Participants: Dwayne Lemon, Lance Wilbur
Series Code: TKS
Program Code: TKS000044A
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00:29 Hello, I'm Lance.
00:30 And I'm Dwayne, and welcome to another episode of TKS, 00:33 a True Knowledge of Self, 00:35 where we get to know ourselves from a biblical perspective. 00:38 We're grateful that you have joined with us today, 00:40 and we have something in store for you. 00:43 We have been going through 00:45 a comparison of the hip-hop culture, 00:47 and the culture of Christianity, 00:49 and seeing if the principles that govern a hip-hop culture 00:53 from its pillars, to its elements, 00:55 as well as to looking at the pillars 00:57 of the Christian faith, 00:59 the things that make us Christians. 01:01 And as we compared the two, 01:03 we began to see that there's a tremendous contrast 01:05 rather than a harmony 01:06 which basically is helping us 01:08 to see thus far in all the episodes 01:09 that we've done that hip-hop culture 01:12 is something that cannot truly be endorsed 01:16 by the word of God. 01:18 Because over, and over, and over again 01:19 as we looked at its various tenets, 01:21 we looked at the pillars of love, and peace, and unity, 01:25 and safely having fun, 01:26 we looked at the various elements 01:28 from DJing breaking 01:29 and, of course, the graffiti writing, 01:32 and the MCing, 01:33 and the fifth element of so-called knowledge, 01:36 understanding, and wisdom. 01:38 And as we began to compare these principles 01:40 with the word of God, 01:41 we began to see a tremendous contrast. 01:43 And let God be true and all men liars, 01:46 the Bible lets us know this principle. 01:48 So because of this, 01:49 it is important for us to see that, 01:51 as we're studying, 01:53 there are lots of things that's happening 01:55 in this worldwide influential culture of hip-hop 01:57 that is meeting the minds of many young people 02:00 as well as old. 02:01 It has hit every area of life from the poor to the rich, 02:04 and everything in between. 02:06 And it's because of this, 02:07 that we wanted to put these programs together 02:09 to be an enlightenment to God's people, 02:10 to help us to understand the words of God, 02:13 and what God requires of us. 02:15 And we've been going through this 02:17 but today, Lance, 02:18 we have some things that we gotta cover... 02:19 Yeah. That's pretty eye-opening. 02:22 There's some things happening right now that's a bit exciting 02:25 but also can be very concerning. 02:27 And there is something happening in hip-hop culture. 02:31 We've been doing all these comparisons 02:32 and seeing that, 02:34 you know, hip-hop culture and Christian culture 02:35 do not blend at all, quite honestly. 02:37 Yet, there are many individuals that are having an experience 02:42 that sometimes you know it reminds me to a degree 02:46 of the experience of the Apostle Paul. 02:47 Now, the Apostle Paul was part of a movement 02:51 that was very much antichrist, 02:53 you know, when you look at the system of Judaism 02:56 and all of the corruptions that crept within it, 02:58 in the time of the Apostle Paul when he was Saul, 03:00 you know, he was an instrument of persecution, 03:03 he was an instrument of putting down 03:04 and all these things. 03:06 But we know the story in the Bible. 03:07 The Bible lets us know that when Paul was on Damascus road, 03:11 he had a contact with Jesus. 03:12 And as he had that contact with Christ, 03:15 his life was never the same. 03:17 There are individuals, we're discovering, 03:19 that actually are in hip-hop, that are doing things, 03:23 teaching things, demonstrating things, 03:25 exemplifying things that are against the Bible, 03:28 that are against Christianity. 03:30 Yet, many of these individuals have gotten to a place 03:33 where they are saying 03:35 they've come in contact with Jesus. 03:36 They're saying that they've come in contact 03:37 with the Lord. 03:39 And we are not individuals 03:40 that can judge these people and say, 03:41 "Oh, they're acting or they're fake." 03:43 We don't know their hearts. 03:44 So these people, we can assume are very, very sincere, 03:47 yet, they still maintain hip-hop culture. 