"Christian Rap"

A few days ago I was in a Christian discussion group where some were proclaiming the positive aspects of “Christian rap” and “Christian rock.” The proponents of this type of music say it is the message that matters and not the music. They say this is what kids are listening to and using this style of music will catch their attention and win them to the Lord. There are two problems with that statement as I can see. Laying aside the music issue for a moment, if we look at the lyrics alone, we find a shallowness in them that betrays their essence.

I quote just a portion of the lyrics form one song: “Why are you striving these days/ Why are you trying to earn grace/ Why are you crying/Let me lift up your face/ Just don't turn away” That’s the first verse. The chorus goes: “Cause I, I love you/ I want you to know/ That I, I love you/ I'll never let you go” The entire song goes on in the same vein.

There is NO mention of Christ, no mention even of God. It isn’t even clear who is speaking. Hearing it in an isolated situation, one would never guess it is a “Christian song.” It might rather be a popular love song. The total emphasis is on love. Not that there is anything wrong with talking about the Love of God, but that isn’t all of the Book. Yes, He loves us. But to experience His Salvation is such a deeper, richer process. I reviewed the lyrics of several “Christian” rap songs, just to be sure I wasn’t generalizing too much. But I wasn’t. By and large the lyrics follow the same pattern of generalization and the same shallowness of experience.
Stop just a moment now and compare that to. My Jesus, I love Thee, I know Thou art mine; /For Thee all the follies of sin I resign./ My gracious Redeemer, my Savior art Thou;/ If ever I loved Thee, my Jesus, ’tis now……I’ll love Thee in life,/ I will love Thee in death,/And praise Thee as long as Thou lendest me breath;/ And say when the death dew lies cold on my brow,/If ever I loved Thee, my Jesus, ’tis now. Can you see the difference?

The first has generic lyrics. You could lift them from the situation and apply them easily in a very worldly entertainment atmosphere. No one would know the difference. No one would complain. The second makes no mistake about the subject of the song. It speaks of love and commitment. It speaks of sacrifice and endurance. And it is very clear that Jesus is the center of it all. Can you imagine the effect it would have is someone were to stand in the midst of a rap concert! People would definitely notice the difference.

As far as the music goes, I can “appreciate” most kinds and styles of music. And yes in the sense that it achieves the rhythm and style intended, I can see the point of rap. But very frequently in popular rap, the words are lost in the rhythm and extraneous sounds. And that is okay, because it is the entire sound experience the artists are trying to embody. That said, I have to point out that many, many of the raps that are popular today have themes that society in general condemns, violence, sexual promiscuity of the worst kinds, racial overtones, and sin in almost any form.

When the Lord truly saves us, he takes every bit of that spirit out of us. He puts His Spirit within us. That spirit is the same one that Habakkuk speaks of in 1:13: Thou art of purer eyes than to behold evil, and canst not look on iniquity: How then does the born-again child of God cling to those things of Sin?

As the people of God we are told to Abstain from all appearance of evil. I Thessalonians 5:22. When the world passing casually by our window cannot distinguish the music they hear from that of the most degraded forms in the world, we have a serious problem with the appearance we are presenting to the World.