From Protest To Pagan

By: Earle Simpson
Sir Patrick Allen, independent-Jamaica’s sixth governor-general, who on Friday June 13 became the newest receptor of the British Order of St. Michael and St. George, is not only the first Adventist to become governor-general of Jamaica, he is also the first regional head of the Adventist church to abdicate his role in favour of what seems to be personal and or political ambitions.
When Dr. Allen accepted the nomination to become governor- general of Jamaica, my thoughts were that he was mistaken; that choice would in no way further or amplify the call to which he had previously described as divine, I thought. How would being governor- general be a more effective way of leading the church he was divinely called to lead? I could not see the holy rational in his thinking then, but I was prepared to be talked down on it. However, now that Dr. Allen has gone further and accepted the Order of St. Michael and St. George, I am convinced that, for him, personal ambitions outweigh those of the divine. But I am not the only one confused by Sir Patrick’s move. According to July 2009 edition of the Adventist World, Reverend Courtney Stewart, a Baptist minister who heads the Bible Society of the West Indies and a long time friend of Sir Patrick exclaimed, “The Adventists were being seen as different from others. The appointment of an adventist as governor-general is a maturing of our people.”
The order of St. Michael, as well as that of St. George, is essentially Roman Catholic, and by nature antithetical to especially Seventh-Day Adventism. And since the Seventh-day Adventists have, for centuries, been the nemesis of the Roman Catholics, I find it extremely difficult to understand the meaning of the acceptance of these orders by a president of a Seventh-day Adventist Union. I say “a president” because to say “a former president” would be to misrepresent the facts. Dr. Allen quitted the presidency for the political position and accolade – an accolade that essential ennobled him in a Catholic private or public society.
That these orders honor Catholic religious icons is a fact supposedly well known to a man who led and taught many against Catholic Traditions. But maybe Sir Allen found the orders very difficult to refuse since hagiography suggests that, in the Roman Catholic and Anglican churches, St. George and St. Michael are among the most venerated saints. But not only are these saints relics of the Catholic Church, the idea of saints, as taught by the Catholics, is also denounced by the Adventists. Catholics believe that saints are people who lived holy lives, but are now in heaven, after their death, interceding on behalf of families and friends, and must be associated with one or more miracles. Adventists, on the other hand, believe that once dead, people remain dead in their graves; meaning that they are not capable of one, let alone more miracles. Moreover, Adventists believe that the teaching about saints is diabolic at every level including its foundation.
But, if Sir Allen, an Adventist, shares the Adventist’s beliefs, then those beliefs seem at odd with the implications of his recent acceptance of the orders. Kneeling at the tip of the sword of a Catholic icon not only implies ecumenical overtures, it sheds significant light on the club to which the Adventist Pastor has now become a member. Each member of that club stands a chance of becoming the grand master, and if he were to become grand master, what a grand master Sir Allen would be!
When Sir Allen was the leader of the Adventist group whose leadership he abandoned, he vigorously propagated and proselytized his disbelief in saints. So, how does he explain the current situation of which he is a willing acceptor of orders in honor of not one, but two well known and ancient saints? Founded in 1326 by cardinals and bishops in the presence of King Karoly Robert of Hungary, the Order of St. George was in 1400 united with the Order of St. Michael. The original insignia of the Order of St. George included a white enameled cross pattée with a central disc bearing the image of St. George on horseback slaying the dragon, but in the year 1503, when Pope Paul III became the grand master, he placed the holy crown of St. Stephen above the St. George Cross. The St George cross, which is sometimes referred to as the Maltese cross, is a popular part of the regalia of Defenders of the Faith, and could often be seen on the capes of Knights Templar and Free Masons – groups to which Sir Allen would normally decline membership. But apparently Sir Allen has had a change of heart and direction.
Whereas I might not be able to unequivocally provide the answer to why Sir Allen has made this turn, I can only remember one of his admonitions: “By their fruits you will know them.” This may provide the only cue to the resolutions to what is now gnawing the nerves of many Adventists. But rather than allowing the faithful few to contemplate his agenda, Sir Patrick Allen could, himself, resolve the issue: give an honest-to-god explanation to the recent denominational faut pas of his life.