On Christian Rap

Alright, here's the deal: many things you will find in life are not inherently evil or good. They're neutral. Obviously, there are exceptions. God is intrinsically, inherently good. I believe that pornography is intrinsically, inherently evil. But most are neutral. This computer I'm using to print this message is neutral. I can use it to glorify God or to fulfill the lusts of the flesh.

Hip-hop is no different. The best definition of this genre comes from Neginoth Soldiaz, a Christian rap group I heard down in Charlottesville. If memory serves me correctly, they defined hip-hop as, "Lyrical poetry set to music." And there was a brief mention of its harmony with Psalms.

Now, clearly the artists were not saying that David and crew busted out da scratched records and turntables. Their comment has made me think of the similarity between the music of Psalms and the music of rap. Are the two so different? Perhaps in sound and delivery, but not so much in essence. I think it would be fair to label both - at their core - as "lyrical poetry set to music."

It is important to distinguish a medium from how that medium is typically used. I think the criticism of using rap to glorify God comes not so much from an objective analysis of the essence of hip-hop, but rather from a concern that the Church will look like those who use rap to glorify rape, violence, murder, the objectification of women and lawlessness. I would challenge opponents of Christian rap to name one Bible verse where God speaks out against it. Where is the 'Thou shalt not use hip-hop to bring praise to Me?'

On the contrary, let's use it to bring much honor and glory to Him. Christian rap can be used to edify believers (as God has done with it for me) and to convict non-believers of their sin and lead them to true faith in Christ. We must contextualize the gospel (1 Corinthians 9:19-23). Fundamentalist music will reach fundamentals. Gap kid music can influence gap kids. But neither of those styles are appealing to most urbanites and suburban-urbanites. Many of them prefer hip-hop.

God opened my eyes to how powerful rap music can be in exalting Him. I know from personal experience that it can be useful for ministry (depending on context and audience) - for edification and conviction. Two of the things I love about Christ-centered hip hop are its thematic depth and its passion. By some, it is used not only to praise God but also exhort listeners to do the same. With zeal!

On Sanctification

Is there another means by which man is sanctified apart from the Gospel? Can we "grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ" (2 Peter 3:18) by multiple means? By trying harder? By praying more regularly? More time in the Bible? Can there be a deeper dependence on Christ without a deeper understanding of His saving grace toward us?

On Christology

Can someone explain to me the concept of Jesus being both fully God and fully man at the same time? This is something that is hard for me to fully grasp with my mind.

For instance, when Jesus incarnated, how did that affect some of His attributes, like omnicience and omnipresence? I don't want to say that He temporarily gave them up, but how then can this God-man nature be characterized?

On Genealogy

I hold to a literal interpretation of the creation story in Genesis 1-2. One support I use for this position is that it seems to me that Jesus, Paul, John and Jude all referred to Adam and Eve or one of their children (Cain, Abel, Seth) in a manner that suggested that they were not figurative, but real people (Matthew 23:35, Luke 3:38, Luke 11:51, Romans 5:14, 1 Timothy 2:13-14, Hebrews 11:4, 12:24, 1 John 3:12, Jude 1:11, 14).

I recognize that there are challenges to address in holding this view. One that crossed my path recently was, "Who did Adam and Eve's children marry?" I would assume the answer would be, "each other". But, then, that leads to the question, "so when did it not become acceptable (spiritually, genetically, or both) for children to marry each other?"

On Soteriology

Let me start off by saying how salvation is obtained: by grace alone, through faith alone (Ephesians 2:8-9), in Christ alone (John 3:16, 36). Works cannot add on to saving faith, otherwise saving faith is no longer saving faith. Jesus told the repentant thief on the cross that he would be with Him in paradise that day (Luke 23:43) and I think this is a clear example of someone who had been saved but had little to no opportunity for good works because he had a "deathbed" conversion.

The question I pose is: what is the role of Christ-centered Lordship in the life of a human? Is there a such thing as a 'carnal Christian' i.e. someone who claims to trust Christ as his/her personal Savior, but whose life indicates no fruit of the Spirit, no evidence at all of submitting to His Lordship? Is it possible to have saving faith without repentance? Can someone be a convert without having a heartfelt commitment to discipleship (in other words, not that the person is perfect in sanctification, but that he/she desires to submit his/her life to Jesus Christ)?

