Dear Editor,

The recent uproar between Mr Vegas and Gino Jennings is a symbol of a greater problem between the progress of societies and the Church.

Mr Vegas took it upon himself to accept an invite to Jennnings’ assembly in a debate of sorts on the matter of whether women should or shouldn’t wear make-up. This stemmed from a video by Gino Jennings stating that women who wear make-up and other ornaments are prostitutes, even if you are the wife of another pastor.

I am yet to see or hear of any other pastor or their wives publicly condemn this man for his utterances.

I’d like to think that one criterion for being a reverend is that you must have a sense of reverence, a sense of peace, and be an overall empathetic and decent human being. The traditional narrative of the many local Jamaican churches has not been far from this. Many men and women have come to understand this as the norm in our society.

As someone who grew up in the church, I have witnessed churches cast women on the back benches when they get pregnant out of wedlock. I know of mothers who would put their daughters out of their homes to go fend for themselves at a young age because they got pregnant. Many pastors and church leaders believe that it is forbidden for a woman to get pregnant out of wedlock as supported by scriptures, and God would want them to set aside even their offspring who dared to bring shame on the family.

This has set the black church and the black community back to post-colonial societies across the world, but Jamaica in particular has suffered much because of this narrative. There are women currently healing themselves of this kind of shame way into their adult lives.

The traditional Pentecostal church with its Euro-Afro-spiritual doctrine is the most powerful organisation in Jamaica, but it continues to marginalise women.

Gino Jennings is not alone in his utterances; he is just in the spotlight now, thanks to television. His invite for a discussion on who or what is a prostitute blew up on social media. He is a symbol of an era of pastors who use the Bible to oppress and degrade, just as the white slave owners did. Even if Gino is right (and he is not) he should add some “Gino-Jen-Care” to soften his classically caustic brand of the liturgy.

Men like Gino are convinced that their right is your wrong, and they are never wrong. His need for constant debate in his pulpit is less about harmony and more about pontificating hegemony. As a matter of national development and national security the constant need for pastors to tell women what they should or shouldn’t do with their bodies should be ushered out, and those who insist on doing so should have their microphones taken away and ushered out.

J R Watkis

jrwatkis@gmail.com

@jrwatkis