Dear Editor – The issue of “New church movement” that appeared on front page of SS 6800, Monday January this year 2018, would be an eye lifting scenario for not only the church or mother church concerned but for the whole Christian community of the Solomon Islands as a whole.
While we cannot deny or displace the place of freedom of religion in this country as a democratic one it is also an issue for the Christian church in SI to scrutinize and do something amicable about.
The so-called ‘movement’ may not be a recent entity; it must have been around for some time.
And doing a little bit of research one can find that its roots have been even before the 1970,s Revival in the SSEC, under the umbrella of a so called Remnant Church or Holiness movement in those years, with a similar Kingdom ideology.
Since that time similar cargo-cultic episodes of such have been emerging and somehow accompanying the church throughout the years.
We may not be very sure of the real reason behind and aims of such breakaway movements; it may be people have found a better form of religiousness, or may be due to some uncomfortable issues in the past, but the trend of things moving in that way should have been something needs investigating and leveling.
That would not be to get rid of what we may think as abnormal in our eyes, but in order to help the erring one if ever there be some, in a way that we do not cause problem.
In saying that by now may be the concerned denomination or church , should be of concern to some extend that something needs to be in order to help, if ever, curb the turmoil, though in a way that is out of love and concern for thoseinvolved.
Hence church leaders should not stand aside with mockery and surprise and watch but instead step in somehow and offer help of some kind.
If we have to re-present the Good News somehow in such situations then there is nothing detrimental.
If we have to make some effort in order to bring back such diverting ones then that should be credit to the church, the true Christian movement.
With these it is an appeal here that the church concerned, that is the mother church, should stand up and initiates a kind of good investigation into this Kingdom movement to find out what is the real agenda seeing that it is realized as a cargo-cultic movement, in order to make re-Christianizing if have to.
That is because if such movements, though they are not new in Christian history, bring any shameful picture, that would fall on us, because those involved were once our followers and members.
And more importantly, if they are going in the wrong direction then, it is our responsibility to correct them and bring them back, as shepherds of God’s people.
Finally, in this view, the core of this recent Kingdom movement may be cultic or cargo-cultic and non-true, it signals something really important hidden within our Christian spirituality and practice in this country, more so the church concerned.
May be we need more appropriate teaching and a guided and focused spiritual understanding in our church.
Ronald Willsman
Auki
Malaita