Which equation do you think most accurately describes salvation? (I believe I got this from Essential Truths of the Christian Faith by R.C. Sproul)

Works = Salvation
Faith + Works = Salvation
Faith = Salvation
Faith = Salvation + Works

I know many of the likes of Ryrie and Macarthur have written extensively on this topic, but I was hoping to get your thoughts on the matter.........

Darfur Crisis Article

This is a link to an article about rape in Sudan:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15718844/

It's SO easy for me to forget about the atrocities of the world here in my Northern Virginia comfort bubble. Let us be bold in waging war (by means of prayer) for rape victims and their assailants, that both would come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. May the assailants repent and turn from their wicked ways (I'm not better than them, just callin' it like it is) and be regenerated from their depraved state. May the victims be protected and find healing in Jesus Christ and undestand His sovereignty in a deep way amidst the tragic suffering that they endure.

On Eschatology

Eschatology is defined by Merriam Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (Tenth Edition) as, "the branch of theology concerned with the final events in the history of the world or of mankind."

I think this subject is important to study. Jesus Christ, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords (1 Timothy 6:15, Revelation 19:16), talked about it at length when asked in Matthew 24:3 and Luke 21:7. Paul writes about it in 1 Corinthians 15, as well as in 1 and 2 Thessalonians. Remember that in writing to his "children" (1 Timothy 1:2, 2 Timothy 1:2, Titus 1:4), Paul emphasized the importance of solid teaching/doctrine (1 Timothy 4:6, 16, Titus 1:9, 2:1, 7, 10).
Eschatology helps us grasp with our minds and hearts the future of the redeemed and the lost - the severity of eternity spent in God's gracious love or His unrelenting wrath. We can be encouraged by the fact that He Himself is the protection for the Church, His bride, both now and in the future. Truly grasping the depth of this subject will help you long for His return.

So, if these statements are true, why do some Christians shy away from the topic? I will give three possible reasons:

1) Perhaps there is a belief that some or all of the events in the future are unknowable. I call this idea, "Prophetic Agnosticism." This concept could stem from a belief that God does not know all things or from a hesitancy to make authoritative conclusions derived from prophetic books such as Daniel, Ezekiel, Zechariah and Revelation.

While I believe that God is omniscient, I do understand the hesitancy. Prophetic books have a lot of passages that require careful interpretation. Jesus Christ, in speaking of His return, says in Matthew 24:36 and Mark 13:32 that only the Father knows the hour and day (Note to Christians: if you ever hear anyone claiming to have knowledge of the specific day and hour of Christ's return, respectfully challenge them with these verses).

While I respect the hesitancy, I do not believe that all we can safely conclude about the future is that Christ will return. We have too much of the Word of God detailing this subject to be THAT restrictive in our eschatology deductions.

2) I think many Christians shy away from this topic because it causes controversy. Undoubtedly, many pointless arguments and disputes that do not exalt Jesus Christ have been waged over this topic. These type of engagements within the Church do not serve as a good witness to unbelievers.

However, the fact that a pariticular topic is controversial should not, by itself, deter Christians from an honest study of the topic. For example, soteriology (the theology of salvation) is a controversial topic, but Christians MUST have a right understanding and heart belief in the truth that we are justified by grace through faith (Romans 4:5-6, Galatians 2:20-21, Ephesians 2:8-9, Titus 3:5-7, to name a few).

Eschatology is not salvific (meaning that it does not have the power to save anyone from their sins), but it is a branch of theology that helps us understand our Master and His plans for Himself, the world and its inhabitants. Therefore, we should not shy away from this topic, but rather study it, pray about it, and dialogue about it with others in an honest, yet peaceable manner.

3) Third, and perhaps the strongest reason I can think of for a lack of knowledge among Christians regarding eschatology, is a perception that eschatology is not an important topic to study. Hopefully, this post has convinced you otherwise!

I think that a one-on-one or small group conversation is a suitable forum for a fuller discussion of the topic, so let me know if you ever want to converse with me about eschatology.

Darfur Crisis: Please Pray

Thousands dead. Over one and a half million forced from home. Two hundred thousands refugees gone to neighboring Chad.

Read more here:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/5317796.stm

Please pray that God would glorify His name by healing this ravaged nation, and that human solutions would not be trumpeted as the ultimate answer here, but that the gospel message would transform this land. That is the only way that the name of Christ will be exalted, and that is where all true healing begins and ends.