03:50 So what we're seeing now is amalgamation taking place, 03:54 a blending of hip-hop and gospel. 03:57 And that's what we're gonna be talking about 03:59 for the next few episodes is, 04:00 you know, the concept of "Gospel Hip-hop". 04:03 Is it something that God can endorse because of the fact 04:07 that individuals are seeing hip-hop as something 04:10 that is not of God? 04:12 Well, hey, what if I can take it, 04:14 and what if I can, 04:15 you know, baptize it, 04:17 if you will with Christian lyrics 04:18 and now make it something 04:20 that would be acceptable to God? 04:21 And we're finding that 04:22 this is effecting the lives of many artists 04:24 that are, you know, 04:25 real prominent in hip-hop culture today. 04:26 And we're gonna talk about some of them. 04:28 So, you know, what are some of your thoughts on this? 04:29 You know, "Hip-hop Gospel", what does God say about it? 04:33 Is it something that God can endorse, 04:35 not, and why? 04:36 And we're gonna take a look at some of the examples 04:38 of some prominent leaders in hip-hop culture today 04:41 that are, you know, starting to accept Christ, 04:44 but yet still pushing forward hip-hop. 04:47 Can it really succeed? 04:48 Can it really work? 04:49 Absolutely not. 04:51 I mean, to put it simply, 04:52 we're gonna spend the next couple of our few episodes, 04:54 you know, dealing with this subject. 04:56 We wanna just set the tone 04:58 by just taking a look at some clips of individuals, 05:01 some prominent, some, you know, 05:02 in their prime pastor, prime what have you, 05:04 that are professing Christianity. 05:07 Professing Christianity, yet at the same time, 05:09 kind of hallmarks for hip-hop culture. 05:13 And the question has to, you know, be settled. 05:18 The question that has to be answered is, 05:20 "Can you blend the two?" 05:22 This is what you've posed, this is what I'm asking, 05:24 and we both had to go through this experience. 05:25 That's right. 05:27 Could coming out of hip-hop culture 05:28 and embracing the cross, 05:30 embracing the gospel, embracing God's word, 05:32 could we continue down the road 05:35 in embracing all the aspects of hip-hop culture 05:38 and grow as Christians, and continue to, 05:42 you know, come out of the world we're in and into, you know, 05:45 His marvelous light, out of the darkness 05:46 into His marvelous light? 05:47 And the answer, in our experience, 05:49 we saw it was clearly no. 05:51 And since that point, 05:52 we've come to see exactly why that can't be true 05:55 and that's what we'll be talking about that 05:56 in future episodes. 05:57 So what I wanna do is, you know, go into a clip. 06:01 We're gonna be looking at an individual 06:04 who had an interview by the name of Kanye West. 06:07 Most people, you know, in the world... 06:09 Anybody who is in hip-hop culture knows 06:10 who Kanye West for sure. 06:12 And he is a prominent pop figure, so it's not like, 06:14 you know, most people in a cross cultural boundaries 06:17 know who he is. 06:18 So we're gonna look at an interview 06:20 that was done from by Kanye West. 06:23 And I think this is his mother-in-law 06:25 at this point, right? 06:26 Yeah. 06:27 And so let's see what he has to say 06:29 as it relates to Christianity. 06:31 And then we're gonna talk about a little bit 06:33 'cause we got a couple more to look at as well, 06:34 so let's go to the clip. 06:35 Tell me about this bracelet you have on. 06:38 Actually, Rob gave me this. 06:40 And this is just What Would Jesus Do. 06:43 And I love that it's just such a cool... 06:46 I like that. 06:47 ..bracelet and, you know, 06:49 I'm a Christian 06:52 and I wanted to just always let people know 06:57 that that's what's on my mind, 07:00 that's... 07:01 It's important to you. Yeah. 07:03 It's important to me that, you know, that I grow, 07:07 you know, and walk, 07:12 and raise my family with Christian values. 07:18 And I don't know if it's right to say on TV but... 07:20 Yes, of course, it is. 07:22 Now when we look at a clip like this, you know, 07:25 you're saying to yourself, "He has emphatically stated, 07:27 'I am a Christian." 