It's not Music, It's Ministry, is it?

Our focus today is on God, no, not God...the artists and artisans who claim to dedicate work to him

Upon a time, I attended a vigil, and in the wee hours between when the vigil ended and when we could safely depart, a cheery young man accosted me. Handing me a CD in a transparent pack, he proclaimed it to be a sampling of the tracks from his album, and demanded #200 from me. My confusion was further compounded when he spread his hands like a bird about to take flight, and burst into a rendition, somewhere between a screech and a drawl, of something that can hardly pass for music. The words were garbled, partly by his voice, partly by my inattention, but what stuck out like a sore thumb was the phrase "a thanksful heart" (yes, dear reader, thanksful). I sat in surprise, my hands fiddling in my backpack for my earphones. I was extremely  unhappy. For someone to be belting out such lyrics, and in praise of a Deity who is the giver of creativity, I almost felt insulted on God's behalf.

The level of 'wackness', if you get my drift, was shocking.

A lot of times, so-called Christian musicians and artistes package nonsense, and parade themselves from church to church, peddling mediocrity and passing it off as music, because the pastor will invariably ask the church crowd to buy, because...

...It's not music, it's ministry

The Christian Nollywood movie makers are not far behind in this infamy.

Third-rate actors,  wacky camera work, abominable editing, directing that should never have seen the light of day, and for those films that are bilingual, or have to be subtitled, the people who subtitle them should just be jailed for crimes against the English language. Probably, the jobs are given to "christian brothers", with no thought for professionalism or expertise, and the result.....

It's not a movie, it's ministry.

War Room is a nice movie. Well written, well scripted, believable, characters one can relate with, and good, solid acting. Oh, it's a Christian movie as well. Casting Crowns, Creed, and Switchfoot have all either won, or been nominated for Grammy awards. Did I mention they are Christian musicians?

The abundance of art that surrounds Italy, Rome, and the Vatican is high in aesthetic value, quality, and appeal. The vast majority of it also has religious significance. So what exactly is our problem? Why is the poor quality and cringe-worthy stuff always dedicated to God in Africa, and Nigeria in particular?

Obviously, a great mental shift is needed.