Jamaican minister defends World Cup criticism as old music career resurfaces

A Jamaican church minister who drew public anger for condemning the World Cup and professional sports says the reaction was inevitable once he challenged what he calls society’s idols.

Speaking in a recent interview, he argued that athletics brings together people of every faith — Christians, Muslims, atheists and others — in a shared spirit that he believes serves darker spiritual aims. He pointed to his own earlier life, when watching games in bars let him bond with people outside his belief system, as proof of how sport breaks down religious barriers.

The criticism intensified after archives surfaced showing him featured about 12 years ago as a recording artist, a chapter he now distances himself from. He said digging up long-past wrongdoing feels like someone plumbing the ocean’s deepest trench to retrieve sins he believes God has already cast away, citing Micah 7:19.

He addressed a brief stint in secular music tied to a controversial release he called “Amsterdam,” which he said was meant to stir outrage and earn money before returning to church life. The tracks were catchy enough, he said, to worry him about influencing young people, so he left the industry within weeks and claimed he never profited from it.

Holding a copy of The Great Controversy and dressed in an American-style suit, he said his bold past as a party promoter now compels him to speak plainly for Christ, including warnings to Jamaicans that America is not what it once seemed.

Asked whether practising obeah or pursuing a risqué music career was worse, he said all sin is sin, but working obeah draws power from God’s enemies and is more dangerous than sexual immorality. He cited biblical examples involving King David to support his view.

He said his appearances on social platforms, including TikTok, are not for personal gain but to lift up Christ, warning listeners about hellfire while urging anyone hearing his message to turn from sin.