Life Lessons from a Band Geek

The things I learned in Marching Band had a profound effect on who I am today and how I approach Christianity.

And I have other sheep that are not of this fold; I must bring them also, and they will listen to My voice; and they will become one flock, with one shepherd. John 10:16 NASB

It sounds crazy but, the things I learned in Marching Band had a profound effect on who I am today and how I approach Christianity. God's truth is eternal. When Christ said there are sheep of a different fold that hear His voice, I think He was referencing the fact that if your ear is searching for truth you will find God's truth in places you'd least expect. I've previously shared a few things I learned from Greek life that I thought I should have learned from Church. Today, I'm sharing what I learned from middle/high school band.

Summary of Lessons

1. Look at problems from different angles and be willing to accept that you might have to take a different route
   I forgot to elaborate on why I told you the story of not being able to make a sound of the flute. From that experienced I learned two things: when a problem occurs, don't be afraid to take in all the evidence and look at the problem from a different angle; also, just because you can't do something the same way someone else does, doesn't mean you can't do it—take a different path
2. When in doubt, leave it out (conditionally)
3. Delayed gratification
4. Have a winners mindset
5. Early is on time, on time is late
6. Leave a place better than you found it
7. Let the things you love anchor you
8. Keeping a code of loyalty and love
9. Perspective is the key to harmony

Bible Verses

Below are the Biblical references I alluded to in the video

• Sheep of a different fold -> John 10:16
• 10 wise/foolish virgins -> Matthew 25
• Store up your treasures in the Kingdom -> Matthew 6:20

That Time God Forced Me Into Music

Sometimes God pushes us in directions we don't want to go (like Moses and Jonah)--He did this with me and band. I thought it was going to be the worst experience of my life, but it turned out to be one of the best. If it weren't for His pushing I don't know where I'd be or if I would have graduated. Today, I remind myself that God knows exactly where I need to be, despite my adamant protestations to His plan. What is God trying to get you to do?

Cinderella: the Song

Better late than never. I wrote this post about the song "Cinderella" in early December and kind of forgot about it. I think it's still relevant so I cleaned it up and am finally getting it out!

Earlier this week,[1] I was jamming to a Disney throwback playlist. Among the songs on the playlist was "Cinderella" by The Cheetah Girls, a fictional girl group that became a real girl group after the success of the movie franchise of the same name. The song "Cinderella" is from the first movie and served as a teaser for the movie before it aired on Disney channel. The Cheetah Girls has always been one of my favorite Disney Channel Original Movie franchises, and this song is probably one of my favorite songs from their discography. However, when I listened to the song this week, I realized something scary...

The Surface Level Message

I don’t wanna be like Cinderella
Sitting in a dark, cold, dusty cellar
Waiting for somebody
To come and set me free
I don’t wanna be like someone waiting
For a handsome prince to come and save me
On I will survive
Unless somebody's on my side
Don't wanna depend on no one else
I’d rather rescue myself The Cheetah Girls

On the surface, the song is your typical girl power anthem. It boast of our ability as women to do for ourselves and make our dreams come true. The chorus of the song tells of a girl who isn't afraid to stand up for herself or work for her freedom (be it financial, emotional, or spiritual). The theme is that she isn't going to sit around moping, waiting for Mr. Right to come solve all her problems. Seems like a great message, right?

Spiritual Discernment

I can slay (I can slay) my own dragons (my own dragons)
I can dream my own dreams (my own dreams)
My knight in shining armor (shining armor) is me
So I'm gonna set me free The Cheetah Girls

While I was singing the lyrics, I started to see a different angle. The bridge of the song is posted to the right, after you read it, think about the fact that Christ is our "knight in shining armor." I'm not suggesting that the author of the song meant for the song to be taken this way, but the actions of the world actually mimic this secondary interpretation.

Let's step back a second so you can see why I say Christ is our knight in shining armor. The Bible makes it clear that the relationship between husband and wife (which would include dating/courtship) is supposed to mimic the relationship between Christ and the church, which the church being referred to as the Bride of Christ numerous times (Isaiah 54:5, Matthew 25, Ephesians 5:24-32, Revelation 19:7-9). Even in the Old Testament, we see this parallel with God referring to the Israelites' idolatry as adultery and whoredom. I have a whole post on this concept called "Why "the Bride of Christ" is the Perfect Description"—if you want more information on this.

The issue is not the idea that we don't need an Earthly man to save us, but that as we change our view of marriage and the dynamics of male and female, we subconsciously change our views of Christ and the Church. The Church, contrary to popular belief, is not a building; it is the collection of believers who have surrendered themselves to God and pledged allegiance to His kingdom. So, when majority of the individuals begin to take on the idea that they are their own savior, the Church acts in that capacity by extension. We have to make a diligent effort not to let ourselves fall into the trap of thinking we don't need Christ to save us.

References

1. Actually, I wrote this post in December and forgot to post it, so it's been a few months since I had these thoughts
2. "Cinderella Lyrics". Genius; visited December 2018

Isaiah 12: Praise God With Song

Let us praise God in song at every chance we get! God is our song, strength, and salvation.

Introduction

Isaiah 12 is a very short chapter, having only 6 verses (Psalm 117 is the shortest chapter in the Bible, with only 2 verses). All 6 of these verses discuss praising God through song. I'm not sure why the editors who divided the Bible into chapters and verses chose to separate Isaiah 12 from Isaiah 11, but it's an extension of Isaiah 12. Isaiah 11 ends talking about the remnant that God will save and Isaiah 12 picks up with this remnant singing praises to God.

Parallels with the Exodus

If you remember, Isaiah 11:12 talks about Egypt specifically and then references parting a river, which naturally takes us back to the Exodus when the Israelites escaped Egypt and God parted the Red Sea. Isaiah 12:2 goes on to quote Moses directly (Exodus 15:2) for the song that the remnant should sing. Both Moses and his sister, Miriam, led the people in song to praise God for their deliverance from Egypt.

On this re-read of the Bible I fell in love with the story of the Exodus because I realized it was about so much more than the literal Exodus. The chain of events were a foretelling of Jesus' first and second coming; they also parallel our personal journeys with Christ. During the Exodus, the Israelites were fleeing a corrupt, pagan nation (Egypt) and God delivered them to the promised land. It was difficult for the people, but they rejoiced and sung praises to God for how far He had led them. I imagine there was similar rejoicing as Jews of the southern kingdom returned to the promised land after being set free in Babylon. When the final days come, the remnant of God's people will also be provided for and praise God in song.

The Command to Praise

The whole of Isaiah 12 is telling us that the remnant will praise God. Anyone who's ever been through a trial knows that when you come out unscathed, your instinct is to praise God. This praise includes calling out to God, worshipping Him, and testifying of His great works. This form of praise is mentioned throughout the Bible.

Related Verses

• Psalms 34:3
• Psalms 71:22
• Psalms 105:1
• Psalms 118:14
• Psalms 145:4-6
• Isaiah 41:14-16

Songs

Oh magnify the Lord with me
Let us exalt His name together
For He is good oh taste and see
that His mercy endures forever.
"High Praise" by The Anointed Pace Sisters

There are lots of songs for praising God, but when I read these verses, one song in particular came to mind: "High Praise" by The Anointed Pace Sisters. The song takes it's lyrics from Psalms 34:3, but expresses the concept of praising God through song.

