{"id":32633,"date":"2022-09-10T16:17:12","date_gmt":"2022-09-10T21:17:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/turning-tables-flipping-the-rap-conversation-to-the-gospel\/"},"modified":"2022-09-10T16:17:12","modified_gmt":"2022-09-10T21:17:12","slug":"turning-tables-flipping-the-rap-conversation-to-the-gospel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/turning-tables-flipping-the-rap-conversation-to-the-gospel\/","title":{"rendered":"Turning Tables: Flipping the Rap Conversation to the Gospel"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

By Aaron Earls<\/em><\/p>\n

As part of his most recent tour, Kanye West had \u201cJesus\u201d appear on stage to carry on a conversation with the controversial rapper. Some Christian artists, however, are engaging the hip-hop culture in hopes that Jesus will be an integral part of that world, not just appearing at a concert.<\/p>\n

The culturally relevant and doctrinally astute lyrics of the new breed of Christian hip-hop artists give pastors and parents a bridge to the hip-hop culture and their rap-inclined student who may be getting more theology than expected from the top 40 rap song they hear on the radio.<\/p>\n

West\u2019s song \u201cI Am A God (Feat. God)\u201d is not only the rapper\u2019s latest and most upfront attempt at self-aggrandizement, the track is one of many theologically-driven rap songs seeking to use the depth of biblical imagery as a cover for shallow proclamations of personal opinion.<\/p>\n

Breakout artist Macklemore critiques religious opposition to same-sex marriage in his song \u201cSame Love\u201d by drawing from personal memories of church services. Hip-hop icon Jay Z\u2019s somber \u201cHeaven\u201d encourages his audience to \u201cquestion religion, question it all\u201d because \u201creligion creates division.\u201d All the while, the man who refers to himself as J Hova (a mash-up of his rap name and Jehovah) boasts that he is a prophet who turns arenas into churches with lyrics that carry the same weight as Bible passages.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

Despite their insistence on breaking away from a religious, primarily Christian, heritage, rap artists cannot help but use that imagery in their music. In his blog post \u201cRap & Religion,\u201d Christian lyricist Trip Lee asserted \u201cfew rappers\u2014or any artists for that matter\u2014can shake the urge to include God somewhere in their art.\u201d The question about the art is, as Lee contended, \u201cWhat are we saying?\u201d <\/p>\n

Sounds from the Doctrinal Underground<\/h4>\n

When Jay Z and his label Roc Nation released \u201cMagna Carta\u2026 Holy Grail,\u201d he used three-minute long commercials during the NBA Finals to announce an app specifically for Samsung phones that would allow one million free downloads of his twelfth studio album.<\/p>\n

Christian artist Lecrae and his label Reach Records didn\u2019t have such luxuries for \u201cGravity\u201d or even many radio stations to play his songs, but the Atlanta-based performer\u2019s sixth release still managed to debut at No. 3 on the Billboard 200. Immediately after the debut, three of the top 10 spots on iTunes hip-hop\/rap charts, including No. 1 and No. 2, belonged to Lecrae.
In an interview on Lifeway\u2019s webcast, \u201cThe Exchange,\u201d the Grammy award-winning emcee told Lifeway vice president Eric Geiger that hip-hop was a \u201cpowerful tool\u201d that could be used for good or bad. He views his role as a missionary to the secular rap culture.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m a big fan of looking at Paul in Acts and in the marketplace, but in the synagogue as well, mixing it up in the culture, and knowing who their modern-day poets were and speakers and philosophers and then being able to integrate their ideals and values in his talks as he\u2019s trying to preach Christ to them,\u201d said Lecrae.<\/p>\n

For Trip Lee, an artist with Lecrae\u2019s Reach Records, that means responding to religious-themed lyrics from rappers who \u201cdon\u2019t understand who Jesus is\u201d in a way that addresses the real problem.<\/p>\n

