By Reverend
Stephen-Claude Hyatt,
Contributor
RECENTLY, I wrote an article addressing the concept of the Church being voiceless. The conclusion was that the Church is not voiceless; however, the strength of her voice has been weakened (a whisper) by a few factors found within her walls. The piece alluded to the fact that many Church leaders were compromising their standards, and as such had lost the respect of many, including the various political parties and leaders.
It spoke, however, of the hope we have of seeing a better society, if only the churches would come together as one with the intention of winning Jamaica back for God. This would culminate in the Church and State being able to work together to solve the problems of our beloved island.
Based on a number responses I have received from persons both locally and internationally, I realised that there was more to be articulated with respect to the state of the Church. The consensus in the last piece was that the Church was indeed speaking; however, it was whispering. I would like us to take this a step further and ask ourselves, what else is the Church whispering? The answer is simple, rumours. People are disappointed with us as a Church, and we need to do something about it. I want to bring to your attention the concept of rumour or gossip that is further weakening the voice of the Church.
The terms rumour and gossip seem to be greatly intertwined and interdependent or inseparable. Where there is one, there is the other, the one is the other. The sad reality is that they are very present within the Church, and the effects of same have been devastating. RUMOURS (Raging, Unnecessary Malice and Organised Uttering of Ridicule and Sin) are slowly killing the heart of the Church and the reality of her mission.
Instead of being concerned with "winning the lost at any cost" and seeking to heal the broken-hearted, the Church is chasing away the lost and has become the cause of many a broken heart. As a result, for many individuals, we are no longer seen as the agent of hope and liberation, instead we have become the epitome of oppression and wounding.
It is so easy to hurt someone, yet so difficult to heal and restore them. Why? The sad thing is that many of us as members of the Church take pride in cutting down our brothers and sisters. We actually find things to say and do which will make others, within the Church, look bad. How does a rumour begin? By a single seed with malicious intent, watered by gallons of lies and deceit, which has the capability of germinating, in a matter of minutes, into a strong tree of condemnation that can cause damage beyond repair.
How does a rumour end? In the character of an individual being so scarred that eventually it leads to death, be it spiritually, emotionally, or even physically. I want us to look at two of the more popular rumours which the devil has planted within the Church through her members.
A young man is in his mid-to-late twenties, career going well, maybe has a car and a house, good looking yet unmarried: - diagnosis, he is a homosexual. This label has been pinned on many young men, whose reputations remain tarnished for the rest of their lives, even though they have not the slightest interest in that lifestyle. As a result, countless young men enter into marriage not because they are ready for same or even love the young lady; on the contrary, only to avoid being labelled or to stop the rumours which have began. This causes a chain of unfortunate events, as eventually it is revealed within the relationship that the marriage took place for the wrong reason.
There is no love, no attention, no promise of a great future, and inevitably when children come, they are caught in the midst of the battle and are eventually scarred themselves. These children most times grow up in a home devoid of love and attention, and filled with hurt, animosity, hatred and sometimes abuse. Eventually, another criminal is born, another wife-beater, husband hater is born. Why? Because of rumours with their life-altering ability.
Another prominent rumour is that if a young lady, for whatever reason, stops from church for awhile, then she is pregnant. Mind you, her failure to come to church may be as a result of school or work commitments, or just that she is going through a stage of depression. Whatever the reason may be, instead of trying to ascertain same from the young lady, we find pleasure in generating a rumour. Further woe comes upon her if she manages to sort herself out without the help of the Church, and commences her attendance again, a new rumour is generated, she has had an abortion. Such a young lady is looked upon with scorn and disdain, as the Church treats her like an outcast.
Many young ladies have not gotten over the knife-like words of their Church brothers and sisters, who seem to be rejoicing over the fact that they think she is pregnant. Some manage to overcome the rumour after much hurt and pain, and find their place again; however, the sad reality is that too many of them never recover after the initial ATTACK.