Strength + Song + Salvation

Isaiah 12:2 gives us 3 S's that God is for us: our strength, song, and salvation. Each of these traits represents something much greater if you think about it.

Strength

Strength goes hand in hand with might and power. When I say power, I don't mean worldly power which is usually corrupt and earned by doing the devil's bidding; I'm talking about Godly power. I'm talking about the power that enabled David to kill Goliath, the power that gave Sarah the ability to give birth in her old age, the power that gave Moses the strength to approach Pharaoh and declare God's people let go, the power that gave Joseph the strength to survive slavery and rise to power. We receive this power when we surrender to God and allow Him to be exalted in our lives.

Song

Songs can be used to express a variety of emotions, but in the Bible, song is almost always an expression of joy. We already know that one of the fruits of the Spirit is joy, but in Isaiah 12:2, we learn that God is our song, or our joy. Surrendering all to Him brings us peace and joy, which we express in song. I can testify to this. After I got my first speeding ticket in college, I made a playlist of gospel songs to listen to when I drove home (a 4.5 hour drive). That playlist kept me upbeat and awake, but kept me from rushing. Classical was too slow, it put me to sleep; pop and hip-hop was too hype, it made me speed, but God's music was just right.

Salvation

Salvation is our redemption; we're worthless without it. Because God gives us our salvation, He also gives us our worth and our purpose. I have a pencil that's actually an eraser on both sides, the body of the pencil says "Life with out Jesus is like this pencil, no point!" It's a great depiction of what our life is without salvation. Nothing we do can save us. With God we find purpose and hope for the future.

Interesting thought: Isaiah actually means God is salvation.[1]

Modern Worship

Photocredit: Unsplash.com/Yvette de Wit

If you've spent time in the church, especially if you've attended multiple churches, you know there's controversy over how we praise God. Every church I've ever been to agreed that we should sing God's praises, just as Isaiah 12 instructs, but the genre of said song can often be an issue.

My Experiences

The church I grew up in did not allow contemporary Christian or gospel music to be sung in church. 99% of the songs we sang were from the hymnal and simply accompanied by piano. Since many of us played instruments, they would allow us to play those for special functions like Christmas or Easter plays. Still, there were never any drums and despite having a quite sophisticated keyboard, we were only allowed to use the piano and organ settings.

In college I primarily attended a church that had the worst music I've ever heard. They tried, and I'm sure God appreciated the effort; I can't sing myself so it really wasn't my place to complain, either. This church used a guitar, a keyboard, and drums for accompaniment and usually sang contemporary songs for service. Unfortunately it was often off key or in a genre that didn't sit well with the audience (most of us showed up late specifically to miss the singing). I guess the genre leaned towards Indie Rock, maybe a touch of country and an attempt at R&B, but with a predominately black congregation who grew up in more traditional churches, Indie Rock wasn't cutting it. This was basically my introduction to contemporary Christian music (CCM) and the major thing I learned was that part of the reason churches in the US are still segregated is that music tastes tend to be cultural and unfortunately a lot of people choose their church based on the music sung.

There was a mega church about 45 minutes away from the college I attended that drew a lot of people from my school. My friends and I went once or twice—some still attend that church actually. This church terrified me. Service at this church is like attending a concert for your favorite pop artist. They had strobe lights, surround sound with amps, praise dancers in the aisles, and a playlist that sounded like it was from the Billboard Top 40 list. The service reminded me so much of club life, I couldn't really focus on Godly lyrics in the songs.

The church I attend now is a mix of these things. Sometimes they play CCM but sometimes they sing hymns. I don't like every song they sing, but I enjoy most of them. Thanks to them my gospel collection has grown even larger.

Does the Genre Matter

I've written posts on this topic before, but now that we're at a Bible passage that specifically discusses singing, I want to point out a major observation. God simply says "sing." He doesn't say sing in baroque, or classical, or jazz, or traditional, etc. He doesn't prohibit any genres or reference a difference between secular songs. The difference comes from the lyrics and the spirit of the person creating the song. I've heard CCM songs that move me and I've heard CCM songs that scare me. We have to use discernment to know what is truly of God.

I can, however, agree with traditionalists that due to the focus on the music we can sometimes miss red flags in the lyric when it comes to CCM. I have two great examples:

Last Sabbath my church sang a song in which one of the lyrics was "I am constrained to follow God" (or something close to that). I was caught off guard because constrained isn't a positive word. The connotation of constrained makes it almost synonymous with trapped. Usually, when a person says they are constrained, it is because of something out of their control. I've only heard someone say "I am constrained by..." to mean "I would do that but I can't because..."; that's not how I feel about my relationship with God.

Another example is a song called "Lamb of God" by Nicole C. Mullen. The song is absolutely beautiful; I cried the first time I heard it. After about 100 listens, I realized that in the first verse she talks about a widow holding the baby Jesus. In the second verse it makes it obvious that the window is supposed to be the mother because she says "the lady's little baby." In an otherwise perfect song this lyric bothers me to no end. For one person to confuse virgin with widow is one thing but noone in the production team noticed this gaffe? I looked it up and there aren't even any articles addressing it. It's like I'm the only person who ever noticed! The Bible tells us that Mary and Joseph were newlyweds and Joseph raised Jesus as his son. The implication of Mary being a widow at Jesus' birth is that she wouldn't have been a virgin and either Joseph was her second husband or Joseph was dead... See, it doesn't make sense. Yet, there it is in the song! I'm pretty sure God doesn't want us spreading false information in our songs about Him.

Living Water

Photocredit: Unsplash.com/Qang Jaka

Did you catch that Isaiah 12:3 connects to Jesus offering living waters in the New Testament? God says that the remnant people will draw water from the wells of salvation with joy. In John 4:10-14, Jesus has a conversation with a Samaritan woman at the well. He tells her that if she knew who she was speaking to, she would have asked Him for water because He could give her living waters. Jesus repeats this concept in John 7:37-38. He explains that when we drink regular water we thirst again, but if we drink the water of salvation we will never thirst again. You know that feeling when you're dehydrated and someone gives you cold water (or even lukewarm water). It tastes like the most delicious thing you've ever drank and you can't get enough of it. That's exactly how finding the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ feels.

References

1. Mike Campbell. "Isaiah". Behind the Name; visited June 2018

Psalms

Psalms is a wonderful collection of poetry. Let's look at the history of the book and the impact it has had on us today.

Introduction

Psalms is the longest book of the Bible, boasting 150 chapters, and is a collection of songs or poems meant for worship. In English, the word psalm means hymn or song,^[1] but the original Hebrew word (tehilim) means praise.^[2] This is a more accurate description of the text since some of the psalms are actually prayers.
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Date and Authorship

Being a collection of works, Psalms wasn't authored by a single person, and was likely compiled over many years. Some of the songs have titles and designations which reference possible authors. Among those listed as probably authors of several psalms include David, the sons of Korah, Asaph, Solomon, and Moses. It is important to note that while Aspah is designated an author, Aspah was also the name of a group of musicians and may have applied to the group instead of the person.^[2]
There are psalms without titles, as well, which are considered anonymous psalms.
Psalm 90 is identified as "A Psalm of Moses,"implying Moses was the author. This would place it's date of authorship in the fifteenth century (bc). Other psalms clearly take place after the exile, and therefore must have been written after the sixth century (bc). The final compilation of psalms for the book would have happened after the last psalm was written.

