Does God Hate Hip Hop?

There is a belief that the origins of hip hop music are devious and diabolical. The story goes that Satan himself sat down and cooked up a plan to create a music source that would singlehandedly destroy people's lives and put them on the expressway to hell. He specifically assigned demons to oversee this project ordering them to make sure that the music was catchy, hypnotic and luring and thus hip hop was born. According to one of the opponents of hip hop, one of these demons announced himself and gave this preacher the chilling details of Satan's plan. To date the are numerous churches and ministries that actually believe that hip hop is inherently evil and as such, so are any Christians who would try to use the musical style as a means to convey the gospel message.

Hip Hop holds different meaning for different people. Some view it as merely a music style whereas other's view it as a culture within itself, and other's still perceive it to be a way of life...an attitude of sorts. Regardless of the definition Hip Hop either as a culture or musical form of expression is just a tool...it will reflect and mirror the personality or the Spirit of the one who uses it. The negative images and destructive behavior being viewed in secular Hip Hop today is not entirely a result of Hip Hop ...but more so that they are reflective of the dysfunction of the Community, a dysfunction I might add that to this very day the Church has failed to impact or influence a change in.

To be quite honest, the use of hip hop as a viable tool to spread the gospel message, is the least of the problems facing the church. Unfortunately there many Christians who are being deceived and wasting a lot of time arguing over something that is basically irrelevant. The Commission given to Christians, by Jesus Christ was to go out into ALL Nations and teach and Disciple them...He didn't say do it according to traditional church standards or the Baptist or Methodist or the First Church of the Modern Day Movement, He didn't even say to do it according to the cultural standards of His day. In His words Jesus said

"All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you."

Did you catch the last part of that...He said teach them to observe all that I have commanded you...look closely, did you notice there is no mention of style of music or cultural influence, did He say trade in your attire for Holy robes and Gowns like those we display in all of the pictures of Jesus...did He say trade in your Timberland Boots for a pair of sandals? Nope not at all, those are standards set by men...Jesus has always and will always be concerned about the Heart's condition...not our outward appearance.

Riddle me this, is a man who sings solemn hymns or traditionally acceptable forms of Christian music more Holy, righteous and acceptable than the rapper who cries Holy Holy Holy while accompanied by a drum beat...absolutely not! May I remind you of the Apostle Paul, addressing the early church, as they were struggling with their new found freedoms...some embraced it where others struggled with it...in any case the apostle Paul tells them that in Christ we have been freed and brought into the knowledge and understanding that There is but one God and all of the idols and false Gods are illusions to those who are unaware of the truth. Although He was talking about food offered to idols, which was the cultural issue of their time...we can safely interchange the food with hip hop or any music or culture and still get the same meaning.

The Christians position is one of unity not division and yet we seem to keep finding things to focus our attention other than the Truth...and the truth is music, language, money whatever it is you name it they are all tools and like all tools they take on the personality and traits of the one using it...a redeemed child of God, with a Heart and desire to do the will of God can use music...art...or whatever to bring God Glory.

Jesus came to destroy the works of the devil and the Christian armed with the Word of God and the Holy Spirit need not live in fear...have we forgotten the "Greater is He that is in us...than He that is in the World" Furthermore, God is the only Creator...not Satan as Psalms 24 declares the Earth is the Lord's...Satan may pervert or influence the perversion of God's creation...but as Christians we are not moved by this at all.

If God has a problem with His people using Hip Hop as a tool guess what...He will put an end to it period. ["Every plant which my Father in heaven did not plant will be pulled up,] On the other hand if He doesn't have a problem with it...what are we saying to Him when we launch an attack on our own Brothers and Sisters simply because they are trying to reach people in a style and a manner that we don't like, prefer or that makes us uncomfortable because we don't understand it.

Let's not continue to be deceived...Jesus is not concerned with our religious activities...He is concerned with whether or not we Know Him...Remember the verse...Lord Lord did we not cast out demons in your name, heal the sick etc etc...what was Jesus' reply to them....DEPART from me you workers of iniquity...why...Because they Never Knew Him....so the measure isn't what style of music or cultural adaptations...our hairstyles or shoes or even what denomination we are...The real Question is whether or not We Know Him, and have a personal relationship with Him...period...

