The Tribune

By Rev Canon S 
Sebastian Campbell

John 10:10: “I have come that you might have life – life in all its fullness.”


The celebration of Easter portrays the celebration of life. In fact, Easter is about a new and infusing life that can best be termed an “abundant life”

Easter’s colours and sentiments lend themselves quite fittingly to its symbols of the Easter bunny, the Easter egg, and all the other symbols used during the Easter season. For these symbols not only show our appreciation for Easter, but express our love and enable us to better understand this very important celebration of the church.
In our churches we witness once again the blessing of the new fire and the candle of Christ know as the Paschal candle.

As a result, and also as a sign of our knowledge, we ought to be challenged to be commandos of an abundant life which does not originate from us, but from God – the source of all life.

John 10:10 challenges us in that very light: “I have come that in order that you might have life – life in all its fullness”.

It is my wish for this article to be precise and pragmatic to the situation from my standpoint in our society.

Let us focus our attention on ten areas, without going into detail, save for a later date when we will give an in-depth analysis:


1. Church schools or private schools expel students whenever they make mistakes or do something contrary to what the rules of that school stipulate.

They are not willing to forgive or exercise their Christian love of giving the individual a second chance. An example of this can be seen when a young girl becomes pregnant; she is automatically dismissed, whereas a government school offers hope for such a misguided youth by giving her a second chance.


2. The Christian community emphasises the “thou shall nots” and offers no practical alternatives. If a small casino will assist in job creation on our Family Islands and usher our people back into their natural habitats, why not have casinos on all our islands that can hold them? At last there will be new life in many Family Islands. Our people must be taught responsibility and that nothing is in itself evil.


3. I am for the development of religious ministers in our schools teaching family planning and how it relates to birth control and contraceptives; this is long overdue. How are churches reflecting this issue?


4. Legalising the number houses. What is inherently wrong with this. Do we stand to benefit economically as a country, wouldn’t it mean a reduction in the proposed rate of VAT, taxes this country so badly needs if we are to keep our dollar floating as high as it is on the world stage?


5. Our churches need to take a more positive vocal stand in society. Prophecy in our land seems to be dead. Where are the suggestions, helping hands, encouraging voices of our bishops, pastors, deacons and others?

Are they all in full-time employment of the civil service cause?


6. There are too many conflicts of interest in many areas, especially among lawyers, who are being disbarred and in some cases imprisoned.


7. What hope, I wonder, is there for moral integrity when our leaders are the stars with leading roles in illegitimacy rates. I noticed during the debate on the youth report, no one touched this issue.

Obviously part of our youth problem stems from unstable homes and the lack of an effective father figure in them.


8. The act of glorifying unwed mothers and fathers; what message are we sending out? Obviously one of confusion.

We have role models who play leading roles in the upbringing of our children, who are a part of this hypocrisy. I heard nothing on this in the youth debate.


9. What about the greedy merchants who constantly rip us off with overpricing, causing thousands of dollars to leave our country, and thus boosting that of another country.


10. We voice our feelings on Bahamianisation over and over, but what about it, if we refuse to recognise and uphold our very own?

These ten points which I have put together, as I said before, are not detailed and can be expanded upon, but for the moment I throw them out to be reflected on during this Easter celebration.

I feel Easter can only have meaning if we begin to bring new life – abundant life out of the tombs of hopelessness and despair.

Jesus said, “I am the way. The truth and the Life.”

To find Jesus is to find all those opportunities, for he alone is the source of life; we are challenged to dispense what he has given us.