Grouping the Psalms

Psalms is divided into 5 books: Book I contains Psalms 1-41, Book II contains Psalms 42-72, Book III contains Psalms 73-89, Book IV contains Psalms 90-106, and Book V contains Psalms 107-150. Why they are divided as such is debated by scholars. Some suggest each book has a theme that links the Psalms. E.W. Grant suggests the following: Book I covers Christ as the source of blessing for Israel; Book II discusses the ruin of Israel and coming redemption; Book III proclaims the holiness of God; Book IV tells us of the failed man to be replaced by Jesus; and Book V is a moral conclusion. Others suggest the themes parallel the Pentateuch (the Books of law). In addition, the psalms can be categorized by five classifications: historical, messianic, prophetic, penitential, or imprecatory.^[3]

Jesus & Psalms

If you noticed, many of the classifications include references Jesus. You have to admit it would be odd for the longest book in the Bible to never discuss the Messiah. A total of 23 Messianic prophecies can be found across 14 Psalms. I'll cover them as I get to those chapters, but for those who want to skip ahead, the chapters are Psalms 2, 8, 16, 22, 34, 35, 40, 41, 45, 68, 69, 109, 110, and 118.

Music and Psalms

When I realized Psalms was the next book I would read, I became curious as to how many of the hymns we sing today are actually from Psalms. I find it interesting that people argue about the "right" type of worship music, when the Bible has a whole book that's basically a hymnal.

The Psalms Project

As I was searching for hymns that are based on Psalms, I came across The Psalms Project. The Psalms Project is a band that is working to set all 150 psalms to music. Their plan is to release 15 album with 10 psalms on each album. The third album was released in November of 2016, which covers Psalms 21-30.

Other Psalms Projects

When I went to look for the album on iTunes, I was pleasantly surprised to see there are many projects to get Psalms into song! "Sing Psalms" by Psalm Project Africa was released in January 2013. It features 20 Psalms (in seemingly no particular order). While The Psalms Project has an indie feel to it, Psalm Project Africa features African inspiration and a multitude of voices. There is also an album by Hope Creative called "The Psalms Project" (if you're thinking about taking on this task, please be creative and deviate from "The Psalms Project" in your naming). Hope Creative's album is from 2015 and has 10 tracks which cover 13 Psalms.

Individual Psalms

Several artists have adapted a single psalm for their album as well. Naturally Psalm 23 is the most popularly set to music. Searching for "Psalm 23" on iTunes brings back 100 hits, "The Lord is My Shepherd" brings back another 100 hits.

There are quite a few songs inspired by Psalm 119 (the longest chapter in the Bible). Charles Villier Standford wrote "Beati quorum via integra est," which means "blessed are those whose way," in 1905. The song is based on Psalm 119:1.^[4] Clara H. Scott's "Open My Eyes, That I May See" was inspired by Psalm 119:18.^[5] William Byrd's "Teach Me, O Lord" is based on Psalm 119:33-38.^[6] "Thy Word" by Amy Grant is based on Psalm 119:105.^[7]Heinrich Schütz completed the whole song in 1671. Frederick Steinruck, Michael Misiaszek, and Michael Owens also created a complete English version of the psalm.^[8]

The Most Popular Psalms

The most popular psalms are Psalm 23 and Psalm 119. Psalm 23 is popular in the sense that most people know it by heart, and those who don't know it by heart will recognize it once the hear it. Psalm 119 is popular in the sense that its "that really long psalm." Psalm 119 is 176 verses long; it's the length of some books with in the Bible. Written as an acrostic with 8 verses for each of the 22 letters of Hebrew, it is written very deliberately. This psalm is probably the most studied by scholars.

References

1. "Psalm". Merriam-Webster; visited June 2017
2. Holman Bible Publishers. Holman KJV Study Bible, pg. 909-912. 2014
3. William MacDonald. Believer's Bible Commentary, pg. 545-548. 1995
4. "Beati quorum via (Stanford)". Wikipedia; visited June 2017
5. "Open My Eyes, That I May See ". Timeless Truths; visited June 2017
6. Teach me, O Lord". Hyperion Records; visited June 2017
7. "Thy Word by Amy Grant". Songfacts; visited June 2017
8. "Free Scripture Songs and Sermon MP3s". Pursing Life Ministries; visited June 2017

The Closed-Minded Christian

What does it mean to be closed-minded and are Christian deserving of the label? When people label us as closed-minded, it's definitely not meant as a compliment. I've heard the label be applied to Christians often and I've seen people attempt to refute the claim, but what if it's true? And what if being closed-minded isn't always bad?

Introduction

I was scrolling down my Facebook timeline one day last week and I saw that someone posted an article (When Satan Becomes the Worship Leader) calling out gospel music artists. The person who posted the article wasn't posting in argeement, but to make the statement that this article "proved Christians are close minded." Reading those words, I felt compelled to speak on the topic of being a closed-minded Christian.
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Defining Closed-Minded

Closed-minded is often hurled at people as an insult, but it's only we're talking about controversial topics. No one would call me closed-minded if I said I thought racism was bad, that being a racist is stupid, or that excluding people from your life on the basis of race is crazy. If someone said the same things, but was referencing desegregation instead of racism, people would call them close minded...

Merriam-Webster Definition of "closed-minded" or "close-minded"

The above image is a screenshot of Merriam-Webster's definition of "Closed-Minded."^[1] Based on the definition, it seems that both would be indicative of a closed-minded attitude. People seem to realize that all ideas should not be worthy of you entertaining them. Not every idea is a healthy idea. Another topic you won't get me to budge on is that of self harm. Self harm is never good. If I find out a person uses self harm to cope with the card life has dealt them, I'm going to insist they seek help; nothing they say is going to convince me their behavior is ok. I am "not willing to consider" that "idea." By definition, this too is closed-minded, but most people subconsciously know and agree that sometimes, you should be closed-minded.

Which brings me to what actually prompts people to label someone closed-minded. I remember listening to a classmate passionately express his opinion about something—it's been a while, so I don't remember what. I didn't agree, but I asked him why he thought what he thought. He elaborated, and after hearing his point of view, I still didn't agree. He was quick to label me as closed-minded. I've noticed that whether you consider the other person's perspective or not, if you don't concede, they will call you closed-minded. Mind you, this person never asked me why I didn't agree or what my perspective was, but the mere fact that I didn't change my mind based on his argument made me closed-minded in his opinion. He seems to have confused the concept of open-mindedness with being wishy-washy.

Basically, a lot of people misuse the word or only call it out when it suits their purpose. The truth is, there are some instances when being closed-minded is very bad, and some instances when it is appropriate.

Are Christians Close-Minded

Any time you try to blanket label a group, you're going to have a problem. The person on my timeline ascribed the label of closed-minded to all Christians based on one Christian's opinion (he probably has some personal examples he was thinking of, but he only posted the article).