07:29 Yeah. 07:30 And he wants to have Christian values 07:32 brought into his home. 07:34 Yet at the same time, 07:36 he is part of a culture that is anti-Christian. 07:38 It is against the principles of Christ. 07:40 It is literally against the very words of God. 07:43 Now the question is, does he know that? 07:45 And we don't know right now. 07:46 I mean, you know, I haven't seen anyone 07:48 interview him on that level. 07:50 I'm sure there's a lot of people 07:52 that will look at this, 07:53 and lots of opinions are gonna be developed, 07:55 some good, some bad, some indifferent. 07:57 Nevertheless, we're taking what he said for face value. 08:00 There are individuals that actually can believe 08:04 they are doing the service of God 08:06 and at the same time be against God. 08:08 And that's why I preface this whole thing, 08:10 talking about Saul. 08:11 You know, Saul in his mind, 08:13 he was for God 08:15 even when he literally was ordering 08:17 Christians to be killed, 08:18 to be slaughtered, and to destroy the way of life 08:20 which was known as Christianity. 08:22 So it is possible 08:24 that individuals can be grossly deceived, 08:26 yet have very sincere motives. 08:28 And I don't have a problem 08:30 putting Kanye West in that category 08:32 based on what his own testimony is. 08:33 I can clearly see things that he does or says 08:36 that I can say, "Hey, that's not even minutely 08:38 in accordance with the word of God. 08:39 Yet, I don't know. 08:41 Are you doing it maliciously? 08:43 Are you doing it ignorantly?" 08:44 I'm not in the man's mind. 08:45 I'm not in his heart. I can't read that. 08:47 But what we're doing is looking at the broader picture. 08:50 There's a picture that is being painted to the world 08:52 and the picture that is being painted to world 08:54 is that hip-hop culture and Christianity are all right. 08:58 They can work together, it's all good. 09:01 And when programs like this come out 09:02 with such prominent figures in hip-hop, 09:05 it's having a very deceptive effect 09:07 on the millions, and millions of beholders 09:10 that are watching these types of programs 09:12 and that are followers 09:13 of a major hip-hop artist like this. 09:15 So this is why we have to address this question, 09:18 the gospel of hip-hop or hip-hop gospel, 09:21 can the two go together? 09:22 You know, what does God say about it? 09:24 And that's why we're looking at these types of clips 09:26 so that we can let the world see 09:28 that this is what's being presented right now. 09:30 And it's being presented more and more 09:32 on a daily, monthly, and yearly basis. 09:35 So these are some things that we have to pay 09:36 really close attention to. 09:37 Absolutely. 09:39 And we're just gonna go right into the next clip 09:40 'cause there's another artist. 09:42 I don't know if he has music out right now. 09:43 I know he was popular back in the '90s, 09:45 very popular in the '90s. 09:46 But he also has his own testimony 09:49 as it relates to Christianity. 09:50 So let's go, we're talking about Ja Rule now. 09:53 And we're gonna go ahead to that clip. 09:54 Okay. 09:55 And that moved me to say, "You know what, now I get it. 09:59 I can accept God into my life, and let him come into my life, 10:02 " because from what you're saying 10:05 and from what I see, 10:07 if I do this, 10:08 you're not asking me to make gospel records tomorrow. 10:11 It's a walk, you know, it's taking baby steps 10:15 and I get to take them steps at my own pace, you know, 10:18 I'm not saying I'm perfect, not saying I'm changed more, 10:21 but I'm making that step 10:24 and they're accepting me as I am. 10:27 And so that moved me to do that, man... 10:29 Wow, man. 10:30 Now, once again, this is situation 10:32 where we're gonna take this man at his word 10:34 that he's being sincere and genuine. 10:36 We're not gonna bash this brother at all. 10:39 The question is, if, you know, 10:40 give a little context to the statement 10:43 that he was making and how he gave his heart to the Lord 10:45 and he's, you know, making baby steps 10:46 and transitions, 10:48 he's talking about how he kind of did a church tour, 10:51 and he was reluctant to involve himself 10:54 with the church. 