Naive Christians slammed for missing Kevin Smith red flags
Pastor warns of Pathways repeat if believers don’t assess leaders
Published:Friday | January 7, 2022 | 12:09 AMRasbert Turner/Gleaner Writer
A senior clergyman has rebuked Christian believers for making themselves gullible to the influence of now-deceased pastor, Kevin O. Smith, after a bizarre church ritual in which two members were murdered and a third fatally shot by the police.
The Rev Adinhair Jones, executive chairman of the Church of God in Jamaica, said the gatekeepers of the Church should have prevented Smith’s megalomania from taking root at the Pathways International Restoration Ministries in Montego Bay, St James.
Careful checks and balances, said Jones, would have unmasked Smith long before the deadly ceremony on October 17 last year.
“The umbrella group of churches must scrutinise those who want to establish congregations and worship in the name of Jesus,” Jones told The Gleaner.
“While we are not policing the system, what happened in St James couldn’t have happened if due diligence was done. Therefore, we must stand and be counted or it could happen again.”
Jones said that congregations have been too accommodating of virtually anyone bearing a Bible who could deliver sound bites, using charisma and flair to flourish as did Smith.
The Church of God administrator also took issue with clergy and laity for not being sufficiently critical of Smith and others he dubbed false prophets.
“We have not been asking the relevant questions, and we need to,” Jones said, adding that there could be far-reaching implications.
Smith died in an automobile crash on October 25 while being transported to Kingston to be charged with murder.
A week earlier, police and soldiers stormed the Pathways compound and shot dead Kevaughn Plummer, who allegedly attacked them.
Taneka Gardner, 39, and Michael Brown, 38, both reputed members of the church, were killed during a sacrificial ceremony, reportedly on Smith’s orders.
Andre Ruddock, another member of the church, has been charged with Gardner’s murder.
Smith is said to have lived a lavish lifestyle in at least two luxury homes in St James and convinced some congregants to designate him a trustee on their insurance policies.
Actions like those, Jones hinted, were red flags that ought not to have been missed.
“He was overreaching, he was encroaching on people’s personal property and dignity. He kept readjusting his prophecies and proclamations. These were clear indicators that something was definitely wrong,” the clergyman said.