   |
|||
 About "Ms. Holy Roller" Welcome to "It's Your Flava!", where we from time to time feature opinion and comments from visitors. Opinions expressed are not necessarily those of GOSPELflava.com In this segment of the series, Jelani Greenidge dissects the song, "Ms. Holy Roller", from rapper and actor, Will Smith, and offers up a warning. Greenidge, aka G*Natural, is a Chicago-based writer, speaker and musician. I've been a regular visitor to GOSPELflava.com since its inception, and I've particularly enjoyed the "Last Track on the B-Side" review series (check it out). It has shown over the years to be an interesting spotlight on some of the spiritual inclinations of many popular artists. Furthermore, I think it does a lot to advance healthy debate about how we use terms like "gospel", "Christian" and "secular" to define both artists and their art. For this reason, I think the series should continue as long as there are artists in the general market who continue to make songs of spiritual significance. Nevertheless, I have a problem with the review of Will Smith's song, "Ms. Holy Roller". It's not my desire, nor is it my job, to condemn Will Smith or call into question the authenticity of his character. Whether he has a saving relationship with Christ Jesus is not my primary concern. What concerns me is that Smith was applauded as a model of Christian virtue on the basis of a particular song that, in and of of itself, does not reflect standard Christian theological orthodoxy. In the review, Will Smith is praised as "one who knows and genuinely acknowledges Christ as Lord." After hearing the song and reading the lyrics, I just don't see it. Smith spends most of the song defending himself and explaining his Christian upbringing: "I've been down with Jesus since Sunday school & Easter speeches / the Bible was survival, that's what my grandma would teach us / Since I was 5, I've been dying and trying to read it When I did I did, it redefined it... " Nowhere in any of these lyrics are there any references to lordship or dominion. There is no point where he references submitting to the will of God, or even praying for specific guidance from God. Instead, Smith seems to spend most of his lyrics emphasizing the many
Not only that, but he spends the rest of the song castigating his old friend Michelle for only coming to Jesus after her life has gone horribly wrong and she has seen the error of her ways ("You can't do dirt your whole life then say 'oops!'"). Nowhere are there any references to grace or forgiveness. Instead, the only virtue being extolled is the virtue of tolerance, which he speaks of quite openly at the end of the song: "This country was founded by Puritans, for the expressed purpose of oppression-free worship. Your attitude is the same arrogant, fearful fundamentalism that fueled the hatred of the Crusades and the attacks on 9/11. If we are not allowed to worship God as groups & individuals free from persecution, in respectful tolerance, there's only one outcome..." "Ms. Holy Roller" is a clever song, and it has a lot of truth in it. It's also angry, resentful, and ... well, I would call it self-righteous, except for the fact that by the Bible's definition, it's not even righteous. I understand part of why he wrote it. It's quite clear to me that Will Smith has been hurt by judgmental, legalistic conservative Christians. This is regrettable, because, as he himself attests, Smith has built his reputation on providing family-friendly, morally innocuous urban entertainment that stands in sharp contrast to the violent nihilism and explicit sexuality prevalent in hip-hop culture. My friends and I enjoyed his music quite a bit back in the day, and we never had to hide it from our parents. For these types of artists, I continue to be grateful. But we go too far in making them shining examples of Christian thought and behavior just because they try to convince us that they're down with God. It's difficult enough trying to reconcile an artist's statement of faith when it's contradicted by their behavior. This song isn't even really a statement of faith, it's a statement of effort. It's main point is, 'Hey —I've been a good person all my life, so that makes a Christian too — get off my back.' I don't know where Will Smith is with God. He may be a Christian, I'm not sure. However, the manner in which he has defended himself leads me toward believing otherwise. If the world can't tell the difference, that's understandable. But if we as Christians can't, then the salt is no longer salty. Submitted by: Jelani N. G. Greenidge, a.k.a. G*Natural
|
             |
||