10:55 And as he kept visiting churches 10:57 and visiting churches, 10:59 he was having negative experiences. 11:00 And he wasn't feeling like he was part of the group, 11:04 if you will. 11:06 And so he was kind of turned off. 11:07 But he visited a church, a particular church, 11:10 I believe in New York City in Manhattan, 11:11 I believe that was like a kind of, like a, 11:15 I don't know, almost like a hip-hop church. 11:17 We're gonna look at, when I say hip-hop church, 11:19 what we mean. 11:21 But he went to a church 11:22 that was pretty much completely culturally 11:26 kind of like pop culture, you know, 11:28 quasi hip-hop culture, but it was a Christian church, 11:32 if that makes any sense. 11:33 We'll look at the examples, we'll see that clearly. 11:35 And he said when he entered that church, 11:38 he felt comfortable. 11:40 And then that led him, and he said 11:42 that the pastor came out with like a T-shirt, 11:45 and jeans, and tattoos all on him, 11:47 you know, on his arms. 11:48 And he started preaching the word and that's... 11:50 and he started to listen 11:52 because he saw other celebrities there, 11:54 he saw this, you know, 11:56 kind of a person that looks like him. 11:59 And he felt this environment that just made it, you know, 12:02 friendly and he began to attend that church, 12:04 and now he's ready to give his heart 12:06 to the Lord because of this. 12:08 Now there's nothing wrong. 12:09 Every church would be a warm atmosphere, right? 12:11 We talked about that in the previous episode 12:12 that we can't... 12:13 We gotta to take people as they are, 12:15 but that doesn't mean you can give them 12:17 the same sinful culture 12:19 that they're trying to come out of. 12:21 I remember, when I came out of the world, 12:23 I didn't wanna come into the church 12:24 and get the same thing I was getting in the world. 12:26 I mean, you want a contrast. Right. 12:28 So the issue is 12:31 not that you have individuals coming to the Lord, 12:34 that's what we want. 12:35 The question is, "What presentation 12:38 or representation of the word are they being given?" 12:39 That's right. 12:41 And are they being given this false idea 12:43 that God does not care, 12:45 that God wants you to be saved, 12:47 but He doesn't care how you live? 12:48 Right. 12:49 Or you can set the terms 12:52 rather than God setting the terms. 12:53 That was the interesting point is that 12:56 it is true that individuals grow at different paces. 13:00 That is true. Yes. 13:02 I appreciate the fact that he is saying, "Well, you know, 13:05 " he said, "They didn't ask me 13:06 to make a gospel record tomorrow, 13:08 they allowed me to grow up on my own pace, " etcetera. 13:10 There's a danger in that though 13:12 because the Bible is clear of how one comes to Christ 13:15 and what the exchange is. 13:17 The Bible says in 2 Corinthians 5:17, 13:20 "Therefore if any man be in Christ, 13:22 he is a new creature, 13:24 old things are passed away. 13:27 Behold, all things are become new." 13:30 So the Bible teaches that when a person comes to Christ, 13:33 you're entering into a new life, 13:35 there's a lot entailed in that new life, 13:38 and you will need to grow. 13:39 And that growth is based on a lot of different variables 13:43 but there is a definite acknowledgement of old things. 13:47 And when we come to Christ, 13:48 we must allow those old things to become dead. 13:51 It has to become past. 13:53 And it is very concerning, 13:55 and we're gonna see in the real marked way, 13:57 that the churches of today are not doing the job 14:00 that Jesus has commissioned the disciples to do. 14:03 Jesus said unto the disciples 14:04 when they would set up churches, 14:06 "Go, ye, therefore and teach all nations, 14:08 baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, 14:09 and Holy Ghost." 14:10 But then it says, 14:12 "Teaching them to observe all things 14:14 whatsoever I've commanded you." 14:16 So the Bible is very clear. 14:18 In the Book of Acts 2, 14:19 when the people heard the gospel message, 14:22 it says right there in verse 37 and 38. 