Controversy for Controversy Sake

Nicki Minaj’s performance at this year’s Grammy’s got me thinking about religious controversy and popular music.             

Controversy over popular music is not a new thing, especially when it comes to religious content in songs.  In many cases these songs contain social commentary and pertinent messages for listeners. 

            Some examples include Madonna and her single “Like a Prayer” (1989).  The video itself was very controversial at the time of its release. In the video Madonna witnesses a rape by a white man and an innocent black man attempting to save the women is arrested instead.   In the video there is a range of controversial religious symbols such as Madonna kissing a black Jesus/saint figure, dancing seductively with burning crosses, cutting herself, and experiencing the stigmata.  All of these symbols are, however, used to convey the overarching message about standing up against racism and rape in a commentary on society.  The video draws a parallel between Jesus suffering on the cross, and a black man suffering because of prejudice. Though theatrical Madonna makes a bold and relevant commentary on society and the video was met with protest from many religious groups.

Recently I feel artists are taking a page from Madonna’s book but instead of promoting a message they are using religious symbols just for controversy’s sake.  These artists emphasize theatrics to get attention and sell records without making any profound statement.  I feel an example of this is Nicki Minaj’s performance at the Grammies. Her theatrics and use of religious symbols such as being led into the Grammies by ‘the pope’ are simply to cause a stir and increase singles sales on Itunes.  If a popular music artist is going to exploit or use religious metaphors and symbols they should use them in the way they should be, to conveying a message, not to promote singles sales. 

A Response to ``A Christian Contradiction``

A Response to ``A Christian Contradiction``
http://christandpopcultpolitics.blogspot.com/2012/01/christian-contradiction.html

In “A Christian Contradiction” Aderola talks about religion never finding a home in popular culture, that it is an 'ever morphing entity' while religion remains static. I, however, can see many examples of religion adapting to changes in society. It may not be as fluid as popular culture but religion is always adapting to the direction of society.

For instance, Christianity underwent great changes in the 20^th century. Up until 1930 Protestant denominations held the same stance as the Catholic church on contraception, that it was sinful and wrong. The churches stance, however, changed with the Lambeth Conference of Bishops in 1930 when the Anglican church, followed by other Protestant denominations, caved to growing social pressure to condone the use of contraceptives. This change is consistent with an overall trend in the culture of western society which has become more open to the idea of contraception and 'the choice' for women to control their own pregnancy. The overarching cultural trend saw the invention of 'the pill” and the creation of Planned Parenthood all within two decades.

The Christian faith itself isn't static as there are over 30,000 denominations with a large variety of creeds and people. Unitarianism, for example is a much more liberal Christian denomination when compared to Catholicism and stands in stark contrast. Unitarians believe that Jesus was not God, that he represents an exemplar model for living one's own life, that original sin is not a part of human nature, and that the Bible was divinely inspired. Different denominations reflect a Christian culture which has changed over time responding to a change in culture and beliefs of people.

Within the popular culture and popular music context Christianity is very much at home. The Gospel music industry grossed approximately 750 million dollars in America in 1995 according to The Economist. In a nation where over 70% of the population identifies themselves as Christian, religion cannot be cleanly separated from politics, music, or societal values.

The Portrayal of Jesus in Modern Cinema

The portrayal's of Jesus in cinema can differ considerably from one another, just as depictions of Christ have done throughout history. Unlike earlier literal interpretations in film such as The King of Kings and The Greatest Story Ever Told more recent depictions have seen filmmakers taking a more humanistic approach telling the story of Christ as a metaphor for contemporary issues and personal struggle.

For instance the The Last Temptation of Christ isn't an historical depiction of Jesus but an adaptation of Nikos Kazantzakis' novel. Before the title shot a quotation from the novel is shown displaying, "The dual substance of Christ. The yearning so human, so superhuman, of man to attain God has always been a deep inscrutable mystery to me. My principle anguish and source of all my joys and sorrows from my youth onward has been the incessant, merciless battle between the spirit and the flesh and my soul is the arena where these two armies have clashed and met." The film focuses on Jesus's personal struggle as he reconciles God's plan and his human temptation, reflecting a universal conflict of society, reconciling faith and humanity rather than portraying the traditional Christ story.

Another example is Denis Arcand's Jesus of Montreal. The movie, set in contemporary Quebec, is a story of a group of stage actors who are commissioned to portray the crucifixion of Christ. The actors lives in the film mirror their characters lives in the Crucifixion story. For instance, Daniel trashes audio-visual equipment used for advertising in a theatre like Jesus cleansed the temple in Jerusalem of commercial activity while Mireille, a stand in for Mary Magdalene, is required to do an audition for a commercial in a bikini (see below). In addition, just as Jesus is tempted by the devil during his fast so to is Daniel by a lawyer who offers him power. Unlike their Gospel counterparts Daniel and Mireille's actions do not reflect religious stories but are a metaphor of the films objection to societies consumerism and the exploitation of women in the media. As for Daniel's encounter with the lawyer is a criticism of societies values rather than a confrontation with a supernatural foe.


There have been recent cinematic depictions of Christ which have meant to be literal such as The Passion of the Christ , however, a change in the culture of films has influenced many contemporary film makers to make use of the Crucifixion story as a reflection of contemporary issues.


Below are some of the Scenes from Jesus of Montreal: