In a fiery sermon that left some squirming, others cheeering but none unmoved, Rev Karl Johnson, president of the Jamaica Council of Churches (JCC), lamented the growing coarseness and un-charitableness of Jamaicans.

Johnson, who sounds uncannily like his mentor, Rev Burchell Taylor of the Bethel Baptist Church, afflicted the comfortable and comforted the afflicted, at the well-attended National Leadership Prayer Breakfast last Thursday at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel in New Kingston.

Among his audience was the cream of Jamaican leadership at all levels, headed by Governor-General Kenneth Hall, Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller and Opposition Leader Bruce Golding.

Asking “When the foundations are being destroyed, what can the righteous do?” as his theme, Johnson cut a swathe through some of the most troubling national issues, quoting from Junor Gong to Pope Benedict XVI.

“Our relationships resemble and sound like warfare in an amphitheatre or an arena. What I am calling us to is to cultivate a new way of speaking with, of relating with, of treating with each other,” Johnson preached.

“…We have become too frontal and abusive; we are too quick to tear down and to tear up each other and our public square has become a battleground.

Sadly, there is hardly a part of this public square that is unaffected by this cancer,” he bemoaned.

Following are excerpts from Rev Johnson’s sermon:

“Welcome to Jamrock

Poor people a dead at random

Political violence can’t done

Bare ghosts and Phantom

The youth dem get blind by stardom

To win election dem trick we

Den dem don’t do nothing at all

Come on, let’s face it

A ghetto education’s basic

And most of the youths dem waste it

And when dem waste it, that’s when dem tek the guns replace it.”

These words of Damian ‘Junior Gong’ Marley’s Welcome To Jamrock, some would argue, set the backdrop against which this 27th National Leadership Prayer Breakfast is being staged. It speaks to a country characterised by features which are distressing, disconcerting, destabilising and, for some, defeating.

This country is beset by the vexed issues of crime and violence, where a 20 per cent decrease in last year’s figures seems but a fleeting illusion, given the way in which we have started this New Year. We are plagued by a still too high rate of unemployment; many are deeply troubled by a level of coarseness and un-charitableness uncharacteristic of this land we love; well-thinking occupants of ‘the Rock’ are feeling wobbly at the level, reach and influence of the narco-trade.

I believe that if members of this gathering were asked to use one word to describe the state of our nation they would say “crisis” . this nation is in crisis mode. The passage that we reflect on (Psalm 11) could well have been penned in today’s Jamaica. It is a considered view that this Psalm emanates from a climate of crisis, calamity and catastrophe.

It is describing a scene of social distress. The Psalmist intimates something about the responses to the existing climate; the writer expresses conviction in the route that is the only antidote to the fear and frustration that was born out of the crisis and calamity of those times.

But the Psalm also asks a crucial question; one that I wish to hold up before this gathering and, via the various forms of media covering this moment, the nation.

“When the foundations are being destroyed, what can the righteous do”?

When you erode the foundations upon which a nation is built, you are asking for crisis, inviting calamity, courting disaster… In the Psalm we get a sense that there are different responses that can be made by the righteous. We pick up for example, that when things started to go haywire, when crisis descended, one option that some seemed to proffer was fleeing.

Similarly, some in this country seem to have misunderstood the popular saying, “When the going gets tough, the tough gets going”, and arising out of that misunderstanding, escapism becomes a response of choice for some.

And the truth is that there are many more responses that we have seen. There are some persons who are not guilty of escapism but opt instead for pessimism. doom and gloom is all they see. nothing good can come and so they become evangelists of negativism. Some of us opt for conformism, and you know how we do that . “since we can’t beat them, let’s join them”.

Yet others trek the path of unfounded optimism . “things will change”. they have no basis, they have no reason, except that they are eternal optimists, things will change. And let me point out one other response, and truthfully, this is one that many of us Christians are guilty of, and that is triumphalism.” God’s people will overcome.” and that is true but sometimes it lacks the requisite involvement and commitment to intentionally navigate and confront the forces that be, as part of God’s missional engagement in the world.

