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Dr. Edward F. Barrow
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An Individual can be a Distinguished Socialite Today
And Tomorrow Share the Unfortunate Experiences
of the Being the Least Among Us’
Dr. Edward F. Barrow is the
Archbishop of the Spiritual Baptist Archdiocese of New York, Inc. He was
born in St. Vincent and the Grenadines. Dr. Barrow holds a Doctorate in
Sacred Theology and is a lecturer in Theology, and Dean of Academic Affairs
at the Christian Gospel Mission Bible Institute of Trinity International
Biblical University located at 591 E. 40th Street, Brooklyn, New
York.
Explaining the origin of the
Spiritual Baptist Archdiocese of New York, Inc., which was formed in 1995,
Arch- bishop Barrow said, “The Spiritual Baptist Faith in North America is
very young in relation to the Faith in the Caribbean. In fact, it was
Spiritual Baptist immigrants from Trinidad and Tobago and other Eastern
Caribbean countries who sometime in the late 1960s and early seventies
brought the Faith to the United States.”
He continued, “With the
development of a number of Spiritual Baptist congregations, it became
obvious that being in a fragmented state would not serve the best interest
of the general membership. It was therefore decided that consistent with
our interdependency as small congregations, it was necessary to form an
umbrella organization which could be used as a conduit in the application of
servicing the temporal and spiritual needs of the membership.”
Dr. Barrow further explained,
“If a member church is not properly structured or registered with the State,
the Archdiocese, as an umbrella organization, can provide strategic
assistance. It is also felt that members of the Faith would feel much more
contented as part of one large family.”
How far do the tentacles of
the Archdiocese reach?
The Archbishop noted “There
are approximately 24 member churches in the Spiritual Baptist Archdiocese of
New York, Inc. However, not all the spiritual Baptist churches in the New
York area are members of the archdiocese. We also have affiliated member
churches and organizations outside the United States in countries such as
Canada, Ghana, Grenada, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and Trinidad and
Tobago. We also have a very good working relationship with the Spiritual
Baptist Archdiocese in Barbados.
Despite the fact that he is
widely respected among the faithful of his religion in the United States and
the Caribbean, Dr. Barrow who joined the faith in 1964 said that his
entering the Spiritual Baptist realms was not by his will but by that of the
Almighty God.
He explained, “I grew
up with the desire and intention of being an Anglican priest and kept myself
for that purpose. It was something I strongly believed that I wanted to do.
I was an acolyte, a boys’ choir member and a member of the church’s youth
organizations. “
Dr. Barrow went on to say
that at the age of 19 he joined the nation’s Police Force. His plan was to
remain in that job until age 29 when he believe that he would have
developed the maturity and qualifications for admittance into the priesthood
.with the intent of serving until I was 29 years ld.”
However his plan was soon
short-lived. He explained “At age 21 I got sick. I sought medical help but
despite several tests the doctors could not find any cause for my illness. I
contacted my brother who lived in England for the purpose of seeking medical
assistance in that country but my health became so severe that I
contemplated suicide as the alternative. Fortunately, after three
unsuccessful attempts I was confronted by the reality of God’s plan for my
life.”
He explained, “ On the third
suicidal attempt my plot was foiled because the person who I depended on to
get the poison from had an immediate member of his family who died suddenly.
As a result he was forced to ignore my request.”
Dr. Barrow added, “I believe
that it was at this stage that I came to the realization of the great wrong
I was about to commit. I knelt down in the road near the in the person’s
house and cried, begging God for his forgiveness. After that prayer it
seemed to me that a sort of clearance had taken place.”
He noted, “Sometime later I
met a nurse who I was acquainted with and she speculated that my illness
might not be a medical one but that it might be a spiritual one.”
Dr. Barrow continued, “The
nurse recommended that I should see my priest or pastor. I followed her
advice and discussed my plight with my priest who agreed with the nurse’s
speculation. He explained that my illness was because when I became a
policeman I withdrew myself from the sacraments of the church. He also
revealed that I needed to return to that spiritual life I once had within
the church. As a result shortly thereafter I resigned from the police
force.”
