On Blac Chyna's metanoia and why it matters for the Christian community

Rapper Drake has this superpower, right.

When he first joined the mainstream industry around 2009 he was amongst those who pioneered the 'singing rapper' style through his record breaking hits which resulted in many artists within the hip hop genre/fraternity also taking on this formula. He may not have been the first to do it but he was arguably the most influential when ranked against those who did. The star's influence naturally extended to him being a launchpad of sorts for the careers of a multitude of artists, models and others that he had taken an interest in. Some of the most recognisable names of those whose careers he has endorsed are: The Weeknd, PartyNextDoor, dvsn, Migos and even our very own Swazi-born and SA-based DJ/producer, Uncle Waffles.

A name that I didn't mention on the list is that of Blac Chyna, now known as Angela Renee White after reverting to her birth name following her fairly recent conversion.

Angela (formerly known as Blac Chyna) first rose to notable prominence when Drake mentioned her in his song Miss Me which featured his mentor, Lil Wayne.

"I'm in the city of the purple Sprite

Someone tell Maliah I'm on fire, she should work tonight

Call up King of Diamonds and tell Chyna it'd be worth the flight

I'll be at my table stackin' dollars to the perfect height"

Hip Hop head or not, there's a good chance that you've heard the 2010 hit - even if that may have happened unintentionally.

Following that name-drop, Angela (who was working at King of Diamonds, a strip club in Miami, at the time) went on to gain wider media attention through magazine appearances, appearing on reality shows including her own with Rob Kardashian, being in music videos as well her work as an influencer and entrepreneur. At some point she was even a top earner on Only Fans but later felt as though the life she was leading had started to weigh heavily on her. This, she said, is what led to her transformation.

The transformation has been both physical and spiritual. Not only has she been open on social media platforms about her new journey of faith, she has gone as far as surgically removing fillers from her face, a tattoo of 'Baphomet' as well as implants on her breasts and butt. This is a huge step given the fact that these were essentially her unique selling point (USP).

As expected, many have celebrated her while other comments on her new stance weren't exactly friendly.

Why is this good news for the Christian faith?

Mainstream media and celebrity culture have the biggest say when it comes to shaping society, especially when the largest number of it's offering's consumers also happen to be those that are still young and undecided about their identity. If an influencer like @blacchyna with a follower count that sits at north of 17 million decides that having pink hair is cool, guess what a good portion of her followers will consider doing with their hair?

In the same way, her deciding that she's ready to surrender and lead a life of faith will probably have a similar effect on followers who might've felt a similar nudge within them but chose to ignore it because Christianity just doesn't seem like a desirable path to follow vs what's trending.

One of the definitions for the word Evangelist (noun) according to merriam-webster.com is "an enthusiastic advocate". Media faves are evangelising whether they or their followers realise it or not. It makes sense then that God would take what the enemy might have had his own intentions for and re-purpose that to accomplish His own objectives for His kingdom.

Deshawn from Georgia might have never considered setting foot in a church because of how what she felt was a self-righteous aunt introduced it to her but Angela / Chyna's journey might change her mind. Themba from KZN might also feel like he could never fit in into his "rigid" local church until he hears Lil Baby's song with Kirk Franklin playing as he drives past a different church on a Sunday afternoon while they prepare for their Young Adult's service. Just like the Samaritan woman at the well and other characters in the Bible that some felt Jesus wasn't supposed to sit with, they too have now had the opportunity to encounter the Gospel in a way that makes sense to them and meets them where they are (pun intended). We can trust that God is probably being as strategic with this convergence of mainstream media, influencers and evangelism for the Christian faith as he was with the gradual development of the world that took place in preparation for the spreading of the Gospel during what was known as the 400 years of silence between the Old Testament and the New Testament.

Either way, ours is to be grateful for these unconventional Philippians 1:18 moments.

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