The church in Jamaica over the years has, undoubtedly, been a pioneering force, exerting a stabilising and uplifting influence on the society.
There are denominations and orders, priests and clergywomen these days whose day-to-day practice of their religion should be rewarded with no less than sainthood.
In the past, whenever the nation floundered into difficulties, the church would step in to mediate, to steer it back to common sense, toward morality.
But there is the view these days that the church has, in recent times, lost the credible voice with which it once spoke. That it no longer has the authoritative and influential voice that it once did or commands attention when and if it does speak. That neither its message nor its opinion is being listened to or heeded.
And not in the spiritual sense, only.
Despite the proliferation of denominations and places of worship, the church no longer offers the sought-after sagacious, fearless and unbiased guidance it was once the welcome source of.
That is a pity because it is the church that was for years the pioneer in education, that gave us most of our better high schools and some of our best policy-makers and role models.
The church has either lost its moral compass or is unclear in its vision to positively impact society. Accordingly, like many, it seems to have succumbed to fear of the corrupt and criminal, and intimidation by dons or powerful goons.
There have been few replacements of a Percival Gibson, that outspoken native-son Anglican Bishop who would never hesitate to blast publicly what was wrong, regardless of who the author of the evil was. Neither JLP nor PNP mattered a mite to him.
Where today is that "one-handed type" of clergyman who calls the shots as he sees them? Who does not resort to the palliative language of, "On the one hand this, and on the other hand that", to weasel out of stating his views as a Christian, without fear or favour.
A church which sees no evil and hears no evil, will not be listened to when it speaks. It cannot be good for the society. It will bless benefactors who hug up gunmen and support corruption and criminality.
It will not be able to encourage or inspire a people in search of hope.
Something has definitely gone wrong with the church. Is it that it is being too dominated by individualism - egotism, even?
Whatever it is, the church, despite the presence of so many denominational associations these days, needs to speak again with one voice. The church needs desperately to return to its one foundation.
If the church is seen so often to contradict and squabble among itself, who will Jamaica turn to for guidance spiritual or otherwise?
