Last week, we carried a story on an emerging trend in Kenya, of theatrical performances in church by youth aiming to "liven" liturgy. In this section, Janet Adongo examines a concurrent but more controversial wave of dance and disco that is currently sweeping across churches in the country, more so in urban areas.
The urban youth in Kenya has come up with a "modern" set of church ministry, which many of them contend, should replace the "old style and outdated" liturgy.
These include dance and disco, often performed in well-attended concerts featuring live music performances involving music genres like rap, reggae, benga and ragga, all formerly considered exclusively secular.
During these concerts, young male performers present themselves fashionably dressed, some with plaited hair and wearing earrings among other "in things". The ladies equally appear in stylish hairdos, makeup and up-to-date attire.
Incidentally, appearance plays a great role in determining whether the performing group becomes popular or not.
In the present arrangement, unlike in the past, church youth groups prefer to take full charge of their own programmes. They organise and run what they refer to as "our own programme", whose activities incorporate the discos, concerts, and other forms of entertainment. More often, these are done without backing of the respective churches.
Samuel Miring'u, the leader of Daystar Christian Fellowship Dance Ministry (DCF) and also a member of a Christian rap music group, says: "We do this because we as youth, know what we want. We know what appeals to us and thus can organise our own events with us in mind, and have excellent results."
He continues: "They (older generation) cannot fully understand our needs.... The things they organise for us are what they think we need, and not what we need."
Samuel's group, which is based at the University in Nairobi, recently organised a two-day dance festival for Christian dance troupes. The festival had an attendance of more than 1,000 youth on each of the days.
Says Miring'u: "If it was a preaching festival, the seats would probably have been empty. Not that preaching is bad; it is just not what young people are looking for nowadays."
The inception of dance and the subsequent inclusion of other forms of entertainment as part of Christian liturgy, has its roots in biblical ideologies, according to proponents. They argue that dance originally was considered a part of worship and praise, especially according to the Old Testament.
An example is the story of David dancing for the Lord, and shedding off his clothes in the process. Biblical reference of praising the Lord with dance can be found repetitively in the Book of Psalms.
Many dance groups therefore perform with the aim or "restoring the lost glory of dance". They contend that this glory was stolen by Satan when he was thrown out of heaven, hence the well-established and enticing secular dance and entertainment industry.
The acceptance of this emerging culture has been gradual. Some churches have compromised in order to attract and accommodate the youth.
A few see it as an infringement upon the holiness of the Church, and are still firm on not allowing the trend during church service. If they have to do so, it would be under conditions spelling out the dress code and type of music.
In such scenarios, church leaders would be required to preview and approve of the performances before they are staged. Indeed, there are instances where certain groups have been prevented from going on with their acts.
Tim Mukora, a member of a contemporary gospel dance team that took Nairobi by storm, says they were thrown out of churches more often than not.
"There was even this one time when we danced at some church and later learnt that they had a cleansing service, [convinced] that we had defiled the altar," he said, adding: "It was not easy. For [a long] time, no church would allow us to use their premises for practice, so we used to practice in a park."
Tim's team played a major role in pacesetting for other Christian dance groups, as they kept going regardless of what others thought of them.
"We were commissioned, not by man, but by God. When Jesus says yes, no man can say no. That is what kept us going, and when I hear about how many lives we changed because of our ministry, am glad we went all the way," he maintains.
Some churches have been very supportive of the new trend. One such church is the Nairobi Lighthouse Church, which in recent years has organised an annual event dubbed "Extreme Weekend". It attracts more than 40,000 youth a day.
This event includes drama, dance, and music performances of all types, as well as disc jockeying, and preaching of the Word. On some of these occasions, thousands of young people have given their lives to Christ.
However, Rev Nicholas Mbai, a pastor with the Baptist Church, has a different opinion. "There is a time and place for everything. The Church is not a circus or an entertainment hall. It is a place of worship," he argues.
Many other church leaders, especially the older generation, echo Rev.
Mbai's sentiments. Mr. Wangige Migui, a church elder, leaves no room for discussion. For him, dance has no place in the Church. "It should be left out. Simple," he says.
A parent and church council member, Moses Wangai, on the other hand, feels that the youth should be allowed to dance in church because if not, they will "go and dance somewhere else."
A University Dean and church elder, David Thuku, has no particular objection to the use of dance in youth activities. But he takes issue with the outward show of those involved.
Commenting on a particular dance group, whose male members braid their hair and wear earrings, he asks if that is a true representation of Jesus Christ, and if that is the image they want imprinted in people's minds of what Christianity is.
The youth have an answer for him. They argue that the Lord looks at the inside and not the outward appearance, "therefore, this is no big deal".
However, elderly Christians fear that young people, if left to run their own show, could end up changing the whole meaning of holy worship. In any case, many see nothing wrong with the traditional ministry.
Meanwhile, the church dance and disco culture is going the extra mile, not just in ensuring that it stays alive, but also in expanding its territory.