It was refreshing to see an unusual exaltation of God in the local news last week.
We don’t get it too often for we live in a rotting world that is daily being sanitized with crap, and that crap often sounds or looks good.
And God is either patently ignored by those who credit their achievements to self-made skills or the help of other mortal men; or God is vilified by commentators and armchair critics whose weekly tirades make a pretence at jocularity but propagate a free-for-all lifestyle with responsibility only to prideful self.
Therefore it was a joy to see young Christian columnist Corey Worrell writing responsibly on the local impact of homosexuality-related issues and in the process, taking on fellow columnist Peter Wickham, who has been known to effectively silence anyone with even the slightest hint of a pro-Christian stance.
In response to Wickham’s views on homosexuality, a topic which is always latent in Barbadian society but was thrown back into the spotlight recently as a result of British Prime Minister David Cameron’s threat, Worrell hit the nail on the head regarding this base preference.
This unnatural practice, against which even fish, birds and beasts of the field militate, is often clouded in well articulated theses about “alternative lifestyles”.
But young Worrell put it into its correct perspective, particularly for men, stating that the illegal act of buggery is at the core of the homosexual partnership, and once such is legalized then same-sex marriage and adoption will become law.
Priests or pastors who refuse to perform such rites will be breaking the law. So, too, will anyone who refuses to allow a same-sex couple to adopt an innocent child.
Worrell went on to say that the humanistic world view, which tends to “reject religion and faith, and changes its beliefs and values based on human reasoning, feelings, logic, science and social behavioural change”, should not be accepted – and with good reason, since everything works on some basic ground rule.
In our workplaces and schools, we set rules and are ready to demonize anyone who counteracts them because of feelings or reasoning; yet we subject something as crucial as moral responsibility to essentially frivolous analysis – for an entire society!
Further to the point, we want to foster societies where people would be expected to coexist with principles devoid of moral grounding but would operate based on what is relative at the given time; totally absent of God.
Thank you, Corey, for reminding our readers and our leaders that the West is building modern societies on moral waste once we refuse to place Christ at the foundation.
But I daresay that God got even greater glory last week from Sir Kyffin Simpson, founder of the Simpson Group of Companies and chairman of Simpson Oil Limited.
Here was one of the most successful Barbadian businessmen ever speaking at no less a forum than the Barbados National Entrepreneurship Summit where he glorified not merely the nameless “God” bandied about conveniently by all and sundry, but specified Jesus, the Son of God, who made the ultimate sacrifice for the most godless of the ungodly.
Sir Kyffin was not saying or implying that if you lean on God, you will necessarily become a millionaire, but it was an admission that most challenges need a reliance on the greatest force outside of oneself.
After all, logic – not only faith – dictates that there has to be a Creator that is omnipotent, ominiscient and unimaginably creative if we, created humans, are born with limited elements of these same powers but presumptiously consider ourselves extraordinary.
Sir Kyffin, neither a genius nor an Oxford graduate, said: “Where I’ve got to and where I’ve come from has been the good Lord putting me in the right place at the right time with the right people, the right products . . . .”
It’s a testimony that Barbadians at all strata of the society should ponder, because:
• we did not make ourselves;
• God will eventually work out His purpose no matter what we plan or how much we consider ourselves to be in control; and
• we are instruments through whom God is fulfilling His purpose every day.
What immediately came to mind when I read Simpson’s comments was Daniel’s response to an indignant but desperate Babylonian king when told that this exile from Judah could interpret dreams.
Daniel told Nebuchadnezzar “. . . there is a God in heaven that revealeth secrets”.
Simpson said: “There is an almighty God above and he gave us . . . the Lord Jesus Christ as our Saviour and our Redeemer and our advocate. You’re going to need to lean on him from time to time.”