CODE-SWITCHING GOSPEL WITH SECULAR ENTERTAINMENT

Frank Edwards

The blending of gospel themes with secular lingo, beats or genres to enhance reception has divided opinion in Christian circles.

The development has raised eyebrows among those who fear that the co-opting of “outside influences” compromises gospel purity.

However, code-switching the Bible and secular patterns of expression is in vogue, with proponents arguing that to gain broader appeal, Christian artists must unpack their message in the “language” that most people understand.”

Our question, therefore, is whether this latest form of artistic license, which gospel ministers are indulgent of in the name of evangelical capital, is good or bad for the message?

Does code-switching factor in valuable add-ons or does it distort the essential import of Christian works of art?

There is a danger of approaching the problem from one extreme and readily playing down other views.

So we will desist from assigning one-size-fit-all interpretations to the phenomenon and painstakingly zero in on each case as it dictates.

On the question of genre, is it wrong for someone to praise Jesus with rap, dancehall, rock or jazz – mediums which some have branded as repositories of satanic influence?

Let’s face it, some of these mediums have been used to glorify crime, drugs, violence, sex, nudity and profanity in clear violation of the Bible.

Is Frank Edwards, the genius behind Rocktown Music, then justified to “Rock n Roll” for Jesus justified?” Should Chris Tomlin’s invite to “God’s Great Dancefloor” or Solly Mahlangu’s call to “Praise Him in an African Way” heeded?

Should we “cycle” along to Pastor Charamba’s gospel sungura or wiggle to Sabastian Magacha’s latest rhumba offering.

Is it fitting Tinashe Magacha takes to the podium to “rock dem tunez” using the same genre Seh Calaz uses to glorify the abuse of bronco and “chamba” for cheap applause from ignorant youths or the same beat Platinum Prince uses to promote sex outside marriage?

My answer is an emphatic “Yes!” Like it or not, art is battlefront. It may not be a magic bullet but its influence can only be gainsaid at our own peril.

We need custodians of tradition in the form of conservative gospel artists but we also need to reclaim territories currently in the devil’s control through Christian soldiers like Culture T.

Yes, we need joyful noisemakers in plenty. Only that they must be seen to be “loading every rift with ore” as John Keats puts it.

 In as much as the problem with most secular performers is their wrong message, Christians must weigh in with the right message – even the gospel, which is “the power of God unto salvation.”

One of the problems with code-switching is that it sometimes brings along the unwanted baggage. There are so-called Christian movies, for example, which accommodate nudity and profanity for the purpose of giving sin a more graphical or empirical demonstration.

Such works often appear to tell their message inversely. They ostensibly point to what is right by harping on sin hours on end just to show its ultimate wages in the denouement. From such turn away!

Why should viewers be forced to scrounge for a few morsels of food in a garbage dump? Whether the food is wholesome or palatable is neither here nor there once it is laced up with toxins in the garbage dump.

Going through lewdness, blasphemy and nudity in a movie just to get to the “Halleluiah moment” in the closing scenes is a self-negating formula.

It inadvertently promotes some sins to decampaign others which makes mockery of the biblical math: “10 -1 = 0.”

The same goes with appealing to popular but desperately compromised secular works to reinforce or endorse a Christian message.

A respected pastor recently came under fire for quoting from Chris Brown’s “Loyal” – a song whose lyrics are not only dirty but also grossly derogatory of women.

While the pastor was preaching a biblical message on relationships, his resort to the song was a negative game-changer, wrong spice for the right dish, because what is wrong cannot endorse what is right without insinuating justification for both.

We come to the issue of influence. Without doubt the domineering influence imposes its language, just as we are stuck with English from a historical mistake called colonialism.

Few weeks ago, a charismatic denomination called swept a crusade across my neighbourhood under the banner “Batai Munhu Jehovah Revival.”

The catch-phrase was of course popularised by Suluman and Jah Prayzah’s duets. Acquaintances known to me as party animals attended and possibly had life-transforming experiences.