14:25 "Now when they heard this, 14:27 they were pricked in their heart, 14:29 and said unto Peter 14:30 and to the rest of the apostles, 14:32 men and brethren, what shall we do? 14:34 And then Peter said unto them repent. 14:37 And be baptized every one of you 14:39 in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, 14:41 and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost." 14:44 So the Bible teaches that 14:45 when an individual comes to Christ, 14:47 when they've realized their sinfulness 14:48 and their need for the Savior, 14:50 they're saying, "What should we do?" 14:52 Peter didn't say, "Just get baptized." 14:54 He says, "You gotta repent." 14:55 And to repent is to turn away. 14:57 Well, turn away from what? 14:58 The thing that separated you from God, which is sin. 15:00 So there's a problem 15:02 that's happening in pastoral leadership, 15:04 that's happening in many churches today, 15:06 that they are making it appear as if hip-hop culture is okay. 15:11 And we're gonna see this in a, disappointingly, 15:15 and I'm just gonna say, disgustingly real manner 15:17 of what we're seeing happening in the churches today 15:20 as it relates to this concept 15:21 of holy hip-hop, hip-hop gospel, 15:23 and all these things. 15:25 And therefore, I look at people like Ja Rule. 15:27 I look at people like Kanye West 15:29 and some of them. 15:30 While many will call them victimizers, 15:32 I also believe they're victims. 15:33 I believe they have been given a false gospel. 15:36 And the Bible makes it clear that not all gospels are equal. 15:39 And if that was the case, 15:40 Paul would not have said what he said in Galatians 1. 15:43 In Galatians 1:6, the Apostle Paul says 15:46 something that caused even him to marvel. 15:48 He was in... 15:50 He was writing a letter to brethren 15:52 in the church of Galatia. 15:53 And he got wind, he heard about things 15:56 that was happening in the church, 15:57 that was causing people to come away 15:59 from the true gospel. 16:00 And here's what he said. 16:01 He said in Galatians 1:6, 16:03 "I marvel that you are so soon removed from Him 16:06 that called you into the grace of Christ 16:08 unto another gospel, which is not another, 16:11 but there be some that trouble you, 16:13 and would pervert the gospel of Christ." 16:16 There were individuals, 16:17 who has taken the pure and they were tainting it. 16:20 They were putting things in it and what happened was, 16:22 it became perverted. 16:24 And the reality of those who perverted the gospel 16:27 is spelled out in verses 8 and 9. 16:29 Paul then goes on to say, "But though we, 16:32 or an angel from heaven, 16:33 preach any other gospel unto you than 16:35 that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. 16:39 As was said before, so say I now again, 16:41 if any man preach any other gospel unto you 16:44 than that ye have received, let him be accursed." 16:46 So God makes it clear that He hates perverted gospels. 16:51 And when an individual can believe, 16:53 "I can continue practicing my sin and at my own pace, 16:58 I can just, kind of, grow out of it when I will, 17:00 and still have a successful relationship 17:03 with the Lord, " that is bona fide deception. 17:05 That's like me saying that, you know, 17:07 a man can cheat on his wife and have another woman. 17:09 And then one day, 17:11 when he wants to get back with his wife, 17:12 he's gonna try to work things out with his wife 17:14 but he's still gonna hold on to the other sister 17:16 and wean himself off of her 17:18 until he's just ready to give her up one day. 17:21 Now, no woman with common sense 17:22 at least would ever agree to such an agreement 17:24 but we expect God to be dumb down to such a point 17:27 that He will agree to such an agreement. 17:28 God hates sin, it breaks up the relationship 17:30 with those whom he loved and whom he died for. 17:32 And he wants us to be separated from that 17:34 and Christ has enough power to deliver us. 17:37 We don't, but Jesus does. 17:39 But that message has to come across to these precious souls, 17:41 these brothers here to let them know, 17:43 "Guys, you can't hold on to this 17:46 and hold on to Jesus at the same time." 17:48 It does not work. 17:49 And that's the key, 17:50 it's going to lead to normally is one of two things. 