The truth is that some young men who are not married are indeed struggling with their sexuality, and some young ladies do leave church because they are pregnant. However, even if this is the case, the job of the Church is to help the individual to overcome the "thorn in their flesh" and move on in their God. Even though we too are wounded for various reasons, our job as the Church of God is to become wound healers, to look beyond faults and see needs. Why is it that we find pleasure in the fall of another? Why is it that we look forward to something negative happening in another's life? Is it that we have such spiritual cannibals in the Church feeding on the possibility of the breakdown of relationships in the Church?
We must realise that the more we give audience to rumours, the more people think negatively of us as God's people. I am tired of hearing unsaved individuals retort that they would never go to 'such and such' a church because too many hypocrites are there. I have heard it said by many pastors that you cannot allow hypocrites to keep you away from God. This in some instances may be true; however, to them I say, that is not enough. No matter how strong you are, rumours can devastate you and affect you forever. We should be seeking to minister to the hypocrites also in a bid to 'dehypocritize' them, instead of allowing them to hurt others. Why are we so shallow? Do we not know the Jamaican saying "Today fi mi tomorrow fi yuh"? It means whatever you put in my way today to cause me to stumble, the same thing or even worse will happen to you tomorrow. Do you not know that it takes nothing for a rumour to begin, and if someone does not like you, they can begin a vicious rumour about you and that would be that.
Those pastors who Sunday after Sunday take rumours to the pulpit without giving thought to the effects of same, must realise one fact. It takes but a careless person to begin a rumour about you, and that may just put an end to your career and ministry. The sad thing is that rumours live on forever, even after the individual has been vindicated. Therefore, persons will continue to hold against you and your character, whatever lies made up the rumour. If we as Church leaders are being so careless and thoughtless with our words and actions, how then do we intend to impact this society and make a difference?
Yes, as a Church we need to help clean up Jamaica, we need to speak on behalf of the many voiceless people of this country. We need to empower the powerless and give them hope, and if charity indeed begins at home, then we must begin by empowering the congregation, so that they can help to empower the nation. If we have hopeless, battered, condemned and ridiculed Church members, then we will have the same type families and society. Many persons have become dysfunctional because we have condemned them and forced them into that state. How do we expect to have a spiritually functional Church and nation, when the vehicle of spirituality in the nation, the Church, is dysfunctional?
Let us begin to clean up our image as a Church, and cut out the foolishness. The woman wearing pants, jewellery and make-up is no less a Christian than those who do not. Your job is to preach to them, not to condemn them. If there is change to be experienced in the lives, then the Spirit of God is more than capable to effect that change. Stop spreading rumours and casting judgements simply because someone differs from you. Who made us gods over others? Has the instruction to 'judge not' changed since Jesus' time? Let us concern ourselves with the fact that people are suffering, and many go home Sunday after Sunday to no dinner because they are losing their jobs. Many are afraid to go out after hours due to the fact that they may not return home, becoming the victim of yet another cruel murder. Still, others are killing because they feel helpless and hopeless in the midst of what is happening around them. How can we step in and make a difference? How can our voice make a change? These are the questions we should be asking and seeking to answer, instead of condemning those who are crying out for help.
We need to get across to all that the status quo is no more important than the masses. It is not good enough if only a handful can afford to survive, can afford to find a job and pay for their children's education. It is not good enough that you can drive around in a fancy vehicle, when others cannot even afford a bicycle. It is not good enough that your members can come to church in an air conditioned building for a few hours and get a cup of free soup, then starve for the rest of the week. Let us put our priorities in order. Jesus refused to have people come along and listen to his messages, then send them away starving. If only we could focus our attention as Christians on healing ourselves, our Church and our nation, instead of contriving new ways to begin a rumour and scar another for life. Then we could really make a difference as a Church, and indeed become the extension of Christ here on earth. What are we waiting for?
Rev. Stephen-Claude Hyatt is a guidance counsellor. You may email him at theos@cybervale.com