Some of the songs which were belted from the distant-booming public-address system included a reworked political song by Cde Chinx, in this context rendered “Vaporofita vakanganisa? Aiwa havana kukanganisa!”

In the run-up to Judgement Night 2, Suluman remixed his father’s song into a Judgement Night jingle.

While there is nothing wrong in all this, my attitude is that Christians can be more influential than that.

Why should the church adopt and adapt a song when “the world” has exhausted the flavour out of it in pubs and rallies? These things ought not to be so brethren.

It is alright for patrons in Chikwanha bottle-stores to dance along to Mathias Mhere’s sungura-like psalms and think carefully about what “Number Busy” means when they are alone in moments of conviction.

But it is unbecoming for Christians to “spread butter” or “chicken dance” in church lest they end up considering the less orthodox dances which I tremble to mention in a family paper, let alone these sacred columns.

On a summative scores, Christians must always remember that influence diffuses from the region of higher concentration and roars from top to bottom like a waterfall. We must run the sector and drop the firsts, not the other way round.

FAMILY VALUES IN CHRISTIAN MOVIES

Fireproof

A secular assault is threatening the family institution on every front. Rotten fibre is closing in on family values through the arts and other keynote social engines.

Billy Graham tells of an endgame in this morality war whereby the “world’s sewage system” is out to contaminate Christian thought.

When one considers the neck-break speed at which mainstream Christian denominations are rubber-stamping situational ethics and biblically incompatible practices such as co-habitation, abortion and same-sex unions, it is clear that the church is losing its mojo.

“Much entertainment is slanted to those who feed on violence, sex and lawlessness. It seems that some diabolic mastermind is running the affairs of this world and that his chief objective is to brainwash Christians and to get them to conform to this world,” Graham says.

Christians are ceding ground chiefly because they are using a one-drug-treats-all formula to fortify society against new and more lethal moral diseases.

The solution is plain. Christians must toughen up, upgrade their strategies, buckle down and fight the secular agenda, argument for argument, text for text, medium for medium.

Film, music and the Internet have emerged as outlets of choice for anti-family crusaders bent on marking down standards of decency and permeating society with nudity and profanity.

Instead of passively complaining about on Sunday retreats and assimilating back into the compromised system for the rest of the week, Christians must put the same mediums to effective use in the service of the gospel.

Fortunately, a growing section of Christian artists are waking up to this realty and responding in kind, lately through overtly Bible-oriented movies.

“Monumental,” “Courageous,” “Time Changer,” “Genius,” “Gone Back Home,” “Woman Thou Art Loosed” and “Fireproof” are among the swelling inventory of movies for the family cabinet.

“Monumental,” a fairly recent 80-minute documentary starring Kirk Cameron, decries the collapse of society and rallies Christians to get off the defensive and get on the offensive, art-wise that is.

 “Everybody is telling me the world is going to hell,” Cameron opens his documentary in-between flaming interludes to which warn viewers as to the urgency of the situation.

“Morally, the family is falling apart: divorce, teenage pregnancy, teenage suicide, drugs, alcohol. You go on to a local high school and what was once morally unthinkable and shameful is now not only normal but celebrated,” Cameron says.

Although American in context, the movie is universal in significance. It makes reference to moral conditions which have run rife in most countries and declares that “our families are worth fighting for.”

Cameron points out a major drawback which has restrained Christians from taking action against decadence. The notion that Christians must confine themselves to the spiritual scheme of things has rendered Christians terminally ineffective and left society in the monopoly of secular thought-leaders and shape-shifters.  

“I have friends in church who tell me that the worse things get, the better, really. It is because it means that the end is near and that Jesus is returning: ‘Don’t worry that the world is going to hell in a hand-basket, just get out of the hand-basket. It’s part of the plan. It’s meant to be that the whole thing is going to burn,’” Cameron says.

