RESPECTED theologian Canon Ernle Gordon says Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller was on solid ground when she laid claim to God’s intervention in her appointment, arguing that the new premier had no ulterior motive beyond declaring her spiritual agenda.

The afro-Caribbean Diaspora tend to be very spiritual, involving God in “everything we do”, said Canon Gordon, rector of St Mary’s Anglican Church and chairman of the Church and Society Commission of the Jamaica Council of Churches.

He also noted that Judeo-Christianity stipulates that all leadership is seen as elected by God.

“The term prime minister and minister of health means chief servant who is called by God. It depends on how you understand the call of God. All of us are called by God,” he said. “They will be critical of that, but theologically we understand what they mean and we shouldn’t look at this as her equating herself with God as a divine being, but as a genuine call for a new dimension of spirituality.”

Simpson Miller sparked debate last week after declaring in church that she was appointed by God to run the country, and so expected the support of Jamaicans.

The comment worried several factions, raising fears that autocratic rule could follow, coming as the comment did behind an earlier announcement by the new prime minister that she would be implementing policy requiring that pastors be placed on all new state boards.

Father Michael Lewis, rector of the Stella Maris Church in St Andrew, has applauded the prime minister’s announcement to appoint church leaders to state boards, but he was wary of her claim of appointment, saying the faith-based community might see it as threatening.

“It becomes dangerous when anyone makes a statement like that because the fact is that the matter was purely political and it wasn’t something where persons called on to vote, took time out to reflect on their decision and to pray about it,” said Lewis.

“While it may be well intentioned, it did not come over the way she had hoped. And it may be construed as being threatening. Instead, she should have asked for their support.”

Respect, he added, is not earned by using “subtle religious threat”.

Gordon said yesterday that not only was the appointment of church leaders to state boards “nothing new”, it was prevalent in history, and in modern governance.

He said that during the 19th century, Anglican Rectors and Church Wardens were members of vestries, which are now referred to as parish councils.

Archbishop Enos Nuttall, said the theologian, was appointed chair for the Earthquake Disaster Committee by the governor of Jamaica back in 1907.

“Eighty per cent of the school board chairs in Jamaica are clergy… I am the chair of the ODPEM (Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management) and you will find other clergy persons who are chairs of state boards,” Canon Gordon told the Sunday Observer.

“For a long time, the separation of church and state has been an American phenomenon, not British, not Caribbean. In our emancipation the church was involved in the socio-political emancipation movements.”

He added: “Theologically, we don’t separate matter and spirit and the secular and the sacred, but people who are chosen must not be appointed solely because they are clergy persons, but they should be competent and have a passion for the job ahead.”

Last weekend – a few days after she was sworn in as Prime Minister of Jamaica- Simpson Miller visited a number of churches in St Catherine in a bid to garner support from the faith-based community.

During her visit to the Kencot Seventh-day Adventist Church in Kingston on April 1, Simpson Miller announced that she would instruct her Cabinet to appoint pastors to either sit on or chair all new boards of state agencies.

The following day, at the Rehoboth Apostolic Church in Portmore, she told the congregation that she was appointed by God to lead the country as its prime minister. She also encouraged the congregation to “go down in prayer” to support her.

“If I am appointed by the Almighty to be Prime Minister, then all of you Christians must give support to the appointment of the Lord,” she said in an address.

“If it is not done, the whip will not be drawn against me, because I am going to be carrying out His will.”

Rev Carmen Stewart, Custos of Kingston, agreed with Cannon Gordon. She said Simpson Miller has vocalised her spirituality and that God directs a person, regardless of his/her job title.

“Her trust in God… is evident and she has not been silent about her faith in God,” said Rev Stewart. “God directs your life whether you are prime minister or not.”

Christians, Rev Stewart said, should show their support for the head of the government, by lifting them up in prayer.

Like Cannon Gordon, Stewart said the appointment of a Christian leader to a state board should be based mainly on proficiency.

“I think that she would mean that clergy who are able to offer greater direction to that particular board,” Stewart said. “It is a good idea to bring that aspect to the plans of any project ecetra. But it does not mean that just because you are a clergy you are suitable.”

Father Lewis, too, cautioned that Simpson Miller had to be careful in terms of her approach to appointing Christian leaders to state boards.

“While it may help, I don’t believe that it will solve the issue. My concern is that when persons sit on boards it will be because of their expertise and not because they are pastors,” said Lewis. “They have to bring something to that board. Just sitting on the board doesn’t really help.”

He added that Simpson Miller has to be cognisant that while the state and the church are complimentary entities, the two should not be allowed to become too intertwined to the extent where either of the entities loses its identity.

Lewis argued further that, from a religious perspective, there is also the danger of Christian leaders becoming obligated to the boards on which they serve, losing their “own voice” in the process.

The better option, he said, is for the church to be invited to comment on matters of importance that impacts the moral fibre of the society.

davidsont@jamaicaobsever.com