IS KINGSTON city asleep? The Rev. Dr. Merrick 'Al' Miller, pastor of Fellowship Tabernacle in Kingston thinks so. For this reason last Sunday he concluded a three-month series of marches/motorcades throughout the city, visiting about 100 communities to influence citizens to embrace higher morals, especially truth-telling.
The campaign, which was dubbed 'City Awake,' enjoyed the support of several in the nation's capital.
Speaking with The Gleaner, Rev. Miller, who was last December a defeated candidate of the New Jamaica Alliance for the Eastern St. Andrew parliamentary seat, said, "The nation continues down the slide of social and economic decline. The church has to take heavy responsibility for allowing the decline to take place. So we have the responsibility to therefore restore the nation and lead in the area of spiritual and moral restoration so that there can be economic and social revitalisation. Beyond that, I believe strongly that the nation is under judgement and it is going to see an intensification of God's judgement over the next couple of months and years.
Rev. Miller argued that if the nation embraced upright moral behaviour and demanded such from major stakeholders in the nation such as politicians and the business community then divine judgement will be averted.
"Outside of the mercy of God, I feel judgement is certain... as a prophet that is what I see. I think the latter half of the year is going to begin to see intensified judgement including social upheavals, and more economic woes are going to hit us. I want to beg the Minister (of Finance and Planning) to put down some money from now for a fall out. Something is going to hit us, it could be a hurricane, I don't know but something is going to hit us. What we have missed in the passed, I don't believe we are going to easily escape now.
The 'City Awake' campaign featured some of the island's top gospel artistes, mainly those who specialise in the dancehall genre of music. The campaign through its theme " No truth, no freedom" sought to highlight the pride of place that truth-telling ought to have in the life of the nation.
According to Rev. Miller, since Independence, " the nation has increasingly moved into deception and lies as a way of life. And wherever there is deception and lies, corruption is inevitable and therefore violence and crime increases... We need the political leadership to talk the truth. We need the Church to talk the truth. We need the business community to talk the truth. Tell us the truth even if it is hard. Don't deceive us. If we can get the city and the nation crying out more for truth, then we will say mission accomplished."
