"Gentlemen (and ladies), start your (justification) engines..."
If you don't know the context of the artiste and take this music video and song on their own merits, the visuals and music are somewhat catchy. I enjoyed the circus acts going on throughout the video. There's a segment towards the end, where Sun dons something somewhat revealing and does some tantalising belly-dancing-like arm movements. They're mild by contemporary standards.
If you don't know the context, this is run-of-the-mill stuff, albeit above average, in my estimation, but not a surefire hit. Not that it does not have the potential to be a hit. But if it does rise to the top of the charts, it will probably be seen as a dark-horse victory.
The trouble is when you consider this in the context of "taking the culture for Jesus" or whatnot, which her church is wont to do. The idea is that you're "redeeming the world" by entering into it and being better at it than itself. Beating the world at its own game, so to speak.
Sun Ho labels herself as an ex- music director and youth counsellor of her church. She denies that she was ever a pastor, but I know she was, because I attended the International Pastors' School organised by her church in 1998, and my team took home a video series on *preaching* by *Pastor Ho Yeow-Sun*.
I take no umbrage at her having been a pastor. But I do find it wrong to deny that fact. I'd rather she just say, "Look, I was a pastor, but I'm doing this, now."
"This", being a pop star. And, okay, you might want to be a great pop star because you believe that God wants you to be a great whatever-you-are, just like he'd want you to be a great friend or parent or pastor or tax accountant or member of parliament. But, really, it's an intimate issue between the believer and her Lord.
As an analogue, we'd want a Jesus-following politician to act conscientiously and with integrity, but I don't think we'd want to hear, "I'm designing this municipal drainage act in such a way as to bring glory to God." Do your work excellently. Be an upstanding person. And that brings glory to God and inspiration to people.
I just wish that Sun would let herself be a great ex-pastor pop star. And just do the pop star thing for the sake of pop. You know - be a pop artiste of integrity and skilful musicality and energetic entertainment. And drop the awkward burden taken upon herself or foisted upon her by her previous environment to "do this for Jesus".
I think Jesus might consider this a passable music video, with some comments here and there. But I don't think the video advances the "glory of God" in any explicit way, if you understand what I mean. However, if Sun is enjoying herself and carrying herself with dignity and with integrity in her conscience, then I'd say, that inspires me and glorifies her creator - who alone knows what the real deal is, inside her heart and mind.
I hope she finds the path laid for her.
