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| T-bone |
"He said that 'rap' isn't Christian," she told me through our conversation on Facebook. I'm not hip hop's number one fan but I will say I don't mind bumping some of it from time to time. Especially when I work out. Which is well...never. It's a genre infiltrating radio sound waves, IPods, sound systems and one that continues dominate music culture. I'm sure Snoop would agree with me. But what about in church culture? It's even stepped foot there with different rappers calling themselves names like Mr. Blessed and Da Truth spittin rhymes about the scriptures with beats that Will-I-Am wished he produced. Various Christian artists such as
T-Bone,
Lecrae,
Trip Lee and others have stepped into the genre of hip hop to use as an instrument in sharing the Gospel with thought provoking lyrics and head bobbing rhythms that make you want to bust out the Jerk and back it up. (Yes, I said back it up) I'm not sure if the individual that my friend was having a conversation with had clear, biblical and theological evidence for his claim. Music-
the art and sound in time that expresses ideas and emotions in significant forms through the elements of rhythm, melody, and harmony-has been around for centuries, from the time Jesus walked on earth to the present. And through time it has evolved into different sets of rhythms, sounds and tones that are heard all over the world today. Hip Hop or "rap" or whatever you like to call it, is just one of many forms of music that has been adopted by many within the church as a means of sharing the Gospel; just like alternative rock, jazz, acoustic, indie, techno and
veggie tale songs have even used for this purpose too. We know from scripture that God is the creator of music. He created man in His image with the ability to sing and be able to create music as a means of praise and worship. He never gave us specific restrictions or limitations as to what forms of sounds, melodies his children should use. Music is powerful. Hip Hop can be powerful and thought provoking when it is used to reach others for Christ. And because this post has to do with music, heres a video of one of my favorite songs "Joyful Noise" by Flame featuring Lecrae. I love the lyrics on it and also because it makes me wanna get crunk like Lil John.
"Angels surrounding His throne and
Well He is the Lamb that was slain
The whole earth is full of His glory
All nations bow to His name
His majesty fills heavens
Our hearts give thunderous praise
Declare the Lord is forever
Make a joyful noise in this place"
- Flame
I think as the body of Christ we should use everything at our disposal to fulfill what Jesus commanded us to which is make diciples. Hip Hop can be used to get the attention of those who were raised in the Hip Hop culture however hip hop should never be used as a substitute for the word. So long as hip hop is used to Glory Him and reach the lost and not to just immitate the world so people think we're "cool" and relevant I think hip hop can be a great tool. There are several solid christian hip hop artists with powerful biblically sound lyrics however I've also heard several that could be easily confused with secular music because their lyrics are so weak and hide the true Gospel. We have to be careful who we choose to listen to because they won't all edify.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with what your saying. Groups that have grown up urban settings for instance can easily identify with this genre of music and possibly be reached for Christ. And yes, hip hop should by no means be a substitute for the word but only a tool used to share it. And definitely choosing what types of artists we listen to is a must!
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