Baptism clash with dancehall session

Just metres away from the booming bass of a dancehall session, a group of believers waded into a river to be baptised -- captured on video that has since gone viral across Jamaica.

The incident, surfacing during Lent, a season when Christians reflect on sacrifice and spiritual renewal, has ignited heated debate online about the boundaries between faith and the world outside the church.

Pastor Dillion Sinclair of the Waterloo and Alpine Mennonite Church says the scene is less a scandal and more a mirror of modern life.

"People don't really necessarily treat the church the way they used to," Sinclair noted, reflecting on what the video reveals about modern attitudes toward Christianity.

Sinclair argued that the Church should see such moments as opportunities, not outrage.

"If we should look back as far as possible, where Christianity is concerned, there's always been the existence of the sacred and the secular, and so there's always the struggle between both. But I think that from a modern perspective, we as a church, should be able to understand that the word of God tells us that the wheat and the tares will grow together until eternity."

Sinclair stressed that the Church cannot ignore the reality around it.

"I was recently at a crusade and saw a gentleman puffing his ganja just a few distances away, so they lack that respect and regard. But at the same time, we have to go to them with the kind of love that will actually persuade them that the church itself is not just an opposition, but an influencer by our lifestyle, how we live and what we do."

Rather than condemning the unusual pairing of sacred ritual and secular rhythm, Sinclair believes the Church must rethink its approach.

"We should be an influencer. We should not seek to say [or] be negative about what is happening around us, but we should seek to influence it in a positive way," he said.

"The Word of God tells us that we are the light of the world. And if we are the light, it means that we should be shining in any area that we go."

Still, the pastor admitted the optics of the baptism alongside thumping dancehall beats are challenging.

"I can just imagine trying to conduct a baptism and music blaring, and the lyrics could be controversial."

"If there are options for the venue to be changed, then as a pastor, I would change the venue. I wouldn't think that it would be the wisest thing to set up a baptismal environment if you very well know that it would be affected. Maybe that pastor didn't have options."

Not everyone shares the concern. Controversial preacher Jahmar Watson, known as the 'Sniper Prophet,' fully endorsed the river baptism.

"I personally really endorse it and it's also a true definition of going by the highways and the byways," Watson said. "You never know who would have got baptized from the session that was happening."

He sees the proximity of partying and preaching not as a problem, but as an opportunity.

"All of them who were there partying cannot say that they haven't bear witness and hear the mention of Jesus Christ's name. Whoever that pastor is, I endorse it, and I would have done the same thing."