine whether or not they [can].
The injunction provides a cooling off period for all concerned after the media hype leading up to the referendum and the mixed emotions which have emanated from it," he said. Rev. Weir said the church must continue its ministry to those people impacted negatively. And that Christians should have concern for people if they are displaced. Rev. Weir said at the most practical level, the church is called from a liberationist point to view to work along with the powers that be, government and private sector in innovative measures to bring about economic development.
He said forward thinking is necessary for the church to play a meaningful role in the economic development of the nation. "The late Paul Tillich, a German-American theologian, wrote a book with the challenging title 'The Courage to Be' in which he called upon the Church to abolish fear and to look to the future courageously, being prepared to take bold steps in seeking to become relevant to our age," said Rev. Weir.
"Now, the church in The Bahamas, ideally a Christian nation as enshrined in the preamble to our constitution, has always exercised the courage to be in its priestly role -- praying for those in leadership in state and church, leading in services on occasions of national import. Moreover, it has most certainly demonstrated the courage to be in its prophetic role in its principled stand against gambling in the run-up to the referendum. Let us pray that its leaders will be endowed with the wisdom and love in action required for the courage to be the church at the compassionate level during the challenging days ahead."
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