I believe that what we need is what I would call realism; a realism which is grounded on the right foundations; foundations which are yoked into the person and character of Almighty God. It is the kind of realism which stands on the right foundation and becomes a conduit for the hope that flows from a positive connection with Almighty God.

God is righteous and when we build on Him our foundations are righteous foundations. God is righteous, meaning that God is up to right, up for right, defender of right, a seeker for the people who are willing to do right.

The question to us is, When the foundations are shaken, when the foundations are under attack, what will the righteous do?

The righteous will stand up and stand upon God’s foundation, which is a righteous foundation with the assurance that it is a sustainable foundation, it’s a defensible foundation because God changes not.

There’s a sense in which this world with all its advancements and accomplishments would want to suggest that God does not belong at the foundation but on the periphery. But I categorically reject that worldview.

Indeed, I stand with Pope Benedict who said at Christmas that “humankind, which has reached other planets and worships technology, cannot live without God…”

Remember now, we are standing on God’s righteous foundation, and I am saying to you that firstly, we must do what we can to transform our public square, this country, transform the public square, from an arena into a forum of dialogue.

What do I mean by that? I am meaning by this, that we need to pay urgent attention to the relational side of life in this country. How we relate to each other, how we treat each other, how we regard each other.

A nation of quarrellers

Our relationships resemble and sound like warfare in an amphitheatre or an arena. What I am calling us to is to cultivate a new way of speaking with, of relating with, of treating with each other. A way which bears the marks of civility, charity, sensitivity as would be expected in a forum.

We have become too frontal and abusive; we are too quick to tear down and to tear up each other and our public square has become a battleground.

Sadly, there is hardly a part of this public square that is unaffected by this cancer. While we are quick to point to our political leaders and, don’t get me wrong, point we must, for our parliamentarians must rediscover parliamentary behaviour and civil servants must rediscover the “civil” in their service.

But it is not only confined to these persons; our churches at times have not been good examples of caring and charitable discourse. Leaders of business and commerce are themselves guilty, especially when they believe that their money is being threatened.

We need to find a new rhetoric in this country – a rhetoric which will capture the essence of who we are as a people, for we are strong, opinionated and passionate people. But those assets must not become our liabilities.

We need a rhetoric that is accommodating without being arrogant; constructive without being condescending; passionate without being pushy; bold without being a bully.

Let’s stop and check ourselves a bit and ask ourselves if we don’t sound as if we are a nation of quarrellers as against a nation of debaters, where ideas contend, where by the vehicle of dialogue and discussion we can arrive at a decision without trampling the other person.

Even to discuss the very things that we agree are important we come to the table with daggers drawn in the name of finding solutions. Let’s find a way to agree, to disagree, and to agree to disagree that will help to defuse the tension and viciousness that’s prevalent in the country.

It is in this regard that we must hail the efforts being made by others to sensitise this nation to the importance of conflict resolution.

In a country where to be thin-skinned is the norm and people feel ‘dissed’ at the most trivial of perceived slights, we need to redouble our efforts at enabling and equipping our people in the business of conflict resolution.

Of course, an important foundation that underpins the way we relate is the matter of reconciliation. We have not done well in rebuilding broken relationships, in resolving perennial disputes, in finding a way to bury old hurts and cover old wounds.

I call upon this nation to consider an islandwide campaign, joining with those who are already so engaged and bringing on board critical stakeholders to address this matter of conflict resolution.

It is needed at every level to close the gaping wounds that are openly rotting in this nation. This is not only needed for the so-called ‘inner city’, let us not forget that just recently an open wound was publicly exposed in one of our leading civic groupings.

We need urgent action in the business of reconciliation because we hear rumblings about violent elections on the horizon. Words are important and codes of conduct are exemplary, but we need as Jamaicans to send a signal to those who want to represent us that any sign that can be interpreted as not befitting our political leadership will be strongly denounced.

We also wish to say to the Electoral Commission that any action that they may deem necessary to ensure that Jamaica does not return from whence we have come will receive our unequivocal support. Let it be known loudly and clearly that we do not intend to see the fulfilment of that prophecy concerning violent elections. The past is the past. We will go that route no more. We cherish our democratic right to exercise our franchise, but before we mark our ‘X’ in a bloody election, we would much prefer to mark it not at all.

