from teech to teach New Bible professor incorporated his passion for rap music in the classroom. Jason "Teech" Darden joined the College ofBible and Ministry as an instructor for the 2019-20 school year. Students showed an interest in his rapping career after he performed at Uplift during summer 2019. Darden said it was important to bridge the gap between religious and secular focuses. His music presented his everyday struggles from a Christian perspective. He decided on the rapper name "Teech," based on Matthew 28:19, which read, "Go forth and teach all nations." "I was like, 'Oh, teach all nations. That's what I want to do with my music,"' Darden said. "But I'm going to spell it different." Darden held "bar exams" every other Friday in his class in which students had the opportunity to present poems, songs, raps and art for extra credit. Darden said students from all classifications stopped by to observe. Freshman Taylor Moore, a student of Darden's, said she was originally unsure about a professor incorporating rapping into his courses but has since changed her mind. "I didn't like it, and I didn't want to do it," Moore said. "But the more people [do] it, the more I learn from my peers, and the more I know about them. It's really enlightening and humbling to know that people are going through things I'm going through, and that they can express it, and they're so brave. It's really a good thing." Darden said he faced adversity from within the churches of Christ after a Christian publication published an article about his career, but he believed music came from God and people in the Bible used it as a form of praise. As a former preacher, Darden said it hurt to face the criticism of church members. "'That's devil music,"' Darden said. '"How can you be a preacher, a Christian and listen to that music, much less create the music,' right? And this is coming from devout church people who really believe that rap music is from the devil." Senior Bible and ministry major Kennedy Barden, one of Darden's peer guides, said the medium Darden used to communicate ideas to his students was unique. "I would say that there's something special about when he raps," Barden said. "He is able to communicate deep spiritual things using simple thoughts and ideas that string together to create this beautiful intricate overlay about God and the way he works." After Darden graduated from Harding in 2005, he was encouraged to pursue rapping as a hobby. A former preacher, current chaplain in the Army Reserve and rapper, Darden was a distinctive addition to the Harding faculty. story by Audrey Jackson leadership 217
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NTc5NA==