It's time for the Church to wake up and stop confusing our young people and future believers with all of our fighting and disagreeing over non-essential matters and start leading by example. It is time the Church begins to look and act like the God we claim to serve...the same God who loves all and has redeemed all things unto Himself through the Cross of His Son Jesus Christ...

This conversation is not a new one...flash back 30 years to the early 70's when the Church was against the modernization of Gospel music and artist such as Walter Hawkins and Andrae Crouch were vilified and accused of corrupting the Lord's music and now 30 years later our churches regularly use their songs and music style in the worship services. Prior to that the church was divided over factions that were more charismatic and other factions that thought worship should be quiet and somber...these are all dividers and irrelevant...God cares less about them...He wants the Heart....

Are we to understand that God, once upon a time spoke through fallible things such as burning bushes, a whirlwind, writing on a stone wall and a talking donkey...but he can't speak through a group of people solely on the basis of their style of dress and the tempo of their music? WHAT???

Besides that we seem to be way off point...the Apostle Paul, who wrote a large part of the New Testament always used the cultural language of that day to reach His audience. When He spoke of putting on the Armour of God He was speaking to people who saw Roman soldiers dressed in Armour everyday and He knew that they would readily understand the metaphoric comparisons that he was making...when He spoke of fighting the good fight of faith he was addressing a Greek culture who were into Gladiators and Greco-Roman Wrestling and He knew they would get or understand the illustration he was using. Our job is never to attack or bad mouth a culture but rather look for the redeemable qualities within the culture, and then learn how to show them that Christ is relevant even where they are.

We are following dangerously close in the footsteps of the Pharisees, who Jesus Christ was constantly challenging about the way that they had reduced relationship with God to a religion of appearances, merely cleaning and fixing up the outside to appear Holy while the inside was still dirty and rotten...Jesus came that we would do it the right way...letting God cleanse us from the inside and then using the new clean heart to lead us and guide us with and by His Holy Spirit to Glorify Him in all that we do, regardless of what it is that we do...preach, teach, write, paint, sing, rap, pray, worship, sell clothes whatever it is...that we do it in such a way that we shine and cause people to see our good work and Glorify our Father in Heaven.

So what if all of the claims are right, what if some of the originators of Hip Hop had evil intentions? For the sake of argument what if it was inherently evil...well then Satan truly does have a problem...because he would never allow his time nor his resources to declare the majesty and goodness of Jesus Christ. Jesus himself was accused of casting our demons in Satan's name how did Jesus respond to this...take a look Matt 12:22

Then they brought him a demon-possessed man who was blind and mute, and Jesus healed him, so that he could both talk and see. 23All the people were astonished and said, "Could this be the Son of David?"

24But when the Pharisees heard this, they said, "It is only by Beelzebub, the prince of demons, that this fellow drives out demons."

25Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them, "Every kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and every city or household divided against itself will not stand. 26If Satan drives out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then can his kingdom stand? 27And if I drive out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your people drive them out? So then, they will be your judges. 28But if I drive out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.

If Hip Hop truly is inherently evil, as the claims that are being made states, then the introduction of Holy Hip Hop or Christian rap should not in anyway be protested by the Church or Christian Community, because the according to Jesus, a divided kingdom is doomed to fall, and the hip hop kingdom is definitely divided between the secular and the non-secular.

The Bible clearly states that whom Christ has set free is free indeed...in-deed, free in their deeds...free in what they do. Christ has freed us so that whatever it is we do in word or deed it can be done in such a way that it brings Glory to our father in Heaven.

Let's wake up Body of Christ...One Lord...One Faith...all are not called to do it the same way...even if it is not your preference respect the fact that they are trying to reach the lost...pray for them if you think they are wrong but let's put an end to the foolishness of bickering and and attacking each other...no matter how hard anyone tries to justify it, that is not part of the Kingdom Agenda...Jesus is Lord...so start acting Like Ya Know!