17:54 Either you're gonna have an individual 17:55 who practices this kind of, you know, 17:59 circular Christianity where they're kind of, 18:01 you know, close to God, far away from God, 18:03 close to God and literally, that will create 18:05 a psychological emotional problem 18:08 where you will begin to feel guilt, 18:12 and remorse, and, you know, stress, 18:14 associated relationship with God and eventually, 18:16 you're just gonna cut it off. 18:17 You eventually gonna find yourself as quickly, 18:20 and as faithfully as you gave your heart to the Lord 18:22 and came into the church, 18:23 you'll do that on your way out the door. 18:26 Because you won't see the value, 18:27 you won't see the power. 18:29 There'll be no power in that form of Christianity 18:31 because you are trying to mingle the profane 18:34 and the sacred. 18:35 And then there's the other side of it 18:37 where you'll just become a cultural Christian, 18:39 meaning you'll hold on to some cultural norms, 18:43 you, you know, go through a ritual, 18:46 a religious ritual like baptism. 18:47 You might attend church here and there when you're able. 18:50 You might pray before you eat, you know, 18:52 you might get your kids into the church. 18:54 I mean, there's little things that you do 18:56 but it's simply just a cultural practice 18:58 just like, you know, anything else. 19:00 And again, with that form of Christianity, 19:03 there's no power. 19:04 That's right. There's no power. 19:05 And you know, it reminds me of a story 19:07 in the Book of Isaiah. 19:08 In Isaiah 3:16-26, God began to strongly rebuke 19:12 what was known as the Haughty Daughters of Zion. 19:14 They, unfortunately, were the people of God, 19:16 the women of God, 19:17 but they were more consumed with their looks in men 19:19 and all these other things 19:21 that they began to do all sorts of stuff. 19:22 They dwelt themselves up 19:24 and smother themselves with all these perfumes. 19:25 I mean, they did everything possible 19:27 to just grab a man. 19:28 And God began to give very strong rebukes 19:31 because of this vanity that they were practicing. 19:34 Well, then in Isaiah 4, 19:36 continuing from that as God was given the rebukes 19:38 in Isaiah 3, in Isaiah 4, he goes on to say, 19:41 "And in that day seven women shall take hold of one man, 19:45 saying, we will eat our own bread, 19:47 and wear our own apparel, 19:49 only let us be called by thy name, 19:52 to take away our reproach." 19:54 And the same way that we can look at this literal story 19:56 of what was happening with these women, 19:57 they basically lost their senses 19:59 and they were consumed with the acquiring of men 20:02 even at the compromise of their relationship with God. 20:05 A woman can also prophetically represent a church. 20:09 It can represent people 20:10 who claim to know God and worship God. 20:13 And what God can say to us 20:14 is also the same principle He said to these woman 20:17 that there are a lot of church people, 20:20 a lot of so-called Christians at least, 20:22 that are going around saying, "You know what, 20:23 I'm gonna eat my own bread, I'm gonna do what I want, 20:26 but I still want to be called by Your right name. 20:29 I still want You to take away my reproach. 20:31 It's all right that Jesus is my Savior. 20:33 Just don't start bothering me and trying to be my Lord, 20:35 don't start telling me what to do, 20:37 when to do, and how to do." 20:38 And this is literally popular Christianity today. 20:41 So there is a lot of the nominal Christianity 20:43 as you're talking about it 20:45 where individuals wanna eat their own bread, 20:46 they wanna do their own thing 20:48 but they still wanna be called by God's name. 20:49 They still want that benefit. 20:51 And, in fact, we find that there was another artist 20:54 that we can look at very quickly. 