THE EDITOR, Sir:

It does not require a Bible scholar to know that both Jesus Christ and His apostles rejected and condemned any attempt to attach any monetary cost to the hearing of the gospel.

But now we are seeing some local churchmen in collusion with one of the most vocal proponents of the 'prosperity gospel', changing course and preaching another gospel which costs a lot.

The vast majority of Jamaican Christians are low-income earners, a significant portion of whom earn minimum wage.

This factor will now determine whether they forfeit hearing the message, which one of the local pastors assured us will change the nation for the better, or sacrifice between 30 to 60 per cent of a week's wages in order to hear those 'life-changing' words.

It was not so long ago that men of God, such as Billy Graham, his son, Franklin Graham and many others, came to this country and preached the gospel for free.

Question of costs

The old, refurbished argument about cost is going to be advanced by the promoters of this event, but no one will be fooled because two of the promoter pastors have very large church halls which could suffice. If not, use the park at National Heroes' Circle.

And why use performers who must be paid? Would it not be more blessed and less stressed to use church choirs? But, then again, choirs are normally conservative and less dramatic.

The insensitivity of the promoters of the event to the sufferings of most church persons is frighteningly appalling.

In an economic environment that is easily one of the most challenging and uncertain, they find it easy to be charging that kind of money to see a man.

I am, etc.,

CASHLEY BROWN [Pastor]

Cashleybrow.investorschoice@cwjamaica.com