Christ & Caribbean Culture(s)

The topics in this book "have been raised to facilitate a focus on the Caribbean reality against the Christian Gospel, thereby seeking to articulate what can be termed a Christian civilization. That civilization is not to be perceived as an end in itself, or a stage at which we eventually arrive. It is rather a continuous process of maturation to bring ourselves as a people to a more wholesome sense of our humanity. Therefore, such a process will take certain postures on the physical, psychological, historical, socio-economic and cultural levels. First, we need to own our history. As hard as this may sound, it is always the first step to liberation. In order to promote a civilization of 'being' we have to acknowledge who we are; to grow into a deeper acceptance of what we have been, embrace what we are, and chart the course for a more positive future. It is not a call to shoulder-patting ... but necessary for making positive psychological shifts from one stage of existence to another. Secondly, if the Caribbean Church is to be a genuine promoter of that civilization She has to be endowed with certain qualities: 1. She has to be experienced as a Church of compassion, on the pattern of the divine Master. Historically, Caribbean people have not always experienced that quality in its totality at the hands of the Church; especially those of the lower class. They have seen it as an institution which is quicker to condemn their way of life than to encourage them onto a higher level of being. The Church must always be the first to give a sense of comfort and welcome to its people. 2. She has to be experienced as a therapeutic community; being more acceptable to its members, especially in their struggles. To seek always to create a sense of being a home to which every person feels that he/she belongs. The Church should never be experienced as alienating to its members, especially the poor. Its ministry ought to be designed in such a way as to facilitate full participation of all members. It must be experienced as a place where gifts are nurtured and shared. That sense of being at home with the Church could certainly help in eradicating some of the superstitions that exist in the very fabric of the lives of a significant number of our people. 3. She has to be experienced as a dialoguing Church; a people who can live with differences; one that is open to accept truth in others, and being comfortable to work with them. This leads to the inevitable promotion of ecumenical and inter-religious dialogues. It is not to be seen simply as an accommodated extra, but an intrinsic dimension of being Church today. The quest for unity even from the biblical standpoint does not mean uniformity. Diversity is not an enemy to unity because it only comes to its full stature in collaborative effort. The Church has to pattern what she teaches in that regard. 4. Liberation always involves growth and coming to self-hood – a process of incarnation or inculturation. The Caribbean as a people needs to be more and more aware of the fact that we have a unique contribution to make to the world. It is a contribution that only we can make by being Caribbean, with our background and experiences. Therefore, our theology will carry some unique features because their context is Caribbean. Our liberation has to truly come from within and then our celebration, our liturgy, will inevitably reflect liberation with its language and forms. True liberation always boosts a people’s dignity and self-respect. 5. The Church will need to be experienced as having a prophetic voice, that is, one which upholds justice for all and promotes the rights of every human person. To be otherwise would be contradictory to the Christian message. Its leadership must be seen as persons who are ready to put their lives on line for the rights of their people. It is the only way we can have a voice that is authentic and can at the same time be a source of inspiration to the political and economic structures. Such a position requires a great deal of vigilance in keeping abreast with issues which challenge the lives of those whom they serve. 6. In light of this responsibility to justice, the Caribbean Church of the future will need to pay particular attention to women who form the major sector of its membership. There is no doubt that in the Caribbean, women have suffered innumerable indignities because they are women. In a male-dominated Church and society, they have been subjected to a role of ‘faithful servant’ without any serious recognition of their true status or function. This issue cannot be left unattended if we are to make a meaningful step into the future. They constitute the main stream of the Church’s life and witness, and form the back-bone of many Caribbean families. Therefore, their recognition as formators of society has to go beyond mere tokenism to a sense of equality of participation in the development of Church and nation. However, to sustain a liberation disposition in the Caribbean, there is need for ... vigilance against some of the threats to that process. The first of these is the subtle introduction of neocolonial mentalities. It is lamentable even to think that racial and colour prejudices are still very present among us. Working towards their eradication must remain on our agenda. Class differences still pose a great challenge to the desired balance in our society and have to remain the concern of the Christian community. More overt, however, is an ethic of individualism, materialism, and consumerism, which is sweeping the Caribbean. The soap opera mentality of overnight success needs to be seen as negative because it is unrealistic. It encourages abuses of every kind and presents to the Caribbean mind a false view of success, a false view of true liberation. Finally, the way to true liberation is through education – wholesome formation of persons; that is, to feed the mind with the best information that would make for good living. Not simply information for its own sake, but that which will make for an integral development of the human person."