The Tribune

EDITOR, The Tribune.

The Free National Movement (FNM) administration of Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis once again finds itself in a rather awkward situation with the Bahamas Christian Council (BCC) and the entire Christian community.

The issuance of a new emergency order by Minnis, which limits worship services to just one hour, in addition to worship sanctuaries only being allowed to have up to 33 percent attendants, is being viewed by certain clergymen as a singling out of the church.

To the best of my knowledge, no such restrictive measures were imposed on the gambling houses, banks and food stores, at least this time around.

Moreover, Minnis has banned indoor funeral services, while indoor wedding ceremonies are allowed, which calls into question the scientific rationale for such policies.

The limit of 30 individuals to a graveside service is undoubtedly difficult for mourning relatives of deceased loved ones.

Thankfully, the new emergency order is restricted to just New Providence and Grand Bahama.

However, the issue that might haunt Minnis and the FNM is that the two islands are home to approximately 80 percent of the overall population of The Bahamas.

By reinstating the one-hour time limit to worship services, is the Minnis administration implying that the risk of contracting COVID-19 becomes greater in a two or three hour worship service?

With a looming election, Minnis must tread carefully with the evangelical Christian community, which happens to comprise one of the largest voting blocs in The Bahamas.

While Minnis is obviously following the counsel of health officials at the Ministry of Health, I think he must also take into consideration the perceived theology of his decisions towards the church.

Within this voting bloc are individuals who sincerely believe that the COVID-19 pandemic, coupled with the various vaccines, are all signs of an apocalyptic doomsday, with Minnis unwittingly playing the role of a persecutor of the Christian church.

To some within the Christian church, Minnis’ latest restrictions brings to mind the second century BC Selucid King Antiochus Epiphanes.

The Selucid dynasty rose out of the Grecian Empire of Alexander the Great, subsequent to his untimely death in 323 BC.

As a Roman Catholic, Minnis should be familiar with the name Antiochus Epiphanes, as he is referenced by name in the Apocryphal books of First and Second Maccabees.

The Apocrypha was officially recognised as divinely inspired by the Council of Trent in 1546 in response to the Protestant Reformers.

Antiochus is also mentioned, albeit prophetically, in Daniel 8:9-12 and 11:28-32. Bible scholars believe that when the apostle Paul wrote 2 Thessalonians 2:1-11 regarding the eschatological man of sin, he had Antiochus Epiphanes in mind.

The Grecian monarch figures prominently in Jewish eschatology because of his radical opposition to the Jewish people in the Intertestamental Period, which would culminate in him banning Jewish worship and his desecration of the temple by enforcing worship of the Olympian Zeus. He would also slaughter thousands of his Jewish opponents, before encountering stiff resistance from the Maccabees.

No, there are no direct or even indirect correlations between Minnis and the Grecian madman of the Intertestamental Period. Again, it must be stressed that Minnis is a Catholic. Antiochus, on the other hand, was an active pagan.

Minnis has never physically harmed any Christian, nor has he used the state to systematically harass the Christian community.

However, Christians will automatically assume that the latest restrictions are an impingement on their inalienable rights to worship for however long they desire to worship.

What Minnis must do is remove the restrictions immediately, as they lack scientific basis. I have listened to BCC President Bishop Delton Fernander’s concerns about the new measures to fight COVID-19. I don’t believe Fernander’s criticism of the new restrictions are politically motivated. The church restrictions gives one the impression that the state is seeking to usurp the role of Jesus Christ as Head of the church. As prime minister of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, Minnis has a secular duty to govern the state, which does not include micromanaging the internal affairs of the church. Christians are mandated by the Word of God to assemble each Sunday to worship, partake in communion and to hear the proclamation of the Bible. The one hour time limit is simply insufficient.

Minnis must be very careful not to be viewed as an Antiochus Epiphanes towards the Bahamian Christian community.

KEVIN EVANS

Freeport, Grand Bahama,

July 27, 2021.