On April 28, a political earthquake shook the nation. After a heated election where the People’s National Movement (PNM) lost by a landslide to the United National Congress (UNC) and Tobago People’s Party (TPP), everything changed. This change also impacted the Evangelical/Pentecostal Church in Trinidad and Tobago. There is a perception that the PNM is the more Christian party, but despite the Flaming Word Pentecostal choir singing at Kamla Persad-Bissessar’s inauguration alongside numerous Bible quotes, there is also a perception that the UNC is solely Hindu and not a multi-religious party.
Apostle Nigel Lewis, senior pastor at Shiloh Church Global, shared this pertinent dream on Facebook.
“I walked into a room filled with believers who looked lifeless and defeated, hopeless. It was because their preferred party didn’t win. But I heard myself say, “God is still on the throne. The Bible commands us to pray for those in authority, not only when we agree with them, but always.”
The dream ended. So, I ask you today: Have you prayed for our Prime Minister? Have you prayed for the Government? Pray for wisdom. Pray for direction. Pray for peace and prosperity over our nation. May God bless Trinidad and Tobago.”
Apostle Nigel Lewis is echoing the teachings of Romans 13 1 2:
“Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, whoever rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves.”
For historical context, Paul wrote the letter to the Romans in 57 AD when Nero was Emperor. The teachings of Romans 13, therefore, apply to non-Christian rulers like Nero.
Apostle and Senior Pastor Daren Rambally, of Mc Bean House of Prayer, could be called a prayer specialist. He spoke to me on the issue of praying for governments and stated, “At Mc Bean House of Prayer, we’re built on prayer and have been praying consistently for years for our country; recently we entered a time of fasting and prayer concerning the direction of our nation, and we are thankful to see what we believe are answers to those prayers with a new government being installed in our nation. Everyone is welcome at our church, regardless of political views or affiliations. We remain committed to praying for our national leaders and for God’s will to be done in our beloved and blessed nation.”
Bishop Dr Dave Alleyne, the father of TV icon Ian Alleyne, is the CEO of Flaming Word Ministry, whose choir sang at Prime Minister Persad-Bissessar’s inauguration. He gave this statement on the issue of the political divide in churches:
“The views of the church are wide and varied. They are based on the denomination’s doctrines and interpretation of scriptures. Jesus prayed that we may all may be one. This oneness will result in global acceptance of Christianity. We are to be of one mind and this mind must be informed by the mind of Christ. The church is further admonished that there should not be divisions or divisiveness among its adherents. We are encouraged to believe the same things. Government and politics are critical systems within society. Without government, there will be chaos and anarchy. The choice of government will be informed and determined by politics.
“The church is made up of members of society of a nation, whose daily lives and well-being are affected by the decisions of the government in power. As citizens of a nation and members of the church, we are directly impacted by the decisions made by those in political authority. In democratic societies, we are granted the privilege to vote—a powerful responsibility that should not be taken lightly. Our decision and choice on who we vote for must be aligned to our beliefs and values that are enshrined in the Holy Bible, ‘Righteousness exalts a nation’ and when the righteous are in power, the citizens flourish. Regrettably, our societies—and even our churches—are shaped by a diversity of ethnic backgrounds and cultural influences. These differences can sometimes create preferences, biases, and divisions, even though the church is called to transcend such boundaries in pursuit of unity.”
In an effort to speak to Evangelical women, I spoke to Lurissa Sookdeo, who is also a mother, and she had this to say on the issue, “I would say that the Evangelical church has been very discriminatory in its views towards the UNC party because they tend to proffer racial tribalism into the churches when it should not even be there.”
Sookdeo also complained of being a victim of some discrimination by other evangelicals for her political views.
It must be said that in addition to a diversity of political views, the Evangelical church in Trinidad and Tobago has a diversity of theological views and often disagrees on interpretations of the Bible.
Regardless, Jesus commanded love and unity among his followers. I expect any divisions and soreness caused by this election to be healed within a year.