“Really? Because I have kids in this world, I have friends in this world who have kids and I want a great future for them. And are supposed to just let it go? But if we just take our hands of the wheel and just let it fall off a cliff, aren’t we creating a self-fulfilling prophecy?

“So I turn on the news and find that most people are playing the blame game, the right blames the left, the left blames the right, governments blaming big business, business blames big government, Hollywood blames the church and religion and the church is blaming the media for all of the problems,” says the father of six.

Cameron points out that with everybody blames everybody else, there is no clear voice, giving a solution on how to get out of the mess.

He then shouts out the loud and clear call to action. He shows that Christianity came and created liberty and responsibility for that freedom is in our hands: we either champion the Bible unapologetically in every social sphere or we suffer the consequences for shirking our evangelistic mandate and straying from the faith.

“Courageous” is a must-watch for fathers, especially with Fathers’ Day having freshly elapsed. The movie demonstrates the need for paternal responsibility under the subtitle “Honour Begins at Home” even as fatherhood is under threat from adverse world-views such as radical feminism and sodomy.

The key men in the movie are police officers who show commendable commitment in their fight against crime and in the service of their nation. Sadly, some of the characters’ commitment is confined to their profession.

At home, they become altogether different personalities, detached and irresponsible. That is until a series of events connive to make them realise that home is their foremost port of call.

“Fireproof,” starring Cameron again, is one of the more influential Christian movies. It copies on the blueprint “Never Leave Your Partner Behind” from fire-fighters and pastes it on husbands and wives.

Caleb (Cameron) leaves like a fellow tenant with his wife and shuns her to navigate “trash on the internet.” The young family is dysfunctional and on the brink of collapse till the firefighter’s father comes along with a revolutionary “Love Dare” formula.

“Gone Back Home,” from a Nigerian Christian drama ministry, Mount Zion Film Productions, is targeted at Christian youths, some of whom concede grave mistakes when confronted off-guard with sexual temptations.

A young Christian couple gets unduly close before marriage and the girl conceives. Worried about his squeaky-clean record as a youth leader, the man convinces his girlfriend to abort and she dies shortly after going through abortion.

The movie guides unmarried youths to avoid sensual proximity and keep their relationships under the watch-care of godly elders till they are procedurally wed. It also comes down hard on double standards and abortion.

The movie is part of a growing range of productions by emerging Christian film-makers in Africa. Hopefully, Zimbabwe also develops a viable Christian film industry, especially with new gospel channels coming aboard.

NICHOLAS BHERO'S MOTIVATIONAL TOOLKIT

The Sky is Just the Beginning

Nicholas Bhero’s debut offering The Sky is Just the Beginning is a comprehensive motivational toolkit, designed to realign individuals with divine destiny and maximise their potential.

The book is a refreshing and empowering read, jam-packed with pertinent anecdotes, inspirational nuggets and scriptural references presented in engaging and accessible fashion.

Motivational and evangelically-themed  literature has become an expansive dumpsite with new titles, mostly self-published, frequenting the shelves at a dizzy pace.

However, there has been lack of corresponding quality, as some new authors are scaling down standards and churning out half-backed works just for the joy of seeing their names in print.

This has seen motivational literature assume a predictable tenor whereby mediocre presentation belies profound content.

One can safely import Bothwell Nyamhondera’s criticism of gospel artists featured on Pastor Charles Charamba’s Exodus.

Nyamhondera complains that while most gospel artists are concerned about singing the right message they lack commitment to quality.

He points out that when gospel music is done with due diligence it will enjoy a better reception.

I approached Bhero’s book with this kind of scepticism having read several works which falter below the mark but I am confess that no sooner had I signed up for Bhero’s tour de force motivational voyage than I was presently surprised.

Just as Nyamhondera singles out Pastor Charamba as one of the few gospel musicians who do their homework well before storming into the studio, I feel justified to single out Bhero as one of the few motivational writers distinguished by the quality of their work.

