The Tribune

EDITOR, The Tribune.

Life has been good to Bishop Randy Fraser and his family. It was only some three years ago the nation watched on various evening news broadcasts the embattled pastor being hauled off to Her Majesty Fox Hill Prison where he was doomed to spend three years after a lengthy and high profile court case. He only served two years. Fraser’s legal ordeal has spanned over five years, from early 2006 to late 2011.

For what it’s worth, providence has granted to Fraser a new lease on life. I wasn’t surprised to learn via the Press that Fraser has started a new church, Palms of Victory Kingdom Ministry. After all, what else is he going to do? He has to earn a living.

I also wasn’t surprised after reading that the official launch of his new ministry at Workers House was well attended. One media house reported that over 100 persons were in attendance. Based on this information, one can safely deduced that Palms of Victory Kingdom Ministry’s membership will be at the minimum 100 persons, give or take. This is very impressive, when one takes into consideration the fact that the overwhelming majority of the reported 4,000 churches in The Bahamas don’t have anywhere near that many followers.

Notwithstanding the evidence produced by prosecutors and the testimony of the main accuser during the trial, the scores of persons who have entrusted their spiritual upbringing to Fraser have decided to think the very best of their pastor. Even though Fraser has been condemned in the court of public opinion by many hundreds of Bahamians on Facebook and other social media outlets, his loyal members have given him the benefit of the doubt.

In their unwavering fidelity to Fraser, their alarms probably weren’t raised after he apologised to the commonwealth of The Bahamas and the church for his pastoral misjudgment which brought disdain to the body of Christ at the Workers House event.

After spending tens of thousands of dollars in legal fees and going through two court trials in which he maintained his innocence, Fraser now issues a vague and hazy apology to the nation. You just cannot make this kind of thing up. Only in The Bahamas, I guess.

KEVIN EVANS

Freeport, Grand Bahama,

April 15, 2014.