Sometime after, I went to
Trinidad to visit another of my brothers. The first Sunday I spent there I
was invited to a church service by my brother’s neighbor. I accepted the
invitation. This church was St. John’s Spiritual Baptist Church, in
Gasparillo, run by the late Leader William Andrews and Mother Elsie
Bartholomew.”
He added, “I was not aware at
that time that the church was a Spiritual Baptist church because I had never
associated myself with their counterparts the ‘Converteds’ back home in St.
Vincent. I knew of their existence but nothing of their operation.”
However the young man was
soon to receive a new Christian experience. He explained, “During Mother
Elsie (who later became my spiritual mother) knelt down in prayer. It was
the first time I heard someone talking to God as if he was a friend and was
present while they were talking to him. I felt as though everything she was
saying was exactly what I would have liked to say to him and that she was
saying it for me.”
Dr. Barrow said that although
he felt uncomfortable state, he immediately fell to his knees and began to
pray. He continued, “When she got up off her knees I remained on my knees. I
did not know how to talk to God as she did but I was able to pray the ‘Our
Father’ prayer and the ‘I Believe’. My prayers to God were sincere and the
leader of the church recognized my ignorance to the truths of God, later in
his sermon, challenged me on a new birth and of being born again.”
Dr. Barrow
continued, “That week I attended the church’s nightly services. One night I
arrived late and an elder leader was on his knees praying. His back was
towards the door and as a result was unable to see when I entered. During
his prayer he told the congregation about my presence.”
He explained, “The elder said
that he received a revelation that a stranger had just come into the church
and as of that moment he is not to be called by his former name but he is to
be called ‘Moses’. Everyone there acknowledged that I was acknowledged that
I was that individual and from that day I was called ‘Moses’.
Two weeks after that
experience, Whit Sunday 1964, I received baptism. Since then in Gasparillo
and many parts of Trinidad I was known as ‘Brother Moses’, to some and
‘Leader Moses’ or ‘Shepherd Moses’ to others.
How did the acolyte turned
Spiritual Baptist cope in his newly adopted religion? Archbishop Barrow
replied, “During those days many people viewed the faith as suitable only
for the people of the lower level of society, namely those who were limited
in education and opportunities. At first, I had to get used to the
denigrated impact of non- social interaction as a result of my visible
membership within the Faith. However, I soon convinced myself that had it
not been for the grace of God I would not have been here so I would let the
Lord have his way within my life and he surely did.”
He continued, “I never
severed my relationship with the people I knew in my past in those days in
the Anglican Communion. I have remained friends with many Anglican priests
and still keep a close relationship with the church. My view is that God
called me to an evangelizing ministry.”
Was it difficult for him to
make the transition?
Dr. Barrow answered, “Yes, it
was very difficult. I was embarrassed at times. Some friends and
acquaintances thought I was crazy or had psychological problems and
originally did not take me seriously. Others later confessed that they were
aware that I had no ministerial or theological training, yet when I preached
and the word of the Lord flowed so eloquently that they said to themselves
that I was ‘stone mad’ or that there was some truth to the faith.”
But what was the view of his
religious community with him leaving the teaching of the Anglican Church to
adopt that of another faith?
Dr. Barrow went on to reveal
that he has been faced with bitter and sweet moments from acquaintances from
his past, he explained, “One individual, a man of higher education
who is presently a distinguished Methodist Minister, and was from my
hometown in St. Vincent and the Grenadines met me in Trinidad at Library
Corner, San Fernando, during the time when I was in full time evangelizing
ministry. It was a period when I was unable to work. The man asked me if I
was Edward from Calliaqua, St. Vincent, I answered “yes” but he didn’t
believe it was me. He then mentioned my mother’s name and asked if I was her
son, I again answered “yes” and he said that he was not convinced it was me,
so he then mentioned my sister’s name to make very certain it was the same
person he was talking to; when he realized I was the same person, he asked
the punch line ‘And how you come so?’ From a societal perspective, it was a
period in my life and ministry when I was brought to the most humble state
of human dignity. A period I would like to forget but is constantly keeping
me faithful. A period when I lived by the mercies of god and the goodwill of
my brother to whom I am eternally grateful.”
