Devon Dick to give lecture in The Bahamas

Jamaica Baptist Union President Devon Dick will deliver a lecture at the Caribbean Baptist Fellowship (CBF) Congress meeting in Nassau, Bahamas, scheduled for October 14 to October 22.

At this 47th annual congress, Dick will speak on 'The Anabaptists-Radical Reformers: Relevance for Baptists in the 21st century' on October 14. This lecture marks the 500th anniversary of Martin Luther, the German theologian, posting of his 95 theses which gave impetus to the reformation movement and which caused a split in the Roman Catholic denomination. Dick will argue that there is a link between Anabaptists of the 16th century and Caribbean Baptists of the 21st century. He will further argue that Caribbean Baptists should recommit to two tenets of Anabaptists, that is, religious freedom and social justice. Dick will do a SWOT analysis of religious freedom in Jamaica, The Bahamas and the Caribbean. He will tackle social justice issues such as the recent furore caused by a Bahamian clergyman who is opposed to the hurricane relief help being offered by the government of Bahamas to the people of Dominica, since the passage of Hurricane Irma.

In addition, Dick will preach on Baptist Day, October 15, when Baptists march through the city of Nassau. Dick will preach again on October 22 at the historic Bethel Baptist Church, the oldest Baptist Church in The Bahamas.

Other speakers at the congress include South African Rev Paul Msiza, president of the Baptist World Alliance (BWA), and Rev Neville Callam, first Caribbean man to be general secretary of the BWA. The congress will be chaired by the president of the CBF, Bishop Dr William Thompson of The Bahamas.