The Veritas: Volume 2: Issue 3

Page 1

THE VERITAS

November 25, 2019

Covenant Christian High School

Volume 2: Issue 3

CHRISTIANITY FOR CLOUT

Article by Joann Ncube (‘21) & Erin Wright (‘20)

Lately, there has been a lot of speculation about how people are using a religion, like Christianity, for clout. Clout means being famous and having influence. People use “clout” as a way to describe someone that has a lot of fame. Recently, the word “clout” has been used to describe people rising to fame for certain things like original content on TikTok or religious content. Some students here at Covenant think that people have been using Christianity for clout. Religion, specifically Christianity, is becoming more popular to the public. Junior Adrian Terry said that “Christianity is becoming big because of technology and also because of the new generation of kids. They aren’t scared to share or voice their opinions.” Although it is most definitely not our place to judge, Senior Kara Whitney responds, “It’s not wrong for people to be proclaiming a religion, just make sure you believe it to be true for yourself and don’t claim [that religion] because your friends or your families are— claim if it’s something that you truly believe.” You never know the pure intent of what someone believes; only God knows a person’s true intent on whether or not someone posts about Christianity for the sake of spreading the gospel, or just using them to get followers. “The Lord isn’t a way to get money, it’s a way to get saved,” Terry voiced. Since October 25th, there have been mixed reactions to Kanye’s new album titled Jesus Is King. While he previously said he was planning on releasing a gospel album, it still came as a surprise to the church and America as a whole. There have been complicated responses to both the musicality of the album and his public proclamation of faith. For some, it’s the coolest thing since sliced bread. “I’m a big fan, 100%, I’m so proud of him,” said Senior Callie VanCuren. For others, they’re feeling much more reserved. “It’s okay, it’s obviously not the same rap he used to have, but I think it’s powerful that he made a Christian album because he’s made other albums where he cusses and stuff and it shows how he’s changed and turned his life over to Jesus, apparently,” said Senior Jack Hensley. If you haven’t heard of the album, I suggest that you check it out. You should listen to the album before you judge anything about Kanye or his new music. Some people say the album is trash, but they are happy that he produced a Christian work. Kanye’s public proclamation to the Chistian faith

Photo by Kane Seabolt (‘22) is kind of startling to some young people. Junior Germaine Dupervil agrees with this last statement. Germaine explained, “I don’t think that Kanye has produced his album out of pure intent, because I think that it takes a long time and deliberation to become a Christian. Kanye has said some bad things in the past, and now all of the sudden he just flipped the book out of nowhere. No. No. I think for someone to come back from that, I would have to see some serious growth spiritually and physically.” Senior Carinne Niemeyer and junior Gianna Catano agreed with the students that I interviewed— that it isn’t our place to judge Kanye and his intentions. The connotation of distrust regarding his conversion has been ever present. “If he has come to faith, then that is a beautiful thing— but at the same time, I would prefer to approach it with healthy skepticism knowing Kanye’s past of his condition with being bipolar that tends to be very intense moments and then waxing and waning,” said Mr. Fightmaster. “That doesn’t mean his faith isn’t authentic, I’m not one to judge that. But, I would remain very skeptical towards it. The full acceptance of him is fine, but I will not do that.” While healthy skepticism may be called for, there have been questions raised about whether it is our place to judge

C H R I S T M A S

Article by Hana Anderson (‘21)

For most people, Christmas is one of the most favored holidays. Individuals count down the days to the pinch of the cold air, the smell of the pines, the look of the pristine snow, the feeling of being near the fire, and the joy that Christmas brings. Even in stores across the nation, Christmas decor has been put up just days after Halloween. Everyone looks forward to celebrating this glorified season, but is celebrating a month ahead too early? November holds the holiday of Thanksgiving— a time for family to come together and pig out, eating a bunch of food until they have a stomachache. It is also a time where people give thanks for all the blessings in their lives. Thanksgiving is a holiday that dates all the way back to the early 1600s. It is celebrated due to the fact that it is a symbol of America’s founding that people want to remember. With this being said, should this holiday be looked

I N

the authenticity of his conversion. Callie VanCuren said, “I feel like the Church especially is so hesitant about the album and his conversion because of his past, but we should be the ones that are the most welcoming and supportive. There are some people who are still weary and questioning how we should respond.” This skepticism from the Church was foreseen by Kanye himself. In his song “Hands On” on his most recent album, he says, “What have you been hearin’ from the Christians? They’ll be the first one to judge me.” While he has been met with skepticism, he has also been met with support. Senior Nate Sloan said, “I’ve seen a very good response because a lot of Christians have been listening to it and enjoying it. I bet Fight is freaking out about it. It’s definitely a good thing that he’s being authentic and pointing to God.” There has been a mixed reaction not only to his conversion, but to the musical quality of the album. “It’s trying to be a rap album and a worship album and it’s failing miserably at both. There are a lot of people outside of the faith who view the album as absolutely horrible, like for me, I’ve listened through the whole thing and will probably never listen to it again,” said Mr. Fightmaster.

N O V E M B E R

over and just be seen as a roadblock until Christmas? When I asked the question of “Do you celebrate Christmas in November?” I got different perspectives. Most feel that it is acceptable to listen to Christmas music, but you should not start watching Christmas movies and putting up your decorations until after Thanksgiving. As Mrs. Stanley puts it, “More Christmas music only makes things better.” Also, Senior Carinne Niemeyer mentioned that she was even listening to Christmas music as I spoke to her. For other people, celebrating Christmas as soon as possible is something that they look forward to doing. As I observed people’s Instagrams, I could already see that people created countdowns till Christmas.

Even Sophomores Ani Chaney and Brookyln Stewart wore Christmas sweaters the day after Halloween to join in on the festivities early. But for some people, they say that Thanksgiving is one of their favorite holidays and do not want to overlook it because they view as a time for family and good food. Profe Aguinaga stated, “In Mexico, we do not have Thanksgiving. Everything starts a little before Thanksgiving— all the shops starts putting out things, but we do not have this mark that says, ‘okay, now it’s time for Christmas.’” That’s why he enjoys Thanksgiving, because he sees it as a landmark for when the holiday should start to be celebrated.


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.
The Veritas: Volume 2: Issue 3 by Covenant Christian High School - Issuu