Many Christians believe that gospel music these days, namely that of the reggae persuasion, is a tad too radical.
They argue that it is just a stone's throw away from what takes place in the 'world'.
Those who advocate this brand of gospel believes otherwise. They say it is all in praise of God.
However, in the same way the rhythms from dancehall music are being transferred into use for gospel, so is slang and even behaviour at events.
While at secular events 'Pull Up!' may be shouted out, at a gospel show you might hear 'Good God Man!'.
At a secular event when there are performances that are considered to be not so exciting, then the result is booing and bottle throwing.
While there have not been any cases of bottles being thrown at gospel events recently, there have been a few cases of artistes being booed.
At this year's 'Fun In The Son' held in Ocho Rios, St Ann, Christafari, a Christian singer with dreadlocks was booed by a several patrons.
The booing subsided when he called on-stage Prodigal Son. Other than the fact that he was not popular, the audience was not pleased with the length of time he used to talk in between songs.
Gospel deejay Mr. Gallimore, from the Main Street gospel camp controlled by Danny Brownie, is also among the victims of this negative reaction. This took place at a concert in May Pen, Clarendon.
The deejay said he was booed because he deejayed on the 'Street Sweeper', which was a popular secular rhythm.
He said the crowd was not ready for that brand of gospel at the time, but they are now since he has had no other problems, regardless of the rhythm he has chosen to 'ride'.
While he understood why the audience reacted negatively, he still thought that it was inappropriate in the Christian arena.
His viewpoint was bolstered by the singing evangelist Sandra Brooks. "How dare anybody boo. It's far from appropriate. We fashion the world too much, everything dem do we follow," she emphasised. She added that as long as the individual is saying 'Jesus Christ' no one has the right to treat anyone with such disrespect.
According to Mr. Gallimore, it just takes one bad apple to spoil the whole bunch, because if one person begins to boo it will start a chain reaction.
Mr. Gallimore believes that some of the persons that boo at gospel concerts come expecting to be entertained and if they are not pleased with a performance, regardless of the profoundness of the message, they will react in that manner.
Another gospel deejay, Papa San, says he does not condone booing and advises patrons who attend gospel shows must be prepared to hear the gospel and nothing else.
Although he has never witnessed the occurrence himself, he said has heard of a few cases where acts have been booed. In one instance, he said he heard that in the '80s a gospel band was also stoned with cane joints.
The artistes that The Sunday Gleaner spoke with all say that christians are not necessarily the culprits for the booing as both saved and unsaved rub shoulders at most gospel events.
"Not everybody is saved at these events but we don't know who is doing it and this gives Christians a bad name... but the wheat and tares shall grow together until the day of harvest," reasoned Papa San.
Lt. Stitchie says he, too, has heard of booing instances but has not had first-hand experience with the scenario.
According to him, when an audience gets rowdy and boos an act, it is the responsibility of the next act or emcee to address the crowd's unacceptable behaviour.
This, he says, must be done with a spirit of meekness and mildness.
The side- effects of being booed can either make one stronger or weaker. Sandra Brooks believes that if an individual is not firmly rooted in their faith, it can make them backslide.
However, she encouraged those who have been burnt by the sweltering effects of a boo, "Don't take it as a defeat, take it as a test that will take you to a higher level of maturity."
Mr. Gallimore, who falls in the bracket of those booed says his ordeal worked out for his own good and made him stronger both as a person and as an artiste.
Tyrone Reid
Stitchie