The funny thing is, the article actually disproves his point. The author of the post wrote it because the one artist he mentioned by name, Kirk Franklin, is popular among Christians. Kirk Franklin has won 12 Grammys, plus a bevy of other awards.^[2] You don't win that many awards when no one is listening to your music. The author is actually arguing that Christians are too open-minded.

The question posed is are Christians closed-minded, and I think if you want to answer based on majority, the answer is no. However, I think the answer should be yes.

I can tell you, with out a doubt in my mind, a good pastor will tell you to be careful what you open your mind to.

Christian Principles

The word "Christian" means follower of Christ. It is a broad term given to anyone who follows the teachings of Christ. I have to remind you that all Christians don't interpret the Bible the same way, which means many Christians don't actually believe the same things. Nonetheless, Matthew 24:4-31, 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4, 1 John 4:1, Colossians 2:8, Romans 16:17-18, and Matthew 7:21-23 are only a few of the passages in the Bible which warn us about being deceived by things that are not of God.

How do we discern truth from deception? The gift of discernment comes from the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 12), but the Bible gives us a surefire example of how to differentiate between the devil's corruption and God's Will. Satan tries to tempt Jesus 3 times just before His crucifixion (Matthew 4:1-11). First, Satan tries to convince Jesus to break His fast and turn stones into bread. How does Jesus respond? He quotes Deuteronomy 8:3. Second, Satan tries to convince Jesus to put Himself in harms way ("cast himself down" means to throw himself off the roof) under the auspices that God will protect Him. How does Jesus respond? He quotes Deuteronomy 6:16. Finally, Satan tells Jesus that if He bows down to Satan, Satan will give Him all the kingdoms of the world. (Just as an aside, does anyone else read Matthew 4:8-9 and picture the scene in The Lion King where Mufasa is telling Simba everything the light touches will be his?) How does Jesus respond? He quotes a combination of Deuteronomy 5:6-7 and Deuteronomy 6:13. Do you see the pattern? Each time Jesus counters the devil, He does so with the Word of God.

The Word of God tells us what God expects from us; anything contrary should be a red flag that it isn't of God. Note, this means a lot of studying, and a lot of understanding doctrine. The interpretation of the Bible often reveals itself across chapters, books, and testaments; in many cases you will not be able to make snap decisions based on one verse. Without getting into the more complicated things, here are a few examples (references link to more verses that confirm the statement):

1. You should be closed to any thing that requires you to hate someone, because hate is not of God. See 1 John 4:8,19-20^[3]
2. You should be closed to theft. See Deuteronomy 5:19 and Exodus 20:15^[4]
3. You should be closed to idolatry. See Exodus 20:4-5^[5]

Ideas from the Article

The ideas I mentioned earlier were easy and obvious. The information presented by the author of the article is much more nuanced and hangs on interpretation. The author calls into question to the spirit of the music and the "sexiness" of the artists. Notice, the author doesn't ever say contemporary music is bad. The author isn't closed to genres of music; he is suggesting we evaluate the subtle messages coming through the music.

I don't make an effort to keep up with pop culture (Christian or otherwise), so I only recognize 2 of the people featured in the image that headlines the article. One is of Kirk Franklin and the other is of Erica Campbell from Mary Mary. Before reading the article, I knew exactly why the two of them were pictured.

Modesty

Erica Campbell made headlines when she appeared at the Grammy Awards in a fitted white dress; this is the image the author chose of her for the article. Critics accused her of being immodest and argued that her attire was inappropriate for a woman of God.^[6] Seeing the image, I already knew the author was going to talk the topic of appearance as it relates to Christian artists.

Personally, I don't have a problem with Mrs. Campbell's dress. Of course, as a straight woman, I'm not likely to be tempted to sexual immorality by anything Mrs. Campbell wears. I agree that as women of God we are called to different standards. Romans 14:13 tells us we are not to put a stumbling block before others. There are many artists in the secular world who use sex to sell their music. Let's be honest, when is the last time we saw a chart-topping, award wining, household name singer who was not attractive? We know if we wear a garment with a plunging neckline or cutouts that show cleavage, eyes will be drawn to our chest. Sometimes we are fully aware that we are wearing something that will draw attention to physical features that may induce lust, and I believe Romans 14:13 is warning us not to do this. However, some people are going to be tempted no matter what you wear. Though form fitting, the dress fully covers her chest and is fairly long for a "short" dress. I'm only 5'3" and I have a hard time finding true knee-length skirts and dresses. While many secular celebrities keep it classy for the red carpet, their performance outfits (and sometimes even their red carpet outfits) tend to show skin in much more provocative ways.^[7]

The controversy over Mrs. Campbell's dress seems to be framed around the shape God blessed her with more than anything else. Interestingly, the root of this issue is far deeper than whether the clear outline of her body would make someone stumble. In an interview discussing the fallout over Mrs. Campbell's dress, Christian artist Mahogany Jones said "Your shape dictates what you can and cannot wear. If I was shaped like Erica Campbell, would I wear that dress? Eh. I don’t know."^[8] This reveals a deeper issue. Mass media has been over-sexualizing the curvy body-type for quite some time. Mrs. Jones' statement is evidence that we have been taught certain body types are more beautiful and more desirable than others. Mrs. Jones is suggesting a woman with smaller boobs and less of a figure could wear the same dress without causing a stir. However, the hidden truth in her statement is that other figures aren't sexy or desirable. Yet, we are all wonderfully and fearfully made by the same God!^[9]

Photocredit: Daily Mail

Curves should not be more desirable than, say, a lean figure. To the right is an infographic that shows the different body shapes for women—I've never seen one of these for men. In society a that hasn't been corrupted by media images, these body types would be equally desirable. What I mean by equally desirable is not that every man would see each of these with equal desire, but that an equal number of men would find these shapes desirable. It stands to reason that if God made women with so many different shapes, He made men to appreciate different shapes. Why would God create a rectangle shaped woman with the intent that this would be an undesirable shape among the men He also created? If your mind wasn't programmed by the images we see in magazines and on TV to associate the full-hourglass figure with sex, Mrs. Campbell's attire would be neutral.

This brings me back to the point of being careful of what you open your mind to. I have plenty to say on this topic, but I'll save it for another post. Let's get back to the author's point about modesty.

I agree that it would be odd to see the choir on stage praising God in bikini's and hooker heels. It would be equally strange to see the pastor deliver his sermon shirtless. However, as I mentioned earlier, we can't always help what causes people's minds to wander. I once went to a church where one of the speakers' voice was distracting. He can't change his voice! That's not his problem, it's mine. I think we should be mindful of our dress, but I also think we should be mindful of ourselves. We should be able to look at one another fully covered an not be overwhelmed with desire.

Spirit of God

I have a gospel song that has a spoken intro, in which the brother of the artist says his father always told them gospel music should sound like gospel music. A lot of people argue about what Gospel music should sound like, but I think the author of the article hit the nail on the head. Gospel music should take you to the presence of the Lord.

