If you were old enough during the Viet Nam war you know what guerrilla warfare is: Blending in with civilian population, then suddenly launching an attack, then blending back into the crowd.
Not exactly sure what you people here do professionally, but somehow I got an idea that somehow someone might know someone who could get something rolling. . . .
Guerrilla Gospel is a term I use to refer to innovative public demonstrations of the message of Jesus that may be slightly outside of the realm of perfectly legal.
In Thailand and Iran and Tibet we have had available thousands of videos of people making public demonstrations for freedom and liberty at the risk of their mortal lives. Most Christians are unwilling to be public about their faith for fear they might be embarrassed, or looked at in a funny way.
The two ideas I have could be combined:
FIRST: Weird Al Yankovic takes popular songs and turns them into parodies that are usually a hoot. I would like to see Lady Gaga's and Kei$ha's songs taken and turned from their blatant carnality. The tune and musical form would be identical (beat, bass, vocal sound), but the lyrics would be changed.
Ephesians tells us to be not drunk with wine, and it would seem that it would apply to be not high with drugs. I spend most of my waking hours soaring and crazy with the presence of Jesus.
His LOVE IS MY DRUG.
And with Jesus, "I don't wanna be friends," I want everything about Him, what seems bad along with the good.
If Weird Al can do it to be funny, why couldn't some creative Christians do it as a form of guerrilla gospel?
SECOND:
I saw a you-tube of a group of kids through their various forms of modern communication arrange and pull of a public choreographed dance, just for the sake of dance in the new Union building at Ohio State University. Apparently they practiced it in advance in some other location, then at a pre-arranged time they showed up, turned on a boom-box and started kickin' it.
Once when I was on a between-flights lay-over in Atlanta, there were some teen girls from various flights waiting to catch the same plane to Orlando for a cheer-leading competition. Entirely without prior practice together and pre-planning they set up a boombox and the next thing you know there were 80 young ladies dancing to Madonna's Groove (that song could be guerrilla parodied too). Did they get permission? Are Christians allowed to do this sort of thing to glorify God?
Could a Christian youth group start a new fad, or combined youth groups from Kickin' churches pull this off in a SoCal Mall? Or in a Park in NYC, or at a city food festival, like in Chicago? Maybe coordinate with a Christian Radio Station?
Years ago they used to have the "March For Jesus," but that was always something planned and promoted months in advance with the coordination of city services, police and parade permits. What I am talking about is more hit and run, like ten or twenty kids twittering it and doing it the next day at the mall. Not that there could not be some practice for choreography, but setting it up at a location and pulling it off should be almost spontaneous.
Just for information, this is paraphrased from Wikipedia:
The "fair use" provision of U.S. copyright law, affirmed by the United States Supreme Court, indicates that a parody can be recorded WITHOUT PERMISSION. There are a few exceptions where artists have opposed such parodies of their work, or have refused to grant permission.
But apparently such permission or approval is not required.
If this is true of PARODY, then surely freedom of religion and freedom of speech would allow songs to be modified and turned upside down, with IRONIC COUNTER MESSAGES.
Politicians do it all the time to promote their candidacy, or political groups do it to promote their view point.
There is a Christian band called Apologetix and they do the same thing that Wierd Al does. They take many secular songs and change the lyrics to have a more Christian meaning, and they sing it the way it was originally sung (or atleast try to).
Wow. I'll try to find them on line, and maybe get in touch with them. There is a Christian Comedian who does it to, with red hair, but his stuff is mostly just for fun. I am talking a serious effort to promote the Gospel, but it would be FUN of course too.
As NOUN it refers to any person working with a group of irregular (not in normal army, and not in uniform) soldiers that uses guerrilla warfare, harassing the enemy by surprise raids on military positions, convoys, and the like; also, sabotaging communication and supply lines, etc.
As an ADJECTIVE it pertains to any activity or tactic of warfare that is unconventional, surprising, where the fighters appear suddenly and disappear before their enemy knows what hit them.
This is a strategy and tactic that should be employed by Disciples of Jesus, who are wise as serpents and harmless as doves.
Think of tactics and missions that could be characterized as "Guerrilla" and go for it. So often we have resorted to going door to door, passing out tracks at the Bus station, inviting people to church, etc.
WHAT SAY we take it to them??
FLASH MOB:is when people who organize on the Internet or through twitter or similar new modes of communication and PULL OFF A SURPRISE event in a public place, as a work of art, a demonstration, a political or social statement, or just a fun prank. They may choreograph and plan in advance and recruit participants secretly for months, but at an appointed time they quickly assemble in a public place, do something bizarre or outlandish and then immediately disappear into the crowd, or act like innocent by-standers and and disperse; also called inexplicable mob.
Many times flash mob events are videoed and then posted on God tube.
WHAT SAY we take THIS to them??
I am trying to start a trend here that is in full swing by summer's end, all over the country and around the world. Christians take pop tunes, I mean the big hits by Lady Gaga, or Kei$ha, and so on. They CONVERT the catchy lyrics of these songs to a message that proclaims the Gospel and the Glory of God, kind of like an EVANGELICAL WEIRD AL YANKOVIC.
One song today repeats the phrase, "in my head, in my head, in my head," and it needs to be changed to having Jesus "in my heart, in my heart, etc."
Another says "Your love is my drug." Pitiful, when we can have the Love of Jesus as our life: "Your Love is my life, is my life, Your Love Your Love is my life." Then talented and creative writers fill in the rest of the words: Instead of a slumber party in my basement, how about a bible study in my basement? And we like the beard of Jesus I suppose, but we are more impress by the scars in His hands and feet.
Saturday Night Live does parodies of Christianity, Conservative Politicians, etc. ANYONE is fair game. Legal? Legal Schmeegal. Preach the word, in surprise events.
Who will pick up this mantle? Gather yourselves to war!
HOW COOL WOULD IT BE to compel a decadent pagan song to come to Christ and bow the knee to Him, now confessing His Lordship? Then use that song in a slick choreographed dance, like the flash mob event at the Ohio State Union building. Then we should see this happen on campuses all over the place, and at high schools during lunch, or at Malls or city parks, or athletic events. I mean they do the wave there, so why couldn't we come up with a creative guerrilla declaration of the Gospel?