Subtitled Rise and Pursue Your Dreams, the book is countersigned by rave endorsements from such authorities as Archbishop Ezekiel Guti, Charles Ray Marcellin Heppie, Eddy Poerwana and Rabison Shumba.

Most people are stranded with dreams which are files too large to retrieve because of lack of character. The harder they try, successive failures show that they are operating on unsupported format.

Archbishop Guti reinforces this view in the introduction:  “The world is full of talented people with great visions that would completely shape the face of the universe only if the vision carriers had character that supports it.”

As it is, the world remains badly out of shape, pending the arrival of champions endued with both vision and character. “The creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed,” as Apostle Paul puts it.

Besides lack of character, ignorance and poor planning has also landed potential movers and shakers on the wayside, nursing effortless “if only if’s.”

To troubleshoot this deficit, Bhero has maps out a formula which includes connecting with the right people, investing in information, maintaining the right attitude, eagerness for knowledge, yielding to mentorship, financial prudence and resilience.

Some of these strategies have been discussed before but what makes them key in Bhero’s book is that he authenticates them with his own life experiences.

Bhero shows that would-be show-stoppers never amount to much because they are unteachable and think they have arrived when they are still taking off.

It became clear to me, for example, why young musicians who specialise in idolising and flattering themselves keep getting worse more than a decade into the waning urban groove phenomenon.

If an individual does not have a higher standard after which to fashion their efforts, except past achievements, they not only stagnate but end up diminishing in significance because as dynamics of the game change, they will still be obsessed with yesteryear glory and stifled by inflated self-esteem.

Bhero warns those on trek for success to desist from relishing the status of petty circles. “If you are the smartest in your group consider leaving; you cannot grow any further than your group, instead, you will begin to ‘grow down.’”

The author emphasises that no smaller mind has ever inspired greatness and points to high achievers as models to fortify our minds from mediocrity and capacitate them for greatness.

Key is demarcation of specific targets and relevant circles as no one can never plow and dig at the same time.

Other take-home points in the lesson on proper networking include focusing on service as this begets honour when done in integrity. David’s rise from an unassuming shepherd-boy to a monarch in the least expected circumstances is a case in point.

Bhero also warns against manipulating other individuals to serve one’s personal ends as those reluctantly whipped into line will respond with deceit which will ultimately ground instead of enhancing the success pilgrim.

The reason most individuals never get to make it is becomes they use yesterday to programme tomorrow. They are afraid of pushing the envelope; afraid of attempting to outdo society’s estimation of them.

Bhero urges free-thinking and motivation. “Fear of standing out and self-doubt are the greatest hindrances to self-doubt,” he notes.

He emphasises on new exposures as a way of programming oneself for new possibilities. A person born and raised in poverty cannot outgrow the gravitational millstone of poverty in their mindset unless new exposures, from a pro-active quest for knowledge, demonstrates what is possible beyond their backgrounds.

In this information age where the stakes keeping higher, the ignorant are like the proverbial ox which lags behind at the peril of whips. One must stay up to date with new information to retain a competitive edge.

“Society is a school in itself, every-day is a classroom; every person is a teacher, and every experience a lesson,” Bhero urges.

Bhero is the CEO of Global Talent Institute. He has attended conferences as a keynote speaker in several countries.

SCIENCE, CINEMA AND THE BIBLE

An upsurge of evangelically-themed movies is challenging the near-monopoly of secular agenda in the film industry.

More Christian producers are emerging to take back the power of the air, using trending digital tools and television to “tell the vision.”

Creative concepts are being set to the template of pushing the gospel on the back of quality entertainment.

“Many years ago, if we wanted to send a missionary overseas, the only option available was to put him and his family aboard a ship, and it would take weeks for them to arrive at their destination,” documovie evangelist Ray Comfort explains.

“It wasn’t uncommon for family members to die of malaria or other tropical diseases. Taking the gospel to the world came with great hardship and much sacrifice.

“While hardship and sacrifice are still necessary for the sake of the gospel, nowadays we can also click the ‘send’ button to reach people all around the world,” says Comfort.

