COLUMN: DEALING WITH SLACKNESS

COLUMN: DEALING WITH SLACKNESS

Reggae Music is a very special kind of music, that's for sure. To some, like me, it's a positive kind of music. Conscious and uplifting lyrics, but also the vibes in the music as well.

But for some others, it is quite different. In a recent discussion I participated in, one artist said how the enormous amount of slackness led him to separate himself from Reggae Music, as he couldn't stand the temptation and wickedness that often comes with slackness.

When you're into Reggae Music, sooner or later you will be confronted with the phenomena called "slackness". This term could be used to describe the pornographic lyrics and video-clips, that often accompany especially Dancehall works.

Now, some would say that every song about sex is to be seen as slackness, but I disagree with that. I mean, didn't Jah Himself create sex for a man and a woman to enjoy holy marriage? So why shouldn't there be songs about it?

But then, we all know that most slackness tunes will not be about that at all. It will be about, well, what you see: wickedness and immorality.

For people who have true faith in Jah Rastafari, whether they are Rastafarian or Christian or both, practicing slackness is a thing to avoid. That's a fact. Now sure, we can argue about just what is a marriage and all of that, but we all know that slackness is about fornication and so on.

So then, how does one who is a Christian, like me, deal with this fact? The brother in the discussion I referred to, removed himself from the scene. The reason for that was, as said, that he couldn't stand the temptation. And in his individual case, that could very well be the solution.

That's not the point.

The point is, that many people claim that when you are a Christian, you should do that. You should remove yourself from the scene, you should create your own little subculture or industry.

But when I read in the Bible, I see that generally spoken we should not do such a thing at all!

When Yesus Kristos prayed to the Father about us, people who would believe in Him, He asked:

I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil. (John 17:15)

And Paul, the apostle, said it this way:

I wrote unto you in an epistle not to company with fornicators: Yet not altogether with the fornicators of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or with idolaters; for then must ye needs go out of the world. (1 Corinthians 5:9,10)

It's clear: Jah does not want us to remove ourselves from the scene at all. Otherwise He would have prayed it to the Father. And Paul said very clearly, that you should avoid dealing with fornicators who claim they are Christian, but not at all with those who don't claim to be a Christian.

Yesus Himself gave the good example in this. But the result was, that He was called a drunkard and a visitor of prostitutes Himself. The Pharisees and other religious fascists removed themselves from the scene, so to speak, and started to judge everyone who was (still) communicating and dealing with the "slackness people" of the day.

Now, I don't want to say anything about the person in the discussion I refer to in this column. For the apostle Paul also said very clearly that when fornication is a temptation you should avoid that temptation yourself.

In fact, it is the only sin from where the Bible says we have to "flee". It is the only sin that has to do directly with our body.

Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body. (1 Corinthians 6:8 )

But that is a personal situation.

As the scriptures point out, we are to be strong, while we stay in the same situation wherein we were when we were called:

Let every man abide in the same calling wherein he was called. (1 Corinthians 7:20)

So while we may be removing ourselves from being in a temptation we cannot resist, it is better to gain strength against that temptation, so that you will not have to flee.

For then we can do what Yesus prayed for, namely that we are being kept from evil, while being in the world. Then we can company with those people who do slackness, and try to tell them about the Message of Salvation that is for everyone.

Everywhere we go in this world, we will see slackness. I mean, when you go to the so-called Christian Industry, you will see the same. When you go to the so-called Churches, you will see the same. It's everywhere!

So then, what do we have to do? Continue to remove ourselves from every scene and culture and industry? No! The Bible is clear in that.

We should train ourselves into resisting temptation. We should ask Jah to make us immune as it were for the temptations. And we do so, by focusing ourselves to the things we have been given in Kristos.

When I was called, I was well into Reggae Music. The music had already been used by the Most High to teach me about His existence so to speak. I had already done my first steps in voicing over Dubs and you could say that I was eating, drinking and breathing Reggae Music continually.

Then I was called. It was august 6th, 1985. I spent a couple of years learning to know Jah on a personal basis, before Yesus showed me I am a Dreadlocksman and He led me to start up a band and so on.

As a band, and in other settings as well, I performed on stages where the average so-called "Gospel" band would never play. I have seen the enormous influence that Reggae Music can have, truly bringing some positive and good vibes where it is oh, so necessary. I review music by "non-Christians", et cetera. And all of these artists are responsible for themselves just what they do.

My own music will not carry slackness. It will not carry occultic messages either. My lyrics will be praising JAH, spreading the true Gospel of Yesus Kristos. But I will not be "preaching for the choir" as it were, in order to keep myself in some safe surrounding where I will never learn to resist temptation.

I'm not saying, that I'm perfect. Far from that! I'm not saying, that I never engage temptation or worse, fall into traps. I would be a liar, when I would claim such a thing. And yes, I have also removed myself from situations where the temptations were "too strong to resist" as it were.

But as I can look back to over 20 years in which I know myself to be born again through Yesus Kristos, and I see that even though I have sin in my flesh, Jah has kept me from evil, and while I stayed in the same calling as where I was in when I was called, He made me stronger and stronger until I reach where I am now.

I know, that just like Yesus was called a fornicator and a drunkard because He communicated with prostitutes and drank wine, so are some of His disciples called in the same way. I know, that some call me a fornicator and a "drug user" because I communicate with "slackness artists", reviewing their music and am not against herb smoking persay either.

But in this situation where I am in, being a reviewer and an artist and so on, I am who I am. I am (a) Messian Dread, I follow Yesus Kristos my Lord God and Saviour. I will tell everyone who wants to hear about the Salvation that is in Him. I will chant down Babylon and call people to step out of her.

May we all grow to be strong, to be immune for temptations, so that we can be fruitful in the calling wherein we were when we are called.

(march 2007)