An honest examination of the state of the society would reveal societal ills are on the increase. Sexual immorality and promiscuity are definitely on the increase, and crime and violence continue to rear their ugly heads, said Anglican Archbishop Drexel Gomez on Monday night.
It is somewhat startling to hear Mr. Gomez admit this, particularly as he is the father of Damian Gomez, a disreputable attorney whose ethics, morals and manner of business have been questioned for years. It is understood that the Archbishop is a partner in business deals with his son.
“I have already adverted to the prevalence of dishonesty which usually walks in concert with corruption. Gambling is on the rampage along with the attempts to ignore the moral argument to focus on the control and distribution of the profits. All of these ills are on the march in a society that lays claim to the title ‘Christian,'” said Archbishop Gomez while delivering his Charge at the 104th Anglican Synod at Christ Church Cathedral.
Archbishop Gomez said an “honest” examination of the situation would lead many to conclude that Christians and the church as an institution are inefficient. He said it is abundantly clear that the failure of Christians to impact society is due in no small measure, to the gap between what Christians profess as Christianity and what they actually practice in their day to day lives.
“We are saying the right things in our liturgies and church services, but we are not conducting our lives in accordance with Christian values and standards as taught by Jesus and the Christian tradition. While we must continue our encouragement of persons to regular and attentive participants in our various liturgies and services, we must become more vigilant in impressing upon our worshippers the highly ignored reality that worship must bear fruit in daily life,” he said.
The Anglican Archbishop said church leaders must focus more on training, equipping, and motivating members to demonstrate genuine commitment to Christian standards and values in the home, work place, place of recreation. In all of these areas, he said, Christian witness is on the decline.
Archbishop Gomez said no amount of rallies and special church services will compensate for the “lived example” in every-day life situations. “To this end, we who rejoice in our Anglican Tradition and must make a renewed attempt to promote, as a matter of national urgency, a stronger adherence to Christian values and standards among our membership,” he said.
According to Archbishop Gomez, the church and the nation require people who provide trustworthy examples of Christian character both in private and public. He expressed that genuine examples are needed in every area of national life.
“We will only improve in our efforts to meet this pressing need when more persons recognise the true situation and are prepared to make a difference in their own lives. In this regard, more attention must be paid to bringing persons to a better awareness of the mission of the church,” he said.
Archbishop Gomez also requested the Synod invite all Incumbents, Vestries, and congregations to place greater emphasis on Jesus’ teaching on the mission of the church and to explore together more effective measures to narrow the gap between what is professed and what is practised.
“I firmly believe that this constitutes our most urgent challenge. Furthermore, failure to engage the challenge will eventually lead to a further reduction of the impact of the church on the wider society,” he said.
Archbishop Gomez also said the New Testament contains three basic descriptions of the mission of the church in the teaching of Jesus. He said the church is called and commissioned to be the “salt of the earth,” “light in the darkness,” and “leaven in the dough.” In each of these metaphors, he said, the positive impact of the church on society is highlighted. Christians are expected by God to make a difference in the societies in which they reside.
“No, we are meant to be agents of change working for the transformation of society, for the improvement of the moral, social and spiritual environment in which we live and work. This is our mandate, given by the Lord of the Church. I call upon the Anglican community and the general Christian community in The Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands to reflect seriously on our response to this dominical mandate,” he said.
Sourced from an article by TAMARA McKENZIE,Guardian Staff Reporter
