Christianity in Antigua and Barbuda

God’s Canvass and Culture for this edition is the island nation of Antigua and Barbuda. This covers modern political history of the country, its flora, fauna and sea life, as well as culture and religion. The idea is to make our readers familiar with the country that is selected each month for the prayer focus.

         Antigua and Barbuda is in the West Indies, between the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. It consists of two major Islands, Antigua and Barbuda separated by 63 kilometres, and smaller islands, including Great Bird, Green, Guiana, Long, Maiden, Prickly Pear, York and Redonda. The capital and largest city is St. John’s located in Antigua, while the official language is English. The country operates a unitary parliamentary constitutional monarchy under Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain. Sir Rodney Williams is Governor-General and Gaston Browne the Prime Minister.

Christopher Columbus sighted the islands in 1493 during his second voyage, naming the larger one Santa Maria de la Antigua. Early attempts by Europeans to settle on the islands failed due to the excellent defences of the natives. England succeeded in colonising the islands in 1632, with Thomas Warner as the first Governor.

Slavery was common in Barbuda in the 1700s and until 1834. Several slave rebellions took place on the island, with the most serious in 1834-5. Britain emancipated slaves in its colonies in 1834, but that did not include Barbuda, so the island then freed its own slaves. On the other hand, Antigua was used as the headquarters of the British Royal Navy Caribbean Fleet during the 18^th century. The islands achieved independence from the United Kingdom in 1981, becoming the nation of Antigua and Barbuda.

The dominant religion in the country is Christianity. St. John’s, as capital, serves as the episcopal seat of both the Anglican and Roman Catholic churches. The religious composition by percentage is Anglican (17.6%); Seventh Day Adventist (12.4%); Pentecostal (12.2%); Moravian (8.3%), Roman Catholic (8.2%); Methodist (5.6%); Wesleyan Holiness (4.5%); Baha’i, Buddhism, Jehovah Witness, Mormons, Hinduism, Islam, Rastafarianism and other faiths (12.2%); unspecified (5.5%); Atheism (5.9%).

God’s Canvass in Antigua and Barbuda

Antigua and Barbuda are low-lying islands whose terrain has been influenced more by limestone formations than volcanic activity. The highest point in the country is Boggy Peak, located in southwestern Antigua. The shorelines of both islands are indented with beaches, lagoons and natural harbours. There are few streams as rainfall is slight. Also, both islands do not have sufficient fresh groundwater. Hurricanes strike on an average of once a year, including the powerful Category 5 Hurricane Irma, which destroyed several houses in Barbuda on September 6, 2017.

Flora

Antigua and Barbuda is a beautiful island nation with a varied natural history. Palmetto and seaside mangrove are indigenous, alongside red cedar, white cedar, mahogany, whitewood and acacia. Some of the variety of plant life in the country are presented below.

Fauna

The country has an abundance of deer, wild pigs, guinea fowl, pigeons and wild ducks. It is also home to endangered species of animals such as Antiguan racer, white-crowned pigeon and the elegant Indian whistling duck. Bats are numerous on both islands and are important to their ecology. They are useful for insect control, seed dispersal and pollination. Some of the animals found in the country are shown below.

Sea Life

The country has a rich variety of sea life characteristic of the Caribbean. The marine creatures include dolphins, whales, sea fans, lobster, sea turtle, butterflyfish, surgeonfish, puffer fish, moray, eels and sergeant major. Some of them are presented below.

Beaches in Antigua and Barbuda

Culture

The culture of Antigua and Barbuda is a blend of Amerindian, West African and British traditions. Specific traces of these parent cultures, as well as influences from other Caribbean islands, especially reggae from Jamaica are still very evident. Given the influence of creole on its culture, it is not surprising that the language spoken by the vast majority of people in the country is often referred to as Antiguan creole.

Traditional Attire

The traditional attire of the island nation is part of its numerous cultural festivals and carnival celebrations. The national dress is made with a unique fabric known as Madras sourced from India. It has patterned texture and is used for summer clothing such as pants, shorts, dresses, and jackets. Some of the designs are shown in the following pictures.