Comfort’s pro-life documentary “180” has amassed 4.3 million views on YouTube, with rave testimonials from people who changed their views on abortion after watching the film.

The development is a leap in the right direction considering that the Great Commission will not make much headway should Christians stick to rowing boats, setting up tents and writing epistles to preach the gospel in the web-captive 21st century.

There is need to exploit every possible medium for the furtherance of the message and film, complemented by tag and share buttons on social networks go a long way to this end.

While Christian themes have recurred in secular movies, the impact is negligible because the films are often flawed by inconsistency with the Bible and lewd scenes.

The gospel value in such movies is like “a needle in a haystack—you look for it all day, and when you find it you realize it wasn’t worth the trouble” as Shakespeare says.

To right this wrong, wholly Christian film-makers’ guilds have are emerging to package the wholesome message for the largest audience possible.

Others, as in the case of Kirk Cameron, were Hollywood heartthrobs who crossed the floor to use their acting talents for Christ. Cameron has since appeared in successful Christian films such as the “Left Behind” series, “Fireproof,” “Monumental” and “Unstoppable.”

One area of interest in the sprawling industry is creationism. High concept movies and documentaries are being produced to counter atheists and evolutionists who have the controlling stake in art's global public square.

Since the Vatican retracted from its condemnation of Renaissance astronomer and physicist Galileo for proving that the earth moves around the sun, there has been a wide-scale concession that the Bible and science are complementary rather than contradictory.

More avenues of inquiry have been opened up, chief of which have been dedicated to the position the science affirms instead of refuting creation. And now more movies are being dispatched as companions in the search for the truth.

I find the films remarkable not least because they refute the erroneous but popular impression that to be a Christian one has to demobilise the mind and play the jumping-jack to the pull of irrational claims.

This week we take a look at "The Genesis Code.” Ray Comfort’s “Evolution vs. God: Shaking the Foundations of Faith” and Lee Strobel’s “The Case for a Creator: A Journalist Investigates Scientific Evidence That Points toward God” are also interesting reference points.

Despite being entirely produced by Christians all three movies refuse Christian arguments the benefit of doubt and places the faith on the faith of arguments.

As you have probably guessed, Christianity rises from the arguments unscathed, predictably so because it Christ-like like to destroy a temple and build it in three days – stronger and unassailable.

“The Genesis Code” is as much of a riveting love story as it is an affirmation of the Christian fundamentals of creation and prayer.

A college journalist, Kerry Wells (Kelsey Sanders), is assigned to do a story on a new hockey sensation, Blake Truman (Logan Bartholomew). The story develops into a relationship, badly fitted because Kerry is a pastor’s daughter and committed Christian while Blake is sceptic.

Behind his popular college image, Blake is privately suffering as his mother is on life support. He rejects Kerry’s suggestion that prayer will get things right, absolutely convinced that science disproves the Bible especially the creation narrative in Genesis.

Ultimately Kerry with the help of her nerdish brother and his classmates invite Blake and other students and lecturers to a ground-breaking presentation called “The Genesis Code” where they prove that the Big Bang actually feeds into “the world according to Moses.”

The movie also deals with the discrimination or rather underestimation, serious Christians face at colleges and universities. Kerry is warned away from her faith by her academic supervisor but her own inquiry affirms rather than shake her conviction in the existence of God.

To nail the evidence, Blake’s simple but honest and urgent prayer for his mother after his conversion is answered and she “returns to the land of the living.”

“Science and faith should not be enemies. Christians should remember that science is merely the discipline of coming to a better understanding of the world God created,” “Genesis Code director Dr. Jerry Zandstra said in the run-up to the screening of the film.

“Scientists should remember that people of faith have much to add to the conversation about the origins, purpose, and ultimate end of the universe and life on this planet.

“It is time to put aside this false argument and encourage both sides to seek mutual understanding and appreciation in the context of some healthy modesty,” Zandstra said.