Scientists have been studying the effects of music on mood for ages. We know that music affects our mood. There's a reason a fight has started when "Knuck If You Buck" was playing almost every time I've heard it at a gathering. There's a reason people refer to certain songs as "baby making music." The words of the song usually match music. When's the last time you heard an uptempo song about depression? A ballad about how happy you are? The music sets the tone for the lyrics. When worshipping God, the music should set the tone for worshipping God.

When I think of Kirk Franklin, the songs I think of are "Lean on Me," "Why We Sing," "Imagine Me," "Revolution," and "Stomp." If I were to guess, the song the author heard in the club was either "Stomp" or "Revolution." I can't speak for everybody, but I will agree that neither "Stomp" nor "Revolution" cause me to reflect on God. That's not to say the songs are bad songs; I'm sure the message in these songs is much better than some of the other songs that came out at the same time. However, these aren't the songs I would turn to when I'm trying to worship God (i.e., the middle of service).

The author of the article asked whether the music spoke to the flesh (makes you want to dance) or the heart (makes you think of God). When I try to sing "Stomp" from memory, the only lyrics I remember are "Stomp" and "Makes me clap my hands, makes me wanna dance" (talk about irony). Contrarily, one of my favorite songs for worship is "We Fall Down" (the one by Chris Tomlin not Donnie McClurkin). When I try to think of it's lyrics, the first ones into my mind are "We fall down, We lay our crown at the feet of Jesus." When I try to recall these songs there's a major difference. I can hear the music from "Stomp" and I can hear Kirk Franklin's voice distinctly. Initially, I don't hear any music when I try to recall "We Fall Down" and I don't hear a distinct voice. With one, I internalized the beat and with the other, I internalized the message. This is what the author is trying to call our attention to.

References

1. "Closed-minded". Merriam-Webster.com; visited June 2017.
2. "Kirk Franklin". Wikipedia; visited June 2017
3. "81 Verses about Hatred"
4. "52 Bible Verses about Stealing"
5. "27 Bible Verses about Idol Worship"
6. Deseray. "Minister Lashes Out at Erica Campbell, Calls Outfit Ungodly". Atlanta Black Star. December 13, 2013
7. Lucy Hutchings. "Grammy Awards 2013". Vogue. February 11, 2013
8. David Daniels. "How Should Christian Artists Approach Modesty?". Wade-O Radio. March 7, 2015
9. Psalm 139:14

1 Chronicles 23-26: Levite Duties

Not only did David gather materials for building the Temple, he began preparing the Levites for the shift that they would experience regarding worship.

Introduction

The next few chapters of 1 Chronicles is devoted to the duties of the priesthood. Not only did David gather materials for building the Temple, he began preparing the Levites for the shift that they would experience regarding worship. Once the Temple was set in Jerusalem, the Israelites would have a specific place of worship and enemies would have a specific location to attack. This would have a major effect on how the Levites were to carry out their duties. David sets up offices and divisions to carry out musical praise, guard duty, and more.
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Number of Levites

Perhaps to remind the audience of who the Levites were, 1 Chronicles 23 gives the genealogy of the Levites, starting with Levi and his sons. Following the descendants Merari, Kohath, and Gershon, we are reminded of important Levites, as well as, introduced to Levites that are given duties by David. Much of the genealogy can be found in Numbers and Exodus.

David's illegal census allowed the number of Levites present in Israel to be counted, and we are told there were 38,000 men. Of these men, 24,000 were to perform the general work for God's House. 6,000 men were made officers and judges. 4,000 were assigned to be porters or guards, while another 4,000 were assigned to be musicians. Musicians were required to perform daily before the Ark.

Aaron's Sons

Aaron had 4 sons, but 2 of them died for committing sin in the holy place (of all places!). Thus, the priestly lineage spanned only from the two living sons: Eleazar and Ithamar. The legitimacy of these two lines led to the establishment of two high priests, Zadok and Ahimelech, because they both had rightful claim to the title.

We are told that Eleazar had more chief men in his lineage, and Ithamar only had half of that number. Due to this imbalance, David assigned lots and shifts at the tabernacle with size in consideration. The priests were assigned shifts to take up their duties at the Temple, based on the lots they were given.
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Musicians

Photocredit: Unsplash.com/Mariusz Prusaczyk

Many Levites were assigned to provide music for the Lord in praise. There are three families specifically placed in charge of the music: those of Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun. One family plays the harp (or something similar—it's generally referred to as a psaltry)^[1], another family plays the cymbals, and the final family plays the trumpet. This number of men assigned to this task is very large and shows the importance of music in worship.
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Porters (Gatekeepers)

Chapter 26 gives details on the divisions of the porters or gatekeepers. These men were responsible for protecting the holy objects and kept guard at the gates leading to the Temple. Assignments were given by casting lots for which division would guard which gate. Most of the people assigned to guard the fate were from the Levite tribes of Merari and Kohath.
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Other Duties

The Gershonites, on the other hand, were assigned to keep watch over the treasury. Another group of Levites was also assigned to administering the law and presiding as judges over the people.
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References

1. "Psaltery". BibleStudyTools.com; visited February 2017

1 Chronicles 13, 15&16: The Ark Comes Back to Jerusalem

A discussion on transporting the ark back to Jerusalem. This parallels 2 Samuel 6.

Introduction

In 1 Samuel 6-7, Saul leads the Israelites in taking the Ark back from the Philistines. Once recovered, it is entrusted to Abinadab in Kirjathjearim. David references this in 1 Chronicles 13:3 when he points out that in Saul's day the Israelites had left the Ark in Kirjathjeraim without thought. David knew that God's Ark was to be in the place God had appointed (Jerusalem) and he intended to get it there! 1 Chronicles 13, 15, and 16 parallels the information given in 2 Samuel 6, and tells us of the Ark's journey from Kirjathjeraim to Jerusalem.
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Death of Uzza

David takes quite the procession with him to retrieve the Ark. This honor was given because the Ark was the holiest object God had instructed the Israelites to create. In this procession of people was a man named Uzzah (or Uzza). Uzzah tries to steady the Ark but is struck dead by God for touching the Ark. Seeing this, the other men become afraid and decide to leave the ark with Obededom, who's family is blessed by the Lord for keeping the Ark.
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Relating to Today

Uzzah's death is one of those things that makes you stop and think. Even David thought God had "made a breach upon Uzzah" (1 Chronicles 13:11, 2 Samuel 6:8). Uzza is seemingly doing the right thing, but is subsequently punished... Why?

The first thing we should note is that the Ark was being transported by a cart, which isn't how the ark was supposed to be transported in the first place. The Ark was to be carried by the Levites using the staffs created specifically for it. I'm not sure how much the Ark weighed, but I'd wager it was heavy enough to put some strain on the shoulders of men who weren't used to carrying it. Placing it in a cart and letting oxen pull it was easier and more convenient.

We often fall into the trap of compromising God's Word to do the convenient thing. Wether we try to create our own Sabbath day so as not to disrupt or inconvenience our managers or we take part in worldly customs so as not to seem odd, we place ourselves—and perhaps those around us—in the same danger Uzzah was in.