Cuisine

The national dish is fungie (pronounced “foon-jee) and pepperpot. It is made mostly from cornmeal. Other local dishes include ducana, seasoned rice, saltfish and lobster. There are also local confectionaries which include sugar cake, fudge, raspberry, tamarind stew and peanut brittle. The pictures below tell their own story.

Status of Christianity in Antigua and Barbuda

According to the 2001 census, 74% of the population is Christian. The Anglican Church is the largest denomination, accounting for an estimated 26% of the population. The Methodist, Moravian and Roman Catholic churches account for less than 10%. The United Evangelical Association, an organisation that included most independent evangelical churches, claims an estimated 25% of the population. Jehovah’s Witnesses number more than 1,000.

The Christian orientation is also creolized as one moves up the class hierarchy. For most of their history, the churches of Antigua and Barbuda were colonial institutions – overseas branches of England-bases churches, whose pastors were in control. Thus, unlike the African American church, the Afro-Antiguan and Barbudan church does not have a long history of autonomous development. Autonomy came with the independence of the state.

           In spite of the Anglicization, religious practices have not escaped creolization. Among Afro-Antiguans and Barbudans, traces of African religious heritage have survived in the practice of Obeah (traditional religious healing and justice system developed by West African slaves), and in inclinations toward more ecstatic modes of worship. The postcolonial period has witnessed a significant creolizing of church music, which has been influenced by calypso, reggae, and African American gospel music.

The brief history of Christianity in the country indicates that other beliefs, especially traditional African religion were foundations of early Christians in the country. It is hardly surprising therefore, that such beliefs still influence worship in churches, in addition to promoting witchcraft in the society. 2 Corinthians 6:15 tells that there can never be any accommodation between light and darkness, Christ and Belial, believers and unbelievers. God’s charge to believers is contained in verses 17 and 18, “Therefore, come out from them and separate yourselves from them, says the LORD. Don’t touch their filthy things, and I will be your Father, and you will be My sons and daughters says the LORD Almighty”.

The Lord Jesus Christ said in John 8:32, “And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. He also said in John 16:13, “But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth (full and complete truth). For He will not speak on His own initiative, but He will speak whatever He hears (from the Father – the message regarding the Son), and He will disclose to you what is to come (in the future)”.

 Standing on the irreversible and unchanging word of God, let us cry out to Him concerning the state of the Christian faith in Antigua and Barbuda. God is not the author of confusion or pollution in any form. He is preparing a bride for His Son that is without spot or wrinkle (Ephesians 5:27), through the instrumentality of the Holy Spirit. The prayer points for the country are presented below. Ask the Holy Spirit to give you more as you are led.

Prayer Points

1. Thank God for His mercy for humanity through the shed blood of His Son Jesus Christ.
2. Thank God for giving the people of Antigua and Barbuda their unique creole language and culture.
3. Ask Him to destroy the coverings of darkness in the hearts and minds of its people.
4. Pray that the Father would stir the heart of the people of the island nation by His Spirit and cause them to hate evil in all its forms and manifestations.
5. Ask the Father to circumcise their hearts to fear and honour Him as their creator.
6. Pray that the Father would send workers into His harvest in the country.
7. Ask Him to judge all demonic forces operating in the islands and dethrone them from the hearts and minds of His seed.
8. Pray that God would purge Christian believers of pollutions from false religions and doctrines of devils.
9. Ask Him to sanctify Christian believers by His word so that they can preach Christ with their lives.
10.  Pray that He would stir up a mighty revival of faith among the churches and cause them to be united in the Spirit.

Intercession Checklist

1. From the political map of Antigua and Barbuda provided in the introductory part of the article, select cities, regions or towns for focused prayer.
2. Remind the Father that you are standing in the place of Christ as His Ambassador to claim these geographical spaces for Him in line with Psalm 2:8, where the Father said to Him, “Ask of Me, and I will make the nations Your heritage, and the ends of the earth Your possession”.

            Culled from https://www.everyculture.com, https://www.en.m.wikipedia.org, https://www.antiguanice.com