20:56 You know, another major hip-hop artist 20:58 at one time, 21:00 and then walked away to follow Christ, 21:03 but now has come back to the hip-hop culture, 21:05 and is again getting ready to, you know, 21:07 release the albums and do all these things 21:09 in powerful way. 21:10 And not only that, 21:11 he left hip-hop to become a pastor, 21:13 I mean, he started a ministry, he had several churches, 21:16 and he was, you know, "Successful Pastor". 21:19 And then he came back to hip-hop. 21:22 And, you know, and then he went back to being a pastor. 21:25 And now, you know, officially I guess 21:27 he's rejecting the ministry 21:29 and he's now going back full time into hip-hop, 21:33 and to be a rapper. 21:34 And we're talking about Mase. 21:36 He was very popular back in the '90s with, 21:38 you know, Sean Combs whatever they call him now. 21:42 P. Diddy. Yeah, Bad Boy Records. 21:44 And he left and came back as Murda Mase 21:47 and he came back, you know, just a lot of issues. 21:49 And now he's in this interview, 21:51 fielding some of these questions 21:53 of some of his critics. 21:54 So I guess, let's go ahead 21:56 and let's take a look at this clip as well 21:57 and let's, you know, continue to build in our discussion. 21:59 How do you deal with the criticism 22:01 that people say, "You can't be a rapper, 22:03 and listen and rap about these things 22:05 and then at the same time, be a man of God, 22:07 speaking and preaching to the choir." 22:08 How do you deal with that criticism? 22:11 I don't. 22:13 I believe everybody have the right 22:14 to their own opinion. 22:16 I believe when you're a trailblazer, 22:17 you take the lashes for everybody else 22:21 to be able to do something freely. 22:23 You know, when you see things before it happens, 22:26 that's when a future belongs to you. 22:29 When you can see it, and you can go towards it, 22:31 and you can obtain it. 22:33 And now looking back, somebody say, 22:34 "Well, how can you do this and how can you do that?" 22:36 It's a real simple answer because I can. 22:39 If I couldn't, I wouldn't. 22:40 And you know what's interesting both things that you do... 22:42 And I don't mean that in arrogant way. 22:44 It's just I have the ability to do it. 22:47 I got to hold a conversation on both realms. 22:49 I think that's a testament that hip-hop artist embodies 22:55 more than just the way people will like to place us like, 22:57 you take a guy like Jay Z, he did music 23:00 but didn't he went on to be a businessman? 23:02 And people praised it even though he was a rapper, 23:05 50 Cents, went on to do stuff. 23:07 And he is a rapper and they praised him. 23:09 And Puff Daddy went on to sell liquor 23:13 and everything else and they praised it. 23:15 So why, when it comes to me, 23:17 being able to be a rapper and something else, 23:19 all of the backlash? 23:20 It's kind of ignorant. 23:22 There's kind of similarity too 23:23 between preaching and entertaining 23:25 in a weird way. 23:27 Does it ever helped you with, you know, 23:28 have your history onstage 23:30 help you become a better preacher, 23:32 giving sermons. 23:34 And the same way, 23:35 did it help you to become a better rapper 23:36 with knowing how to, you know, 23:38 take these messages and write them better? 23:39 I think for me, the reason why people get upset with me 23:43 because they don't really know me, 23:45 they have to get to know me. 23:47 Because just like you mentioned, 23:48 a preacher like, 23:50 I don't look at myself as a preacher 23:51 but that's the way people would title it 23:54 as I look at myself as a teacher. 23:56 A preacher is like a guy who yells, and moans, 23:59 and sing and I don't do that. 24:01 A teacher just comes in and say, 24:02 "A, you wanna get to B this is how you get there." 24:06 And then I'm done. 24:07 And you can do it on both ends from music to the church? 24:09 Yeah. 24:10 So this is not a situation where we're going to, again, 24:14 bash an individual. 24:15 Right. 24:16 We're gonna say this is a man, 24:18 we're gonna take him at his word, 24:19 but there's several problems with some of the conclusions 24:23 that he's drawn, 24:24 at least in this interview and statements 24:25 that he's making. 