If the Israelites had followed God's instructions concerning the Ark, it would have been held steady by the Levites appointed to carry it. Of course, if the Israelites had followed God's Word, the Ark would never have taken from them in the first place. Nonetheless, if the Levites were carrying the Ark as instructed, one man faltering would not have placed the Ark in danger of falling to the ground. Furthermore, someone jumping in to save the day would have grabbed the staff to steady the Ark.

Uzzah may have been right in his fear of the Ark falling, but he was just as wrong as everyone else in letting them transporting it in such a manner. In the chapters surrounding the verses (in both 2 Samuel and 1 Chronicles) we never see Uzzah step up to tell anyone that they shouldn't be carrying the Ark in that manner. He knew the Ark was holy enough that it couldn't touch the ground, so why did he think he could touch it?

Uzzah was in the position where his options probably looked bleak. He could touch the Ark to steady it, and die. Or he could have left it alone and possibly witness it falling. Had the ark fell, however, there was a pretty good chance God would have punished everyone right then and there. Uzzah made the decision he thought was best; despite angering God in the process, he may have saved the lives of his fellow men.
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The Final Move

After the event with Uzzah, David makes sure that the ark is being taken care of precisely the way Moses described. He realizes that they were punished for not following God's protocol, so he demands the Levites sanctify themselves and take up their duty. David also assigns them to positions to praise God with music. As they carried the Ark, those in charge of the trumpet, cymbals, etc., likely played to rejoice and praise God.

Now that everything was in order, they could bring the Ark back to Jerusalem safely. Once the Ark was in Jerusalem, they sacrificed 7 rams and 7 bullocks unto God. This was a great time of celebration. We are retold that David danced before God and his first wife, Michal, despised him for this (2 Samuel 6:16 and 1 Chronicles 15:29).
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Keepers of the Ark

Photocredit: FreeImages.com/darkip

An man named Asaph and his brothers were left to minister before the ark. Obededom and his 68 brothers were to be porters. Zadok was the high priest. Heman and Jeduthun were placed in charge of music.

Music was clearly apart of worship from the beginning, however today there is much confusion over what is acceptable music versus unacceptable music. Many argue that since we are to be set apart from the world, our music should be too. having been to a church where I couldn't tell if I was in the club or the church, I understand this point of view. However, God never specified a proper genre, and even our hymns today match popular music from a different era. I thin kGod can come through any genre. I think the main concern is what your spirit takes in when you hear a particular song. There are certain songs where the music is all you hear; it invokes a fleshly desire to dance—these are the song where God gets lost in the worldiness of the music. However there are also contemporary gospel songs in which you can feel the Spirit moving.
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David's Psalm

Some of the psalms found in the Book of Psalms were penned by king David, and in 1 Chronicles 16 that we find that before anything was done, David's delivered a psalm of praise to God. The structure of the psalm is as follows: giving thanks, worship/praise, recounting His blessings, history of the covenant, worship/praise, thanks.
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References

Putting God First: Words vs. Actions

When we compromise morals to gain employment, our actions are either saying the job is more important than the morals we have given up —ergo the job is more important than God---or that we don't believe God will provide us with another opportunity no matter what we say out loud.

Introduction

Have you ever heard the saying "giving honor to God Who's first and foremost in my life?" People say this or versions of it so often, but how many times do they actually mean it? I was watching an awards show once (well, this has probably happened more than once, but I'm thinking about a specific time), and an artist thanked God for winning an award for a song with the most ungodly lyrics/video. Artists do this all the time and so do we.

Photocredit: FreeImages.com/Keith Syvinski

I remember in middle school, when I use to actually follow what celebs had to say about their music (or life in general), there was an interview with Destiny's Child where they were explaining the inclusion of gospel on their album. Both The Writing's On the Wall and Survivor have a gospel medley.^[1][3] At the time I thought it was great to see them openly declaring their faith in God; seeing "cool" celebs say they pray or that they believe in God definitely aids their fans with confidence to speak out about their own faith, and it may bring fans to God. However, The Writing's On the Wall has songs like "Temptation," which glorifies lust, "If You Leave," which is about an affair (and isn't condemning the affair), and "Stay," which is about a young girl caving to premarital sex. Now, we know that just because Destiny's Child was singing about affairs doesn't mean they were actually having them, and as realistic as "Stay" may sound, we don't know what the members of Destiny's Child did when they came upon that situation. However, at the end of the day (or the album, rather), the songs still promote and glorify ungodly behaviors. It's not about what they believe or what they say they believe, because it wasn't their interviews that I listened to on repeat, it was their albums. God tells us not to be stumbling blocks for our brothers and sisters in Christ, so if we truly believe in Him, as we grow in our faith, wouldn't we begin to distance ourselves form such things to avoid confusion that we are promoting them?

I know, you're thinking: why did she dig up this old group and old album out of the blue? I used that example because The Writing's On the Wall was on constant repeat in my CD player when I was in middle school. This was the "it" girl group during my impressionable years, so now that I look back, I remember interviews where they talked about God and see the disconnect in many of the songs. Not only do I have less knowledge about newer artists like Rihanna, Nicki Minaj, Drake, etc., in terms of interviews, they don't include a gospel track on their albums (though you may hear references to God in many artists' albums). I can, however, mention Nicki Minaj at the VMA's a few years ago...

In 2015, Nicki Minaj thanked her pastor (but not God...*confused face*...and with the preface that it was random) when she won best hip-hop video for the vulgar song "Anaconda" at the VMAs, then angrily confronted Miley Cyrus going so far as to call her the b-word!^[2] How do you go from being half-naked shaking your butt, glorifying promiscuity and casual sex, to thanking your pastor, to starting drama? Is that what Jesus would do?

Note, that I'm not trying to come for these people's relationship with God, we all make mistakes and that's between each individual and God. What I do want to talk about is what we say vs. what we do. Celebrities are in the spotlight all the time, so it's easy to point out the hypocrisy in their lives when it may be more difficult to do so in our own. We often say that we put God first in our lives, but do we actually?
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The Job vs. God

Now that I've begun the process of looking for a job, I've really been focused on finding the job God wants me to have versus the job I want me to have. You see, I want to be somewhere warm, preferably here in the Southeast, earn a decent income and benefits, and work on something at least a little bit related to the field my research is in. Nothing about this list sounds the least bit ungodly, but you know, just like I'm determined not to end up in the Bay area, Oregon, or Seattle, Jonah was determined not to go to Nineveh... Sometimes our desires overshadow God's plan for us and we aren't even aware that we've chosen ourself over God.

When I was talking to my parents about job opportunities, my mom was quick to remind me that it was unlikely that my first full-time job would be "the perfect job." While this is a true statement, my mom didn't really say this as a friendly reminder, but as a condemnation of the things I said I didn't want. What she was really saying was "stop complaining and take what you can get." I wasn't surprised; my mom is a job-first person. If the job wants you to work overtime everyday, my mom is going to say "you need to work overtime everyday." If the job wants you to work on the Sabbath, my mom is going to say "you better take your butt to work." In fact, I remember while I was working at my very first job, I got my schedule mixed up and thought I had off when I didn't, so I went to church. My mom didn't tell the people that it must have been a mix up, take a message, or promise I'd call to explain when I got home, she came and got me from church, told me to put on my work clothes then drove me to work. In my mom's mind, everything in life compromises to the job, which is not right.

"Beggars can't be choosers" but God's children can't compromise their morals either. The irony in my mom's viewpoint on jobs is that it only extends to certain positions. She will scoff at someone who refuses a job because it requires them to break the 4th commandment (keeping the Sabbath holy), but she would never support me appearing half naked on stage and shaking my behind like Nicki Minaj, or even Beyoncé, to get ahead in the music industry. If I told my mom I didn't want to take a job because it required me to sell illegal drugs and was actually a front for money laundering, my mom would be on the same side as me; she would agree that was a bad idea. There's no way her response to that would be "you better take that job, you're not going to find the perfect job, especially for your first job!"

I use my mom as an example, because like the celebrities I mentioned earlier, this is something we all experience. We prioritize the morals we will or won't compromise on based on our own comfort level and what we put first in our life. It's an example of following the god we want God to be versus following God as He has revealed Himself in the Word.^[5] If your goals in life come before the goal of following God, you will always sacrifice His morals to achieve your goal. If fame and success are your goal, this may mean dressing or dancing in a manner displeasing to God, or it may mean singing songs that do not exemplify God's glory. If riches are your goal, it may mean idolizing your job, overworking yourself, or turning your head at crooked practices. We tell ourselves "God knows my heart" or "He wouldn't have brought me here if He didn't want me to be successful" and convince ourselves that we haven't actually placed our own goals above Him.

Some things, like my desired location or salary, should be completely open to compromise. It's very possible that God has a fabulous life planned for me in a place I would never think about going, earning less (or even more) money than I thought I'd be making. However, jobs that require me to perform or endorse actions that I believe are morally wrong should never be up for debate. When we compromise morals to gain employment, our actions are either saying the job is more important than the morals we have given up —ergo the job is more important than God—or that we don't believe God will provide us with another opportunity no matter what we say out loud.

References

1. Hodges, S., and Bracco, L. "New Again: Destiny's Child. Interview Magazine. January 2013
2. MTV. "360 VR: Nicki Minaj Confronts Miley Cyrus on Stage | MTV VMA 2015". YouTube. September 1, 2015
3. coolestali. "Destinys Child Interview Rare Uncut 1998". YouTube. Feb 8, 2008
4. ShallowAbyss100. "Young Beyoncé Talking About God, Staying Humble, and Motivation". YouTube. Jan 15, 2012
5. "Sexiness vs. Spirituality". Spiritual Journeys: How Faith Has Influenced Twelve Music Icons. pg. 156. 2003

Christian Rap

Someone asked my opinion on Christian Rap, so I decided to try it out...

Introduction

Photocredit: FreeImages.com/serkan turaç

Not too long ago, I got a text asking if I listen to Christian Rap. It was an interesting question because rap has always been that genre floating on the periphery for me. What do I mean by that? I mean, if you check my iTunes you'll find a ton of Missy Elliot, some Eve, a little bit of Drake, and a pinch of Eminem, but in the grand scheme of things, I'd say rap only accounts for about 5-10% of my library. In undergrad, since I was in a historically Black sorority, I knew way more songs than I owned. Rap was the music I heard at the parties, at the step shows, the neophyte presentations, etc. I knew the words, might love the beat, but it's just always been a genre that I was never really "at home" with. Perhaps it's the lyrics or maybe the vibe I get from the music, but I don't find myself yearning to listen to rap. Most of the time, I simply listened to it because it's on. So when my friend asked if I listened to Christian Rap, I wondered if hearing Godly messages instead of vulgarity would change my nonchalant view of rap.
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The Arguments For & Against Christian Rap

There's a definite debate between believers concerning appropriate worship music. Can we take worldly music such as rap or rock, to create Godly music that praises the Most High? On the one hand, the Bible does say that people danced and sang to praise the Lord and while specific genres such as rap or rock may not have existed during Biblical times, God never specifies a "good" type of music or a "bad" type of music. Conversely, those who oppose rap in worship music site the point that we are to be set apart from the world. I fully understand both arguments. Once, in undergrad, I attended a mega church. When I entered the sanctuary, there was music blaring, it was dark, there were strobe lights, people were dancing in the aisles, and I honestly couldn't tell if I was still at the party I'd attended the night before or if I'd managed to make it to church. That's quite an unsettling feeling. Of course, as pro-Christian rap enthusiasts state, God doesn't say that one type of music is better than another. Old time-y gospel is still a fusion of genres, sometimes soul or jazz or country... Why should rap be any different?

There are 3 parts to a song: the lyrics, the melody, and the music itself. In a gospel song, the lyrics should be about God; we know that He would approve of that. The question people are posing deals more with melody (or lack thereof) and music. In rap there's more of a cadence than a melody, but we're going to call the rhythm of the flow the melody. In any melody, there's a tone that helps set the vibe of the music. Some melodies are upbeat and joyous, some are sad, while others are angry. There are lots of possibilities and combinations that can occur to set this tone. Naturally songs that are praising God are expected to be either upbeat or joyous, perhaps solemn, but definitely not angry. How does angry music praise God? This same principle applies to the background music. It says something to you and makes you feel a certain way. An appropriate gospel song makes you praise God.

Lecrae

Lecrae is probably the biggest name in Christian rap, so I decided to check him out. The first song I found was called "Welcome to America." While it isn't vulgar, it isn't gospel either. I don't think God or Jesus was even mentioned, and if they were they definitely weren't the focus of the song. In the suggested videos bar on YouTube, I saw another of his songs called "Church Clothes," so I clicked to listen to that one.
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Church Clothes

It was interesting that if you separated parts of the song, it seemed almost anti-God. It's definitely anti-Church, which I had no problem with since he was speaking truth. Though, I found it hard to parse out his actual message. The lyrics to the song can be found here but I want to point out some interesting things:

That's backwards and I lack words for these for these actors called pastors
All these folks is hypocrites,
And thats why I ain't at church
Truthfully I'm just doin' me,
And I don't wanna face no scrutiny
As long as the church keep wildin' out, I can justify all my foolish deeds
Lecrae - "Church Clothes"

The first 3 lines, while they may irk church goers and pastors, are pretty much spot on. However, we aren't supposed to be "doin' [us]," we're not here to live for ourselves; we're here to live for God... Then he says he doesn't want to face scrutiny; well, what does he think judgment day is? I'm not saying people have a right to judge each other in the sense of saying someone is good/bad or inferring that they will or won't make it to heaven, but there are several passages about confronting our fellow believers when they are in sin. It's not about hypocrisy, its about holding each other accountable. It's often hard to see our own fault, this is why it's easy to look like a hypocrite. A fellowship of true believers, however, discuss these issues amongst each other and accept where each person is right or wrong. For instance person A may be an alcoholic and person B may be promiscuous, but what should happen is that when A confronts B about their behavior, B acknowledges their wrong as well as confronts A about their alcoholism. A and B would then work together to encourage each other to stay away from temptation from their former vices. That is how we are supposed to hold each other accountable, because no one is perfect. What is not supposed to happen is B calls A a hypocrite and then infers that B can do whatever they want because A is in the wrong too. That's like saying one person ran the red light so I'm going to run the red light too—that's a bad idea and it's still illegal. But that's exactly what Lacrae says in the next line! He's saying he wants to live how he wants to live without anyone pointing out if he's in sin. I'm sorry Lecrae, but if you're sinning, you're sinning whether I point it out to you or not, God is watching you. I'd personally rather have a fellow believer pull me to the side and politely tell me I'm in error so I can fix myself before He comes back or my time is up...