Still on the matter of campaigning (and I am speaking now as one who has felt its ill-effects), we may need, and I say may need, to consider suggesting to the political parties that mass meetings attended by bus loads of sponsored people, too many of them unemployed, hanging loosely from speeding vehicles with no regard for the law or other road users – we may well have to suggest that we reconsider the value of that electioneering tool for the upcoming election…

Let me say, there is something of a foul nature which is gaining too much popularity and visibility in this country, and that is, where persons take it upon themselves, oftentimes without provocation, without exploring other available channels, to just block a road, destroy property, take the law into their own hands. We are teetering on the brink of anarchy!

This happens when the foundation is not right and a lot of these people are encouraged by media houses which are sometimes more concerned with the sensational rather than the substantial. In an era where every Dick and Jane now possesses some equipment to videotape, too many of our media practitioners are scouring the bottom of the barrel to find ‘man bites dog’ news.

In saying this let me not be misunderstood, I am not saying that in some cases the protests and the demonstrations are not justified and I salute those organisations which bring to the public fore anything that contributes to the dehumanisation of people. But it cannot be that the police are never right; it cannot be that the Government is always wrong; it cannot be that the people are always right; and it cannot be that there were no other unexplored avenues for resolution.

Could I suggest that we bear in mind that while protests are good and sometimes even necessary, alternatives are better. Oh, how we need more than the mis-spelt placards borne by unkempt persons seemingly motivated by the chance of a few seconds on the evening news in this country. We need to bond together to bring value to our environs, to strike at the root of the problem; to search for solutions.

A new rhetoric is what we pray for, a new way of relating is what we pray for. Transforming the public square from an arena to a forum is what we must commit to as people who love righteousness in this country.

A second thing I believe to be of critical importance in this Jamaica, land we love, and that is working towards consensus on the importance of morality, if this nation is to be on a sustainable path. We need to embrace morality, not just as an instrument of utility, but as an inherent distinctive of humanity and note, my brethren, without this morality we disinherit ourselves as human beings.

Why, you may ask? Because we are moral beings – we bear the image of God with one manifestation being our ability to make choices.those choices are informed by several things, and I am saying that we need to examine the bases of our choices so as to be able to arrive at consensus on certain values.

Same-sex-unions and violence

An ethical conviction that is not based on sound foundations will not suffice and will not survive. I am calling us to consider an ethic of spirituality that is grounded in righteousness; an ethic that believes in the God of righteousness. This is a responsive ethic born out of our faith and, as Jamaicans, captured in no less a national treasure than our national anthem.

There’s a sense in which any discussion in this day and age on morals, ethics, values is seemingly caught up in a dynamic fuelled by a world-view that suggests that there are no longer any absolutes. Truth is relative, values are relative; it is no longer what is right as long as it is alright. It is no longer what is proper but what is popular.

The purveyors of this doctrine will soon discover that it is destined to fail because laws are informed by moral convictions which are themselves informed by other factors. There is a reason why we believe that murder is wrong. There is a reason why we believe that stealing is wrong. There is a reason why we have implemented codes of conduct for public servants to curb the temptation to corruption and the reasons are grounded in values and morals which we claim to subscribe to.

As we sit around the table to build consensus on common values let us guard against religious bigotry; let us guard against the strength of numbers; let us guard against the influence of the powerful minority.

The ongoing discussion on an aspect of human sexuality is a case in point. The Church needs to sharpen its stance on the issue of same-sex unions, calling attention in clearer ways to the fact that we do not support acts of violence or anything which devalues the humanity and dignity of persons with a homosexual orientation, but at the same time we need to resist any effort to make our stance appear outdated, archaic and any attempts to put us now in the closet.

Today I am calling us to engage in a conversation that can reaffirm or agree common values which will be an important part of the foundation of this land…

So, Jamaica land we love, are our foundations being destroyed? Yes, some have said. What will the righteous do? We will not seek to escape, we will not be pessimists, we will not become conformists, we will not be people guilty of unfounded optimism, we will not pontificate triumphalism but we will take the road of realism…

To this end, we will affirm the value of human life and the dignity and worth of every single person. Too often the worth we ascribe to each other is based upon the shade of our skin, the school we went to, the party we belong to, the size of our bank accounts and the car we drive, the house we live in.