24:27 We don't have time to go back through the whole history 24:29 but, you know, several instances 24:31 in which he went into ministry, 24:33 came back into the music industry, 24:35 went back into ministry, 24:36 came back and now he's finally coming back 24:38 into the music industry. 24:39 And the questions that the interviewer is giving 24:41 are very straight forward. 24:43 I mean, what do you say about to your critics 24:45 that are criticizing this idea that you can kind of do both? 24:49 And ultimately, he says, "Listen, 24:50 I can do both because I can. 24:52 I mean, I can see the future. 24:54 I think we all should have this freedom to do 24:57 what we want to do, do what we need to do." 25:00 And it doesn't... 25:01 It's an answer 25:03 that is not based on scripture or God's word. 25:07 It's just an answer based on what you think. 25:10 And what you have concluded is right and true and just. 25:14 And so I think this is, ultimately, 25:16 where we are gonna have to give people 25:18 the benefit of the doubt 25:19 and just assume that they don't know. 25:21 Whoever was teaching them, whoever their mentors were, 25:23 whatever minister, you know, 25:25 mentored them and they didn't teach them the truth. 25:28 They just gave them, you know, man's opinion 25:31 or man's interpretation of what God says. 25:34 And that has led them to this area 25:36 where they can draw such false conclusions. 25:39 There is no situation in which a man can be both 25:43 a minister of the gospel and a gun-play, 25:47 murder-talk, you know, money, you know... 25:51 What is it that... 25:53 I don't even wanna mention some of the songs 25:54 they used to have. 25:56 But, you know, that idea that you're a gangster thug, 25:58 you know, killer and at the same time, 26:00 you're a minister. 26:02 It just can't, it doesn't mix. 26:03 I don't know, you can explain it 26:05 in whichever way you want. 26:06 So these are some of the real problems 26:08 that we have and what we're gonna do, 26:10 you know, is, 26:12 when moving forward in future episodes, 26:14 we're gonna look at how this has now bridged 26:18 into the church. 26:20 So we looked at industry heads 26:22 that have made Christian profession, 26:24 then we looked at one who was with one hand in 26:27 and one hand out both church and industry. 26:30 And now we're gonna see 26:31 what it looks like in the church. 26:33 And I think to do this thing, a real service, 26:36 we're gonna have to look at a little bit of history. 26:37 Yeah. And we're gonna look at that as well. 26:39 Where does this whole thing come from? 26:42 Where does it originate? 26:43 Because, ultimately, you have to answer the question, 26:47 do genres, do musical genres really matter? 26:50 Or is genre is completely neutral, 26:53 and whatever words are put to that music 26:54 is what is reality? 26:56 We're gonna answer those questions. 26:57 Yeah, and it has to be answered 26:59 because that is where we are today. 27:00 This is a present issue 27:02 and what is needed is present truth 27:04 to address those issues. 27:05 And thank God, the Lord has it. 27:07 You know, friends, we have gone through several video clips, 27:10 we've looked at concepts and ideas, 27:12 and we're comparing them with the word of God. 27:14 And as, you know, there's always deeper, 27:16 there's more that we can do. 27:18 And that's why we have the continuation 27:19 of our episodes where we build, 27:21 and build, and build, and build. 27:22 But I am hoping that your eyes are opening 27:25 and seeing the comparison 27:27 between hip-hop culture and Christian culture, 27:29 and seeing the efforts now of trying to blend the two. 27:33 This is not by accident, 27:35 it was something that was prophesied in principle, 27:37 and we're gonna see it unfold 27:39 more and more as we dig deeper in our further episodes. 27:42 So continue to keep studying, 27:44 continue to keep seeking the Lord, 27:46 and letting His word and His will be done 27:48 in your life rather than our own 27:50 and living by our own words. 27:52 And until then, 27:53 remember the wonderful words 27:55 which tells us, "It is the Lord that gives wisdom 27:58 and out of His mouth 28:00 comes knowledge and understanding." 28:02 God bless you. |
Revised 2017-04-06