The transatlantic trade in Africans was founded on a misguided interpretation of Christianity. Prince Henry of Portugal, “the Navigator” (1394-1460), put Europe’s aggressive and ruthless expeditions to Africa in motion. It was during this period that the feudal European states began to unite. Henry taught men to sail down the …
Read More »Noble: Good Friday trials—compromised leaders don’t recognise their power
We tend to centre the Easter weekend observances on the Resurrection in our modern-day society. We skip past Good Friday—but there would be no Easter without Good Friday. We must face Good Friday’s trials and darkness before we can appreciate the dawn of the Resurrection. The events of Good Friday …
Read More »Noble: God is mindful of the humble but scatters the proud
Ancestry © is possibly the most extensive software package that helps us to develop our family tree. Knowing your family history enables you to appreciate your identity. The story of Jesus in the New Testament begins with a family tree. In a strange twist, the genealogy by which Matthew attempts …
Read More »Noble: The Israel-Hamas War and the Bible—silence in the face of evil
“Silence in the face of evil is evil itself.” Dietrich Bonhoeffer, German Lutheran pastor, theologian and anti-Nazi dissident. The Holy Land is an attraction for us because of the Hebrew Torah, the Christian Bible, and the Quran with their stories of Judaism, the foundation of Christianity, and the creation of …
Read More »Noble: But we had hoped… Fighting disappointments, chasing freedom—the true Easter story
The story of Easter includes an episode of two travellers on the Emmaus road (Luke 24: 13 – 35). They, like many of us today, were distressed and down-hearted. Life was tough, with challenges that burdened them. This place of disillusionment and grief is common to man. Disappointments are everywhere. …
Read More »Open Bible Churches ‘encourage members to be vaccinated’, admit to split in Christian community
“[…] We believe that the Covid-19 vaccination should be an individual choice and have encouraged our church members to be vaccinated. “The views expressed by some members [within the Christian community] do not represent views shared by all or necessarily by the majority…” The following media release on Covid-19 vaccines …
Read More »Noble: Sorrow at Christmas—‘how can we sing songs while we weep at our fate?’
In the period between Christmas 2020 and 2021, because of Covid-19, we have lost a staggering 2,456 persons. We have empty chairs and beds in many homes, which serve as a haunting reminder. How do we eat a Christmas Day meal without the presence and joy of a loved one? …
Read More »Noble: Crisis, chaos and freedom—be your brother’s keeper, take the vaccine
If we do not know the endpoint of an event, how do we move towards it? What do you do when deep-seated tiredness steps in—a place where you are past the breaking point emotionally, physically, socially and spiritually? When you keep hearing crashing waves as you lie in bed even …
Read More »Noble to vaccine-hesitants: ‘When did Christians lose their connection with their fellow men and science?’
There is a story about a Samaritan called ‘good’ in the Bible because he did not walk by a suffering Jew. He had no prior relationship with the man lying beaten on the roadside, who was not part of his community, yet he acted out of compassion. Giving up his …
Read More »Noble: As USA learns cost of lies about equality, will T&T remove scales from its eyes?
“The truth does not care about our governments, ideologies, religions. It will lie in wait… I once would fear the cost of truth. Now I only ask, what is the cost of lies? “[…] Every lie we tell incurs a debt to the truth. Sooner or later, that debt is …
Read More »Raffique Shah: ‘Black power’ and Indians; when flowering racial unity sparked a revolution
The following column was written by Raffique Shah on 9 June 2000: IN 1970, I was the only Indian officer in the Trinidad and Tobago Regiment. I was also the youngest officer, having graduated from Sandhurst in July 1966, some four months after I had turned 20. When I returned …
Read More »Dear Editor: The message of Good Friday is love
“The passing of Jesus Christ—his crucifixion, his resurrection and his ascension—is crucial for Christianity, and the current clergy and laity are charged with continuing his mission. “… The message is one of Love, that is, love of God and love of our neighbours and doing unto others as you would …
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