The brother @KarlNova from across the pound put me on to this article “Holy Hip Hop and Calvinism: An Odd Marriage Indeed” by Efrem Smith

New Evangelical Calvinism

The article begins by making this statement.

In the recent edition of Christianity Today there is a story on the marriage between Holy Hip Hop (or Christian Rap) and Calvinism (or Reformed Theology). Contemporary Reformed Theologians such as John Piper and John MacArthur are having a major influence on Holy Hip Hop artists such as LaCrae and Flame.

Efrem then goes on to present his issue with this odd marriage as he puts it.

Hip Hop influenced entirely by Calvinism is no Hip Hop at all. Reformed Theology, though it contains some theological elements that I totally agree with should not be the only or primary theology influencing Holy Hip Hop. Calvinism is Eurocentric in nature and in the United States of America has evolved into a theology driven by the privileged. Hip Hop, Holy or Secular is about the engaging and presenting of the issues surrounding a sub-culture of the historically marginalized of urban America.

True Hip Hop is constructed around the elements of the emcee, the deejay, the b-boy or b-girl, the graffiti artist, and most importantly, knowledge of God for knowledge of self. The original principles are peace, love , community, and having fun. Hip Hop originally was about providing an artistic and social alternative to gang violence, drug dealing, prostitution, and other negative elements of urban culture. It was also about speaking truth to power. It was about poor urbanites feeling rejected by upwardly mobile people of color.

This doesn’t mean that the culture was ever Christian in nature, although there has always been a respect on some level for God. Today, many are stating that true Hip Hop is dead. It’s been replaced by a European-American controlled record industry that makes money off of exploiting the very things that Hip Hop culture was created to go against. Please get this point, secular Hip Hop is being influenced by people outside the culture, who have turn it into a contemporary plantation.

@StevenPatton "CHH mostly done in front of white crowds" true but not. FACT: 80% of hip hop (religious or not) purchased by whites

Now back to Holy Hip Hop. Holy Hip Hop is being controlled by people outside of the culture theologically. I have great respect for John Piper, but I question his understanding of Hip Hop culture. I pastored a Hip Hop and multi-ethnic, evangelical church in Minneapolis for almost eight years. Dr. Piper never consulted us on our theological or philosophical approach to this type of Kingdom advancing ministry model. Myself, Rev. Phil Jackson, and Dr. Daniel Hodge have been labeled as Hip Hop Theologians. We all count this as an honor. We have written scholarly works on the subject. We desire to love, mentor, and embrace our brothers and sisters in Holy Hip Hop. Holy Hip Hop artist need to know scholarly and organic theologians such as Tom Skinner, John Perkins, Brenda Salter-McNeil, Soon-Chan Rah, Martin Luther King Jr., James Cone, and Howard Thurman.

I want to make it clear that I don’t want to put down Dr. Piper. I have great respect for him and would love to have healthy dialogue with him on this subject and others. What I am saying is that Calvinism cannot be the lone theology shaping Holy Hip Hop. This is why currently most Holy Hip Hop takes place at Evangelical events, in front of predominately European-American audiences. I don’t blame Holy Hip Hop artists for this though. I put the full blame on the African-American church, which has done a great job over the years of rejecting Holy Hip Hop artists. Because the African-American Church has made orphans of Holy Hip Hop artists, theologians such as John Piper have become spiritual fathers to the movement. I can’t hate on Dr. Piper for that. I do want Holy Hip Hop artists to know though, that they are loved by many African-American pastors, I being one. I’m also willing to bring to the table liberation and reconciliation theology, so that the movement might be true Hip Hop and true Jesus. Let’s come together for the sake of the Kingdom.

I want to end this article with an excerpt from an album review of Hazakim regarding Reformed Theology and Messianic Judaism. Since I’m particular to the later. I think the point suits my feelings on this topic.

Theophanies…what are they? What does God’s appearance have to do with God dwelling through the supreme revelation of His Son? Why was it that God thought it right for Jesus to live as a Jew, revealing the oracles of God through them? These can be some of the many questions that can be raised when coming across a topic that honestly, the majority of Christians have no clue exists.

Well, no longer do you have to wait to go to seminary to know what this means, for a group by the name of Hazakim (Jewish for “strong ones”) has come through with “Theophanies,” a project that was so long in the making that Phanatik on CMR’s last group album made mention of the wait! After listening to this album through and through I just have to say that the perspective given of the Gospel through Jewish men by Hazakim is needed, due to the fact that no one bothers with this. Either Reformed theologians keep it hushed, or some Charismatic misapply OT Scriptures and it’s time to get the record straight.” by Lamar Gibbs for Dasouth

Source: http://www.dasouth.com/reviews/1594-hazakim-theophanies

To boldly go where Charismatic’s and Reformed don’t go, go we, Messianics!

I’m partial to Messianic Jewish-Christian Hip Hop. However the Reformed seem most popular. I haven’t seen any other groups of Denominational or Theological slanted Christian Hip Hop. Unity in Diversity is essential.

Related Topics

• Holy Hip Hop and Calvinism: An Odd Marriage Indeed: http://bit.ly/jA0a67 (churchleaders.com)
• Lecrae links with Paradigm Agency / Sho Baraka leaves Reach Records: http://bit.ly/m0esKR (sketchthejournalist.blogspot.com)
• Falling Tulip Petals (Reforming The Divide Between Arminian Remonstrance & Calvinistic Grace): http://bit.ly/jVyQgl (paradoxparables.wordpress.com)
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• Confronting The Inaccuracies Of A False Critique Of My Post “Falling Tulip Petals”: http://bit.ly/kIGVOx (paradoxparables.wordpress.com)
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