As West\u2019s song was the pop culture topic du jour, Trip Lee wrote on his personal blog that the unbiblical theology from rappers was \u201ca reflection of their hearts.\u201d His solution was for \u201cthe people who do know about Jesus to speak up. Not just in songs and blog posts, but at the dinner table, the boardroom and in the classroom. Why? Because this ignorance and irreverence isn\u2019t unique to rappers. Reckless art is just one expression of it.\u201d<\/p>\n

But it does need to be in songs as well, which is why Lecrae, Lee, and others have been at the forefront of a growth in theologically rich and doctrinally sound rap. In a talk at Resurgence 2012, Lecrae defended his creating music in a genre of music that has historically glorified sinful behavior, while challenging the mindset of a sacred\/secular divide.<\/p>\n

He told a story of he and friend driving down the road listening to rap music, when his friend turned down the station as they drove past a church saying, \u201cWe\u2019ve got to be respectful.\u201d Thinking back over the incident, Lecrae said, \u201cIt\u2019s as if God doesn\u2019t own every stretch of highway we\u2019re driving down, like He just owns those couple of acres where the church is.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n
\n
\n
See also  3 Practical Steps for Reaching the Mission Field in Your Neighborhood<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

For Lecrae, Christians will only influence culture if they recognize \u201cJesus\u2019 blood purchased this world. It all belongs to Him.\u201d And as such, Lecrae and others are seeking to be out in culture where many would never hear the truth otherwise. He challenges believers to rehabilitate and redeem culture. \u201cGo and paint a picture of what it looks like when Jesus radically changes someone.\u201d<\/p>\n

Music, particularly hip-hop, is an area of culture that is in need of an illustration of redemption because much of it brings a negative influence that can only be countered with the gospel. <\/p>\n

Conversation Remix<\/h4>\n

Researchers from the University of Pittsburgh analyzed the 279 most popular songs of 2005 based on Billboard charts and found that 77 percent of the rap songs contained a reference to drugs or alcohol. Musical messages that contradict Scripture bombard teenagers, who listen to an average of 16 hours a week.<\/p>\n

Music is an especially powerful medium when conveying a message.
\u201cGo ahead, try to say your ABCs without singing the little song that goes with it,\u201d challenged Erin Davis, author and teen girl ministry expert.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen we memorize information, thoughts or ideas it\u2019s hard for it to stick in our brains,\u201d she said. \u201cBut put an idea to music, give it a beat and some notes that tug our emotions and things tend to stick.\u201d<\/p>\n

With that being said, those seeking to positively influence students can become bogged down in responding to every unbiblical entertainment choice and miss the bigger issue, according to Ben Trueblood, director of student ministry for Lifeway.<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t make music your \u2018hill to die on,\u2019\u201d he said. \u201cMake the Word of God that hill and approach the issue from what God calls us to rather than merely attacking the music.\u201d<\/p>\n

For Davis and Trueblood, the most important thing parents and student leaders can do is turn the focus to God and His gospel, which will help a teenager develop a biblical, gospel-centered worldview that enables them to reject false theology.<\/p>\n

\u201cPop culture is always going to churn out junk,\u201d said Davis. \u201cBut kids who know who God is will lose their appetite for what\u2019s being flung at them because they know the alternative is better.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to Trueblood, real truth and real community will come from God.
\u201cShow teenagers that the Bible really does speak to the issues of everyday life,\u201d he said. \u201cShow them the most real community they could ever experience comes from the unity brought by the Holy Spirit in the lives of believers.\u201d<\/p>\n

While Kanye calling himself \u201ca god\u201d may be new lyrical ground, the assertion is as old as the Garden of Eden, and as such the solution remains the same.
\u201cThe gospel is what changes minds, changes hearts and corrects wrong thinking,\u201d said Trueblood.<\/p>\n

Or as Lecrae says in \u201cTell the World\u201d:<\/p>\n

So I-I\u2019m read\u2019 to go, and I\u2019mma tell the world what they need to know
A slave to myself, but You let me go, I tried getting high but it left me low
You did what they could never do
You cleaned up my soul and gave me new life \u2013 I\u2019m so brand new.<\/p>\n

Dig Deeper<\/h4>\n