Each One, Teach One...Don't Forget the Teens!

   

You are my king and my God; you give victory to your people.

Psalm 44:4 (GNT)

     A recent video from a church service in a large metropolitan area has gone viral. In this video, several young ladies dressed in fatigue t-shirts and jeans are dancing to Jay-Z's The Story of O.J.. In fairness, I went on You Tube, objectively watched the music video and carefully listened to the lyrics in order to express an informed opinion about what I was seeing and hearing, as we were required to as college students when we had to attend dance concerts, view films, watch plays, and read articles, some of which we agreed with and some which we did not. We still had to look for certain elements that stood out to us, find the message the artist was attempting to convey, and determine its relevance for the time in which it was expressed.  Art can be very controversial, and its inherent value often lies in its ability to make people uncomfortable.
     Does this mean that The Story of O.J. belongs in a house of worship? Definitely not. However, I understand Jay-Z's cultural references employing black & white cartoon characters to portray Nina Simone singing Four Women, as well as social commentary surrounding racism, colonialism, colorism, the whole dilemma of O.J. Simpson forgetting where he came from, the Heisman trophy debacle,  and no matter how many touchdowns he scored, and what he did (or didn't) get away with, society still sees him as a "------", as well as the rest of those who need to be put in remembrance. He addresses economic disparities between the Jewish community and African-Americans and why many of us are still impoverished, the systematic murders of young black males, and the gentrification of Brooklyn and eventually, Queens. Jay-Z informs his audience that he has taken advantage of his own financial opportunties and put his money to work for him, allowing his money to turn over, make more money, and successfully fund his own work, evidenced in record breaking sales of his album weeks before its official release date. He clearly made his point.
     Young people listen to Jay-Z and can relate to his music, and while the church is in an uproar about the pastor using this medium to preface his sermon, were there more appropriate songs that could have been chosen to get the point across? Probably so. But more importantly, what message is being taught to the youth who were part of the sermonic presentation? Could things have been done differently?
     What more of our churches could possibly do better is to listen to the youth, hear what they are saying, offer intelligent and non-judgmental, biblical answers to their questions and show them something other than the duplicity they have been so accustomed to seeing from many of us. We can see the inappropriateness in much of what they do, but we can't blame teens for what they don't know when it's our responsibility to teach them, or expect for every young person to change what they are doing simply because we disagree with it. Imagine what our churches would look like if each of us who were concerned about what's happening with the youth could become a mentor, a teacher, or a Christlike example to one or two young ladies or young men? Suppose ministers really considered the content of what they allow in the sanctuary when trying to creatively prove a point? What could happen if we really understand what it means to be led by The Holy Spirit everything that we do?
    There are no simple answers to any of these questions, because in reality, we don't all read our Bibles the same way and no matter what anyone says, there will always be someone who can find ways to justify what they are doing, and many more who will support the actions of those who do.
Art is a powerful tool for communicating The Good News of Christ. Let's be responsible and learn how to use it correctly, and as we do, give the youth an opportunity to learn and grow along with us!
   

   
   

Mime, Anyone?

     What is mime? We know it's a popular artform in ministry, but what is it, exactly? There are a lot of people doing it, and many don't understand it, are afraid of it, or see it as evil.

• Where did mime come from?
• Why do people wear "mime" make-up?
• What is the difference between pantomime and mime? Aren't they the same thing?   

     Pantomime is a very old art form that dates back to the Grecian Theatre, when the first recorded pantomime actor Telestes stepped out of the chorus of Seven Against Thebes in 467 B.C. to interpret through movement and gestures, the actions that the chorus sang.  This also shaped the beginnings of Western Theatre. (1)   

     There is a difference between pantomime and mime. Paul Curtis, Founder/Director of The American Mime Theatre, uses the following definitions: Pantomime is the art of creating the illusion of reality by dealing with imaginary objects or situations. Its art rests on the ability to imply weight, texture, line, rhythm and force to the air around them. Mime, on the other hand, is the art of acting silently through various kinds of theatrical movement.



     American mime is a unique combination of playwriting, acting, and moving that is quite different from the familiar French school of mime exemplified by  Marcel Marceau. "He is a pantomimist," Curtis explains, "and pantomime and mime are not the same thing. Pantomime is the handling of imaginary objects or situations. Mime encompasses any form of silent performance. It's a broader term. When a pantomimist is performing, you don't have to believe it or empathize the way you do with speaking theatre. You just see it and are entertained by it. But American mime is more like a play, in that if you don't believe the characters up there, then it's nothing. In American mime, everything has to be motivated; it has to be me. And of course we don't wear white face." American mime actors perform symbolic acdons and express the feelings of their characters honestly through motivated movement they call "form." (2)

     As you can see, there is much more to mime than a lot of people know. One of the main objections to mime ministry is the fact that during the times of the Roman persecution of Christians, mime was used to mock Christianity. It is true that the Roman theatre was the most efficient tool used against Christians (3). But remember that if you don't want mime in the church, there should also be no drama or dance ministries, because according to history, the mimes were part of origins of the theatre, which also eventually included dance as we know it today!  Also, in those days, mimes did not wear "white face", which started in France during the 19th century with the Pierrot pantomimes as pantomime blanche with Gaspard Deburau.

    The mime ministry can be very effective in communicating the Good News of Christ. So, if you are called to minister in this way, learn all that you can about it, don't just put on mime face and a robe, and step out in front of an audience. Know why you do what you are doing, and be able to answer the questions that you may be asked!

     Please enjoy this mime/dance presentation by Dancing For His Glory of Kileen, Texas. Watch their expressions, with and without mime make-up. They are powerful!



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Footnotes:

(1)Lust, Annette: The Origins and Development of the Art of Mime, www.mime.info/history-lust.html 

(2)Curtis, Paul, The American Mime Theatre, http://www.americanmime.org/ 

(3)Bruch, Debra, Ph.D.: The Prejudice Against Theatre, www.rtjournal.org/vol_3/no_1/bruch.html

   

  

Ministry or Performance? Pt. 2

     In our last discussion, we learned from Webster's Dictionary that the word performance refers to a public presentation, and also explored some of the controversy surrounding the use of that word in the Worship Arts Community. Performance has often been confused with entertainment, which is to amuse, or divert. Worship Artists always present an aspect of God's Word to their audience through their art-form, which transcends entertainment So, the goal of a worship artist is never to entertain, but to leave something of God with the audience when they perform, which is equivalent to ministry. Let's look further at some of the roots of this misunderstanding.
     The article entitled The Prejudice Against Theatre by Debra Bruch, Ph.D., states that many of the beliefs that Christians have about arts in the church came from theatre practices during the Roman Empire. At that time, theatre was used to persecute Christians and even massacre them in horrendous ways, which was very entertaining to the Romans who would commit all kinds of indecent acts while watching the Christians being tortured. Entertainment was not just a simple diversion to them, but a means of genocide. Because of this, the early Church leaders discouraged Christians from attending the theatre, and actors who did not leave acting were not allowed to take communion, and could not be buried on church grounds. During the Reformation, actors and dancers continued to be looked down upon among the lowest class members of society. Since Christians historically associated entertainment with death and destruction, it is easy to understand why any reference to it would be rejected. But God's Word commands us: "Getting wisdom is the wisest thing you can do, and whatever else you do, develop good judgment" (Proverbs 4:7). It is too easy to believe and repeat what we hear others say, without knowing why we are saying it, or where the saying comes from. Words can take on different meanings over time, but can still hinder or harm others who have been uniquely gifted by God. Let's think before we speak, and not put others in bondage regardless of what words we use to describe what they do.