Yeah I know what's right from wrong, But that there ain't gon' sell a song
I'd rather sell my soul than save itLecrae - "Church Clothes"

Again, Lecrae points out something that's true, but he doesn't say "they" would rather sell their soul, he says he would. So, if Lil' Wayne took note of his skills, he'd sign to Young Money and start rapping about sex, money, and drugs? That's what it sounds like to me...

It better not be no real god,
Real hope, that heals hearts
It shows me that I ain't livin up
To all these things he put me here forLecrae - "Church Clothes"

Is this supposed to be a form of reverse pyschology? A gospel song praises God, but Lecrae is saying the opposite. I'm gonna give him the benefit of the doubt and say the intent was to remind people that there is a God and He heals hearts and knows we aren't living up to His standards. However, you are not about to get me to sing, rap, sign, or mime a line that implies I hope God doesn't exist. If this is the epitome of Christian rap, I'm not impressed.

[UPDATE: One of my friends, who listens to Lecrae on occasion, believes the song is from the point of view of sinners or non-believers. That may be so; I've never met Lecrae so I can't really ask him to verify. However, there still isn't anything that confirms this in the song, which errs on the side of confusion. Nowhere in the song does Lecrae indicate he's speaking from someone else's point of view... It's a rap song, there easily could have been a short intro attached the song where he set up the idea that he was talking to a person struggling with faith and that's what the person said back to him. A hook that shows change was also an option. None of that happens, so we're left to put our own interpretation to it. Lecrae could say it meant whatever he wanted and we would have to just trust him.

Many of the articles I read concerning Lecrae argue not about his content, but about the company he keeps. Supporters then argue that "Jesus hung with the worst of them" to suggest Christians can keep company with the unGodly, despite 2 Corinthians 6:14 telling us to be careful about our relationships. There is a major difference in what Jesus did and what people are trying to equate with His example. Yes, a prostitute came to Jesus for help and He helped her. Yes, Paul was a horrible person before Jesus appeared to Him and converted him. However, we must take note that Jesus did not go to a brothel just to hang out in the hopes of converting the prostitutes. We never see Jesus minimize His message or change who He is—a task that I imagine is much easier for the Son of God than His fully human followers—while He is interacting with them. Furthermore, in every case, Jesus demands they change. He tells the prostitute to "go and sin no more." He tells Paul to become a minister to the Gentiles. All of the worldly practices and sins these people committed had to be left behind. In other words, while Lecrae may have rapped a verse with Kendrick Lamar, Jesus never shared the stage with Pharisees. Why? Because while He wanted all people to be saved, He didn't want to confuse those who would be saved or were already saved with mixed messages.]
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Other Songs

Since so many of my Christian friends like him, I wanted to give him another chance. He has a lot of songs, so I thought maybe I'm just picking all the bad ones... I found a "top 10" list of his songs, though I'm not sure who picked the so called top 10 songs. The list (found here) included the aforementioned "Church Clothes" but did not include "Welcome to America." The first song, "Nuthin'" has the beat from a popular rap song from a while back. I couldn't remember the name of the song, I just knew it took me back to middle school dances and gossip—it definitely didn't have me thinking about God. In fact I spent more time after hearing the song trying to recall why I knew that beat so well but couldn't recall the original lyrics. My mind wasn't satisfied until I found the original song... I did a google search to see where he lifted the beat from, because I knew it was a popular beat—it had to be if I recognized it. The song in question is called "I Got 5 on It" by Luniz; it's about drugs and came out in 1995 (which explains why I couldn't remember the lyrics, I was only 7 when it came out).^[1] Upon searching for this information I also found that Lecrae rejects the "Christian" rap label and considered himself "as much a Hip Hop artist as Jay-Z." Is he implying that Christian rap is less than secular rap? Is he saying he's a secular rapper? Is he claiming the religion of hip hop?^[2] To me it sounds like he's distancing himself from God and lumping himself in with the secular. That definitely isn't being set apart from the world.

On top of that, the song really doesn't say anything about God! Just like your average rap song that may have a reference to God randomly thrown in (Lecrae mentions Judas and the last supper), this song is nothing but a critique of mainstream rap. Lecrae wasn't lying when he said he wasn't a Christian rapper.

Many have claimed to be led to God by Lecrae, the testimonials are written under his status as #1 Christian rapper, but just because you say you're a Christian doesn't mean you believe the Bible or that you follow the Jesus of the Bible. Hitler claimed to be a Christian, too. I don't know these people personally, so I can't say they didn't pick up a Bible and find the real Jesus, maybe they did. For their sake, I hope they did. What I can say is that his music didn't do anything to inspire me toward God or a Godly life style. All it did was steer me toward that lukewarm spot between Godly and worldly.

¹⁵Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. ¹⁶Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? ¹⁷Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. ¹⁸A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. ¹⁹Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. ²⁰Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them. ²¹Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. ²²Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? ²³And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.Matthew 7:15-23 KJV

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Other Rappers and Conclusions

As I said in the beginning, I think it is possible for there to be Godly rap music or Gospel rap or Christian rap, whatever you'd like to call it. My unpopular opinion is that Lecrae is not it. I am not so quick to lump all Christian rappers in this box, because I see this problem across all type of genres that claim to be Christian or Gospel. Sometimes it's just inspirational. I saw an article on an artist called Supaman; his music seemed as though it might be interesting though I have not had a chance to fully check him out. The Top Tens lists 10 Christian Rappers ranked by votes from the general public, perhaps some of them are more promising. I think it's important to actually listen to what is being said. We can't just hear the word "Jesus" and label something Godly. Just like we shouldn't idolize secular celebrities, we shouldn't idolize Gospel artist either (God already told us not to have idols). We see Gospel artists, like Katy Perry, turn their backs on God for money all the time. Many of these artists have one foot in the world and one foot in the church. I don't know where their hearts are or how much of the word they've studied, but I know at some point we all have to choose God or the world, you can't have both.

So, the short answer is "no," I don't listen to Christian rap. I think it's possible that out there somewhere, there's a Christian rap song I may like. Over the past few weeks, I've been cleaning out my iTunes library, and while almost every rap song I own has been removed for vulgarity, lust, or other unGodly lyrics, I don't miss them. What I mean is, I don't feel a hole were secular rap was that compels me to replace it with Christian rap. Thus, I'm not really looking for Christian rap artists, but if I find an artist I like, sure, I'll add it to my collection.
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References

1. Parker, Jamila. The Faith-Based Community Applauded Lecrae’s Lawsuit Against Katy Perry. Then, He Did This. EEW Magazine Christian Rap Fix. July 2014
2. Smith, Ryan. Bun B’s College Course Makes One Rapper Ask: Is Hip-Hop a Religion?. Complex. June 2013