He continued,
“When I later returned to my homeland on ‘mission’ at times I would be
mocked by some amongst the crowds which followed me. One time after
preaching assignment in Georgetown (the capital) there was a large crowd
which had gathered to hear ‘the message’, this caused the police to
redirect traffic. As a result, the then Assistant Commissioner of Police who
knew me told me that if I was not a Vincentian he would have deported me and
that I was a disgrace to the police force for being in such a religion.”
“However, originating out of
that period there are the sweet moments,” Dr. Barrow explained, “Here in New
York, I have met some people who are now Ministers of the gospel who knew me
during my early preaching days and have spoken of the impact my ministry has
had on their lives and that it may have influenced their call to ministry.
I have also met in the pulpit ministry a particular well-respected
Spiritual Baptist pastor, who as a young man, before his conversion, used to
mock me as I preached. Today, he has accepted the faith and has become one
of the strongest apologists for it. Many times we both would share a joke or
two about those earlier periods of my life.”
He continued, “My experience
has been a very humbling one. Pride and self-centeredness were killed and
this has helped me to see others on an equal basis. It has also helped me
recognize that today an individual can be a distinguished socialite and
tomorrow can share the unfortunate experiences of being the least among us
in society. The benefit I have gained is to see each person in the light of
good rather than as society would have it namely of class and separation.”
Given his earlier foundation
what virtue has he found in the Spiritual Baptist religion that he believes
he can use as an example to show individuals from other Christian religions
that his is as serious and as theirs or any other Christian religion?
Dr. Barrow explained, “The
church as the body of Christ is one and though there might be different
branches, there is only one Shepherd. Society has created the environment
for different religious sects within the same body, which is a shame. In
fact, there are people who would not respond to the Gospel message call
within a particular religious or denominational setting because they believe
that they would feel unwelcome. The scripture speaks of other sheep that
are not of the same flock, they also must hear the Gospel and they too must
have a Shepherd.
At one time, the people who
were attracted to our faith were people who were at the bottom of the social
ladder, those who were marginalized and considered societal outcast, but the
ministry of Christ is also for them. God calls Shepherds whom they would
listen to and would send these Shepherds to them.
No faith holds the key to the
Kingdom of God neither is there any other doctrine but scriptural doctrine.
As such, no Faith is higher than the other in the delivery of the Good News;
it is erroneous interpretation of the Scripture and the societal class
structure of separation which tries to create this atmosphere.
Are there any
practices within the Spiritual Baptist faith that he believes isn’t
scriptural and should be done away with?
Dr. Barrow replied, “Yes. We
must learn to separate the cultural aspect of our faith from the spiritual
aspect. I am against the integration of the spiritual aspect and the
cultural aspect. Individuals tend to be more receptive towards the cultural
aspects while losing focus on the spiritual aspects because they incorrectly
believe that they are one and the same.”
He added, “In my own
experience the faith is pure. It is simplistic in its revelation of the
truths of God and does not require other entities in its application.”
He continued, “We serve an
all powerful God and he absolutely does not need any assistance in his
doing. He can do all things, at all times, in all places, all by himself.
There is no invocation of entities necessary to reach him but our simple
honest prayer. The cultural aspect is very important to our history. It
constantly reminds us of ourselves not being a people of subjugation but a
people esteemed. However, in our Christian worship, it belongs in a
separate household.”
The Archbishop stressed, “Our
conversion to Christianity came as a result of hearing the words of God
which came out of the King James version of the Holy Bible, so, if this book
was strong enough to convict us and to cause our conversion , why is it not
good enough to sustain our spiritual life without help from another source.”
