Christian n’ cool

Sometimes local gospel artiste Holy Dave (David Muthengi) sports six gemmed studs on his earlobes and loves the image. He is not a lone voice in the fashion wilderness.

Just like Holy Dave, veteran gospel Deejay, Moz has been criticised for his thick, dark dreads which have had jittery high school principals stopping him and his K-Krew team at the gate now “wary” of the artiste’s not so-Christian image.

Meet Kenya’s young and trendy Christians.

Holy Dave’s ,or simply HD, style has got him into trouble, with some institutions questioning his faith.

As a student in the Christian university, Daystar, Dave was reprimanded for his glitz. Years later he’s not about to change his mind on wearing his studs.

“Just coz I’m Christian doesn’t mean I shouldn’t dress as I like to besides, my target age group doesn’t mind my bling… so why should I change who I am?” says the handsome young man. A Crunk artiste, that had to come in urban speak.

As he gestures, I spot his original Ecko Unlimited watch that retails on shopecko.com for ($175) Sh13,125. Add taxes, shipping and handling charges to it and the value of the handsome the accessory, whose brown leather straps match with his Ecko Unlimited Jersey, doubles.

Dave who has lived in the US has had to tone down his “blingage”.

“Sometimes I can tell if someone in the crowd is admiring or criticising my bling rather than listening to the message in my music.”

A fortnight ago, gospel heavyweight Kanjii Mbugua, staged Kenya’s most impressive and expensive album launch yet at the Carnivore. Never mind that a few people sipped wine. The invitation was not specific to Bible-brandishing Christians but to all who appreciate good music.

Respected even in secular circles, Kanjii splashed Sh2 million on publicity for the launch which attracted featured secular icons Nameless, his wife Wahu, Sheba Hirst, singer Amani, artiste and radio presenter Didge and MC Big Ted.

Perhaps what “Holy Dave” and Co have realised amidst criticism is that a Christian doesn’t have to sit in the house, go for keshas, consume gallons of tea and fruit juice, avoid “heathens” and go to church to be short-listed for heaven.

And so, at Mavuno Downtown (MDT) Church you might be taken aback to find the congregation watching a movie as part of the sermon.

Here, the Sunday sermons are done in a series and at one point it was “MDT at the movies.’

So they sat back and took their pick from Tyler Perry’s Why did I get married? 27 dresses and 300 the movie — none of these is that old John the Baptist stuff that churches are known to screen: The church’s management knows that its young congregation is trendy.

MDT’s thirty-something pastor, Kyama Mugambi—note he doesn’t use an Hebrew or Western baptismal name— knows that however much Christians try to be heaven bound, there’s a lot on the ground that can be savored.

This is a reason enough for the guys in the church to take some time on one of the weekends and watch some Man U-Arsenal match on DSTV over nyama choma. They call it the T-zone, the “T” standing for Testosterone. In mainstream churches that zone would be something like Fathers’ Fellowship.

The girls too have their thing. They call it Makena’s Place. Here the girls get together for a chat. So after a few clips of the movie, Pastor K (as he is fondly referred to by the youth) will be perched on a low back stool ready to break the bread.

To his youthful congregation, he ingeniously puts into context the moral of the movie with Biblical values.

Welcome to the service they call Reality, and “where real people with real issues meet a real God” is the catch phrase.

At MDT, issues run deep encompassing all things relevant to this generation. Sex, drugs, relationships, politics and the economy make it to the discussion of the day.

So the congregation reasons together, in what looks like having a chat in church.

Don’t be fooled though, Pastor K is not in the business of massaging egos. He ministers with authority but in a way his congregation of young professionals and college students will understand.

Part of being relevant to this generation means that the church will use language that will make the youth feel at home. So, phrases like, ‘tumeoshwa na blood ya Christ” are not out of place.

Never mind that the use of such language in matters ecclesiastical have had many parents doubting the authenticity of the faith some gospel artistes purport. Of greater concern to some is the cool Christians’ dress code.

During a recent screening of NTV’s Churchill Live, Esther Wahome of the Kuna Dawa fame and arguably one of the most visible icons in the gospel music scene, strutted in clad in a stunning black dress higher up her knees. The audience clapped in appreciation. B

But that’s Esther for you. She’s been on the spot for way too long over her “controversial dressing” that has made some conservatives look away in discomfiture. But she’s is not alone.

Kiki, also a gospel artiste, has a lot to say about decent dressing in Christian circles, much of which she borrows from her upbringing.

“Being saved doesn’t mean that I have to wear the long skirts and look dull. I believe in being decent in a way that’s classy but not trashy.” Her bold persuasions can be seen through the blush on her cheeks.

So the trend among Christians is all about being bold. And the lyrics to the songs now being released are not shy of reality checks as artists like Juliani and Astar challenge the youth on their Mtaa (street) mentality and immorality.

Such issues of morality have been taken to be a clear demarcation of Christianity.

Kiki had previously ruffled feathers by belly- dancing in a Christian video during her collabo with D n G (during his short stint in gospel). She saw how much some people were offended and was remorseful for a while.

That was about two years back, not anymore. Now the mature Kiki knows a few things that can stumble believers and she’d rather not do it anymore.

But even as the touching of the congregation’s raw nerve is to be avoided, Pastor K has found to a way of communicating touchy topics.

Once, the congregation walked in on a fine Sunday morning to find a bed well spread in white covers, petals sprinkled and laced in a red cloth.

Beside the bed were scented candles which the pastor lit before making his way to his stool. Pocketing his right hand as usual, he was prepping himself for words that would make for a perfect intro to his message for the day.

“If you’re having sex, outside the confines of marriage, stop! If you haven’t yet started don’t!” and the room went silent. That’s how you know he is about to talk on purity.

It’s this kind of real talk that makes the “cool” church tick, and Pastor K is not in the least bit apologetic for the tough talk he sometimes dishes out to the generation many have considered rebellious.

“We believe in being relevant to this generation in order to create a rippling, positive influence by discussing issues our young people face which some churches may not be willing to address.”

And just in case you missed church on Sunday, the sermon will be available at the end of the 90-minute service for anyone with a Bluetooth device to take home and share or perhaps save it for future reference besides being uploaded on their mavunodowntown.com website.

The dreadlocked and ear-pierced guys who form a good share of the congregation gather at the Tin Tin Restaurant on Sunday Mornings for the service. They would probably not find a better reception from “mainstream” churches.

And so MDT’s congregation keeps growing every week. So much so, that they are planning to shift to a bigger venue. Perhaps, an indication that the youth has been searching for something fresh and cool to call church.

And pastors who ain’t preachy but chatty.