THE EDITOR, Sir:
I WOULD like to commend The Gleaner for publishing the article, "The Church an Oasis in Kingston." A more appropriate title for the article, of course, would have been "The Church the Hope of the Nation." Nevertheless, it is good attempt to make the point that the church is the single most important institution of change in the nation. Where evil and its concomitant consequences of social decadence marked by poverty, crime and fear prevail the church remains the only institution that possesses the moral and spiritual fortitude to make a difference.
The brilliant historian Elie Halevy made the same point from his observation of the impact of the church on 18th century Western Society. At the turn of the century there was such terrible deterioration in western society. The situation would change by 1735 with the coming of the Wesleyan Revival, which started in England through John Wesley, a student at Oxford University. Elie Halevy attributed to the Wesleyan Revival (1) the stability of 18th century England, (2) her absence of riots and bloodshed which characterised the continent and (3) the avoidance of a French-styled revolution. This was the result of the multitudes that were being converted as a result of the work of the evangelist John Wesley, his brother Charles, and others like the Whitefields.
The most significant point of relevance to be drawn here is from Halevy's analysis of the church's impact on western society. With the elimination of social maladies the populations of western society turned their energies to work. The period of prosperity that was to follow was called the industrial revolution.
The article is a remarkable testimony of what could happen, not only in one of Kingston's poverty stricken, crime infested inner city communities, but throughout the entire nation, if a spiritual revival was to hit Jamaica. The church is not just an oasis in the city of Kingston. It is the hope of the nation.
I am, etc.,
Rev. NEWTON GABBIDON, MA(Theology)
IPMIorg@aol.com
Intercessory Prayer Ministry International, Inc.
PO Box 360-356
Brooklyn, New York
Via Go-Jamaica
Note on the author:
Newton Gabbidon is President/Founder of The National Intercessory Prayer Network of Jamaica. He migrated to New York City in 1992 and is now President of Intercessory Prayer Ministry International, Inc., a Christian Non-profit organisation promoting prayer for world revival, including the nation of Jamaica, among Christians and churches in America. The organisation has been in operation since 1996.
