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Holy Hip-Hop and the Presentation of the Gospel
From Brian McClung:
Is this [holy hip-hop/Christian rap] a God honoring, Scriptural way to present the Gospel?
No, it most certainly isn’t and can never be! How can it ever be right to employ the music of the world, styles of music that stem from a rebellious, immoral culture, to present the Gospel? You cannot ‘Christianize’ that which is ungodly in its origin or nature. The Scriptures ask an important question in Job 14:4: Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? The answer is clearly given in the same verse: not one. You can’t ‘Christianize’ ungodliness; you separate from ungodliness and repudiate it. This was the thrust of the initial comments made by the panelists before they started backtracking and apologizing and they were correct as far as they went. Scripturally speaking, there is no such thing as ‘Christian Hip Hop‘ or ‘Holy Hip Hop‘. All Hip Hop is worldly, fleshly and devilishly.
Separation from the world is an essential part of the doctrine of sanctification.
Those whom Christ saves He is making holy. That holiness involves separation from the sinful culture of the world in all its various forms. These attempts to employ the world’s methods to present the Gospel are therefore contrary to the Scriptures and is just old fashioned worldliness raising its ugly head once again.
Only a worldly believer would repackage ‘Hip Hop’ music with a ‘Christian’ label. Calling ‘Hip Hop’ music ‘Christian’ just because the lyrics are better doesn’t work.
The defense that is given for ‘holy hip hop’ is that biblical truths can be communicated in a manner that can be understood (more like embraced) by the youth of our day. But the words of Zechariah seem to be forgotten in all this methodology,” …Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts.” Is it possible that ‘holy hip hop’ grieves God’s Spirit and pulls in only those who are attracted by it and few (if any) else? And that if it were to cease, that there would be a massive exodus out of the churches that had been using it?