It was all laughter and smiles last weekend at Prophetic Healing and Deliverance (PHD) Ministries headquarters in Waterfalls as a batch of elderly women from the sub-region took to the stage to showcase their modelling skills at the church.
The contest was organised by PHD’s First Lady Tendai Magaya, wife to Prophet Walter Magaya. It was dubbed “Women of Valour”.
The historic event saw various age groups of women, from young to old, taking part in the catwalk and fashion modelling.
The H-metro reports that among the guests who witnessed the contest was the Prince and Princess from the Royal Kingdom of Eswatini.
Prophet Magaya said the competition was part of deliverance saying many people suffer because of failing to find time to relax and laugh.
“Laughter is healthy to both the body and mind and this is what we wanted to achieve. I spent the better part of the day laughing at how the elderly people showcase their talents and teaching youth to remain faithful and respect their parents to live long.
In deliverance, it is not the laying on of hands alone but some need to be asked to stand up, run or laugh in order to release them from the bondage,” said Prophet Magaya.
One of the elderly women Rose Madukwa, 60, of Mashava thanked the Prophet for the competition saying it has relieved her from stress and pain.
“We had a good and blessed time I want to believe is necessary in our life. Ndaswera ndichiseka ndikawana nguva yekutamba nekuimba chaizvo uye takatora nguva yekugadzirira izvi,” said gogo Madukwa.
Her sentiments were echoed by other elderly women that included Philomina Nyabonda, 71, of Tafara in Harare, and Ellen Mutimumwe 44, of Port Elizabeth in South Africa.
Not to be left out was gogo Magaya who threatened to beat many by her catwalk antics adding more laughter.
Young age group winners were announced as well as choir competitions and Prophet Magaya declared all elderly women who participated as winners for taking their time to dress and make up to showcase their talents.
Bulawayo Satellite Assembly lifted the trophy while Gweru collected silver and Kadoma bronze.
Christians & Modelling
Christian pageantry has been gaining popularities in recent years.
A few years ago, one notable news outlet reported that a pageant dubbed Top Christian Model (TCM) was on the cards.
Organisers of the pageant said that the beauty showcase seeks to create a platform for models to address stereotypes attributed to their industry.
“TCM is a platform created after the stereotypes the beauty and modelling industry has attracted over the years. Many people have condemned modelling because of the way most pageants are run. Resultantly, most church leaders have said it is anti-Christianity.
As such, many Christians and other organisations have distanced themselves from pageants, but we want to change that perception,” said Marcia Bangure one of the organisers of the pageant.
TCM founder Brian Mavindidze said this was a different from other pageants as the conduct their contest within Christian values with decent categories and outfits.
“We operate with the highest level of integrity and respect for the Christian society. Being the first pageant that closely works with churches, gospel artists and fashion designers, we believe we can educate and generate revenue to help the needy in our society,” said Mavindidze.
What Does The Bible Say About Being a Model
This is a great question because society, careers, technology, and so forth have certainly changed since Biblical times. When speaking of modelling, it is usually in the context of a fashion model, magazine model, television model, etc. for some sort of advertising.
The Bible does not specifically mention the word “model” in terms of a career, and in fact, there were not likely many models in the context we think of today. Since there were no written advertisements (they only had scrolls and clay tablets back then), and no television, magazines, cameras, billboards, the need to display a model would be very rare.
The only thing imaginable thing that may have been modelled is if there was a person who would perhaps model clothing or jewellery back then in a large merchant area or for a king, but it probably wouldn’t have been a common occurrence.
Because modelling wasn’t a widespread occupation, the Bible is silent on the issue. However, we can take the basic principles of the Bible and apply them to this career to see what God’s word says about the basic concept of being a model.
Is Being A Female Or Male Model A Sin According To Bible Principles?
In general, being a model is a neutral activity. It is not good or bad by itself. There is nothing wrong or sinful about being a model. It can be a perfectly respectable career. Just like there is nothing wrong with acting, singing, etc.
Beauty is absolutely a God-given gift or talent. God gives us all a talent or inclination to do something better than others or to use it as a career, and beauty is no exception. Sarah, Abraham’s wife, was a woman of great beauty. Even in old age, men of the great magnitude were chasing her! (Genesis 20:2)
The Bible does say that we are to use the gifts God gave us to represent God in a great way (to glorify God), and to provide for our family in an honest and loving way. The Bible says God gives man (as in mankind) the ability to do work, make a living, earn wealth, etc. (Deuteronomy 8:18)
The key thing to keep in mind here is that God is the one who blessed women or men with beauty, and we should seek to glorify God with our bodies.
“Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.” 1 Corinthians 6:20
There are many ways people can be a model. There are clothing models, makeup models, hair models, teeth models, hand models, billboard models, television models, magazine models, foot models, and more. Basically, a person can “model” or “represent” almost anything. There is no shame in using a God-given talent to earn a living. Again, physical beauty is absolutely a God-given blessing.
It provides value (or utility) for a company because it allows a person to “see” what the product can do or look like in a 3-dimensional way. Therefore, companies often hire models to help increase their sales or build a “brand” or “image” around a product.
Can Modeling Ever Be Considered a Sin? Should People Be Cautious & Use Discretion in Choosing Modeling Jobs?
While modelling itself isn’t a sin, it can be used in a way which makes it become sin. Anything can be taken and used in a corrupted way. A knife is fine to cut bread or a steak, but when we use it to kill it becomes a sin. Or acting is fine when a person is in a normal movie, but when a person does adult movies (pornography) it becomes a sin.
Modelling is fine as a career, but when used inappropriately, it too becomes a sin.
Some brief examples of a sinful use of modelling include posing nude, in revealing clothing, or acting very seductively for pictures or video, modelling for a cause or product that the Bible does declare as a sin (pro-abortion ad, alcoholic beverage, etc.), and using drugs, body enhancement surgery, becoming anorexic, and other similar activities to boost physical appearance can be sin.
A big issue with modelling that you may also want to be cautious is the “type” of modelling, and the “clothing” or “product” you will represent. For example, there is nothing at all wrong with modelling an outfit in a retail store flyer, magazine, or billboard.
However, modelling in a bra and underwear that is very revealing is inappropriate, as the scriptures declare that we should not “uncover the nakedness” of others who are not our spouses.
The Bible warns us about being as modest as possible, and covering up nakedness:
‘You shall not uncover the nakedness of a woman and of her daughter, nor shall you take her son’s daughter or her daughter’s daughter, to uncover her nakedness; they are blood relatives. It is lewdness. (Leviticus 18:17)
If you are interested in a modelling career, have you met the most famous model in all of history? As Christians, we believe that Jesus Christ is a model for all Christians, and we should all model ourselves to be like Christ.
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