The death of Pastor Myles Munroe "is a loss for Christians and for the Jewish people he loved.”
By REUTERSPastor Myles Munroe (right) and his wife at the Knesset six weeks ago with Josh Reinstein (second left), the director of the Knesset Christian Allies Caucus, and Pastor Tom Hess(photo credit: KNESSET CHRISTIAN ALLIES CAUCUS)
NASSAU, Bahamas – The investigation continues into the plane crash that killed Myles Munroe, an influential and popular religious leader, and eight others in the Bahamas on Sunday.An official investigation into the crash continued on Monday, with police having said that bad weather is suspected to have been a factor.“It has left the country reeling,” said Bahamas Foreign Minister Fred Mitchell in a statement. “Reverend Munroe was a giant of a Bahamian.”Josh Reinstein, the director of the Knesset Christian Allies Caucus, said Munroe was a big supporter of Israel who came to the Jewish state twice a year.“His faith and love of Israel was an inspiration to us all,” Reinstein said. “Israel had no better friend and the Knesset Christian Allies Caucus was honored to work with him.”The Christian Embassy in Jerusalem said in a statement that “Myles Munroe was a key leader of the global Evangelical movement with a big heart for Israel,” and that “his tragic passing is a loss for Christians and for the Jewish people he loved.”Munroe’s wife and top deputy were also among the casualties, authorities said.The plane exploded on impact with a crane at the Grand Bahama Shipyard and plunged into a junkyard below, as it was making its landing approach for Grand Bahama in Freeport at about 5:10 p.m., roughly an hour after takeoff from Nassau, authorities said.Others on board the plane included Bahamas Faith Ministries deputy Richard Pinder, youth ministers Lavard and Rudel Parks, and their young son, Johannan.None aboard the plane survived the crash, officials said.Among those mourning Munroe, who in 1998 was the youngest recipient of the Order of the British Empire, was Bahamian Prime Minister Perry Christie.“It is utterly impossible to measure the magnitude of Dr. Munroe’s loss to the Bahamas and to the world,” Christie said. “He was indisputably one of the most globally recognizable religious figures our nation has ever produced.”The author of numerous books and a regular traveler to countries in Africa and Latin America, Munroe was also chief executive and chairman of the International Third World Leaders Association.Gil Hoffman contributed to this report.