When we do that what message are we sending to our young people? What are we passing on? No wonder bleaching in this 21st century is still being done by some in this country – bleaching!!

We need to affirm that we are .wonderfully made and that because you are, I am. not because I shop, therefore I am.

We need to affirm the value of a good and positive work ethic. I think the church has to repent in this regard for I think we have been unwitting conveyors of a message that makes it appear that work is sin and that the blessing plan is a plan that will decrease our work load. But we need to re-read the scriptures and we need to reaffirm the value of a positive and wholesome work ethic.

We need to reaffirm our commitment to the poor and disenfranchised and we need to interrogate the powers that be concerning the levels of inequality and injustice that exist in this country. We need to ask ourselves why is it that some persons will steal a coconut and be imprisoned while some steal millions and walk around freely?

And, in fact, ask yourself how many are enjoying accommodation at Her Majesty’s pleasure as a result of the massive financial meltdown of the last decade? But did we not hear that in this country, Donkey seh, “world no level” or if you prefer a more sophisticated quotation, “All animals are equal but some are more equal than others”.

We need to affirm the wholesome components of our culture and decry and condemn those components which are depraved and are a disgrace to our sense of who we are as a people.

Respect Portia Simpson Miller

We need to affirm our national symbols and our public offices, and accord them the respect they are due. This is not an invitation to protect the office-holders from scrutiny and critique, but we must develop a way to not devalue the office because of our feelings about the office-holder.

Let me remind this country that, whether we like it or not, his excellency, the most honourable Kenneth Hall is the governor -general of Jamaica – we must respect him as such; the most honourable Portia Simpson Miller is the prime minister of this country – we must respect her as our prime minister; whether we like it or not; Mr Bruce Golding is the leader of the Parliamentary Opposition of Jamaica – we must respect him as opposition leader; the honourable Mr Justice Lensley Wolfe is chief justice of Jamaica – we must respect him as such.

Failure to respect and to hold up these national symbols and offices is but fodder for the continuing decline in the sensibilities of too many individuals and only aids and abets the level of coarseness and raucousness for which we are becoming increasingly known. We respect no one, we respect nothing. How did we get to this place?

When the foundations are being destroyed, what will the righteous do? …The righteous must also seek a shared vision that will signal that all is not lost; that the future is brighter than the past.

This is a vision based not upon our own self-sufficiency, not based on our sense of ingenuity or industry alone but it is a vision which is rooted in spiritual and moral resources.

We look at this country and many of us have shed tears, many of us have hung our heads in shame, many of us have agonised over the plight of our brothers and sisters; but this is the same country that has brought us tears of joy, moments of ecstasy, as our sons and daughters in every sphere of endeavour have made us proud.

This is a country whose music has carved out a prized niche in this world. This is a country where our political leaders have won critical acclaim on the world stage. All is not lost in this country and we need to find a way to signal that.

This is a country that despite the problems in the educational system, our children who arrive in any other region of the world excel and shine.

But yes, there is more to be done and we need to see the possibilities that are ahead of us. And to achieve this vision we need all hands on deck. We need to excise the tendency to belittle ourselves and to talk down each other. We need to strike from our jargon certain words which do not add value to our people or our nation. We need to demand much of ourselves as we expect much from each other…

This country badly needs signs of unity wrapped around a common vision. We believe that God is the chief architect of this nation and though the hurricane-strength forces of wickedness are waging an assault on our structure, we have the confidence that our foundation will stand.

For when the foundations are being destroyed, what will the righteous do?

The righteous will work towards transforming the public space from an arena to a forum. The righteous will embrace a common set of values. The righteous will commit to a vision of Jamaica, a vision which is not disconnected from the story of our past. Especially during this year when we commemorate the bicentenary of the abolition of the trans-Atlantic slave trade, let us “sing a song full of the faith that the dark past has taught us”. Let us “sing a song full of the hope that the present has brought us”.

In seeking and committing to this shared vision of hope, let us pray to our God, the God of our weary years, the God of our silent tears, the God who hast brought us thus far on our way.