Who Is Jesus In The Hip Hop Culture?

“I’m from a windy city/like do or die./From a block close to where Biggie was crucified./That was Brooklyn’s Jesus/shot for no f—–g reason./And you wonder why Kanye wear his Jesus pieces./Cause that’s Jesus people,/and Game he’s the equal./Hated on so much/Passion Of The Christ need a sequel./Yeah, like Rockefeller need a Segal./Like I needed my father,/but he needed a needle.” ~The Game; My Life

In a matter of a few bars in one verse, Game manages to liken Jesus to Biggie, qualify himself as Jesus’ equal AND reduce Him to a good luck charm around Kanye’s neck. So who is Jesus to you? Is He a fairy tale character who died for no reason, to be compared to a Hip-Hop idol that also died? Is He the star of some Mel Gibson movie of whom you are qualified to play the sequel for? Is He a magic genie or a bullet proof vest that I call on when I need something?

How has Jesus so lost His potency in the Hip-Hop culture? What happened to make Him comparable to Biggie? Well, there are many reasons. I addressed one of the major reasons in a previous post. Another reason is that the culture has cut Him down and diluted Him… but continued to call Him Jesus. If you saw American Gangster, you know that Frank Lucas was angry with Nicky Barnes NOT because he diluted Blue Magic… but because he diluted Blue Magic and CONTINUED TO CALL IT BLUE MAGIC!

This is what we’ve done to the Savior. We’ve cut Him down to a fairy tale, to a good luck charm, to a genie in a bottle, to someone who will “walk with me” as I do what I please rather than what He pleased, to someone who has love… but not wrath. Like Frank Lucas said… if you’re going to cut Him down, just don’t call Him Jesus… because this isn’t the Biblical Christ.

The Biblical Jesus didn’t “die for no f—–g reason.” He died because we are all sinful and separated from God, and His sacrifice allows us to have Life with Him. The Biblical Jesus isn’t a good luck charm, but a Savior who demands full devotion. The Biblical Jesus is the One who died to save you from that Hell that you glamorized in the 3rd verse. There are NO Impalas and blunts in Hell. That’s what the real Jesus died for… so you wouldn’t have to experience the real Hell.

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Lil’ Wayne is a Christian?

First, here’s the quote from a New York Times article:

“NEWARK — Lil Wayne had three things to explain. No. 1, a religious confession: “I believe in God and his son, Jesus. Do you?” He interpreted the roar as an affirmative response. No. 2, a professional confession: He said he was nothing without the fans, adding, “Make some noise for what you created!” Noise was made. No. 3: Same as No. 2. More noise.”

I won’t even begin to hate on him. I’m not even bold enough to say that the name Weezy F. Baby isn’t written in the Lamb’s Book of Life. Here’s my beef: Our generation, including its most prominent spokespersons, must somehow arrive at an accurate definition of “Christian.” Am I a Christian because I believe the fact that Jesus is the Son of God? Scripture clearly states that belief in facts is not true belief. Real faith, real belief, is replacing my life… my agenda… my values… with Christ’s life… Christ’s agenda… and Christ’s values.

I’ve had the opportunity to listen to Weezy’s most recent CD. As a hip-hop fan, I’m blown away by how incredibly gifted he is. The 1 million copies sold in a week shows that he is the voice of a generation. But the project showed no signs of authentic belief. If his belief is not authentic, our generation must be able to recognize this. If his belief is authentic… well, a question is left unanswered…

IS JESUS POWERFUL ENOUGH TO CHANGE MY LIFE? MY AGENDA? MY VALUES?

Why you judging Bobby? Because Scripture also says that I have a responsibility to. Because if we’re really playing on the same team, we have too many teammates shooting in the wrong basket.  Because Christians are horribly misrepresented in the culture, so our generation doesn’t know what one is.

Cash Hustle

Being an avid Law & Order fan and having a day off in the middle of the week means I get to see some interesting commercials geared toward housewives, people without jobs & steady income, and others that would be home during the day. One that I saw recently made me rewind the DVR and pause it.

Gary Coleman was on the TV trying to convince me to call or log on to CashCall.com for them to help me with my cash flow problems (Sidebar: this commercial was geared toward someone getting a divorce. It’s sad that divorcee’s are such a large percentage of our population that advertisements are geared toward them). I noticed the “fineprint” page at the end of the commercial which was up only for about 1.5 seconds. That page informs you that the normal APR (Annual Percentage Rate) for a loan of $2,600 is 99.25%. It went on to explain that borrowing $2,600 will require a repayment plan of 42 monthly payments of $216.55 plus a transaction fee of $75. That puts a borrower in the hole $9,170.10 just for borrowing $2,600 bucks!!!

Why did I post this? Well, I think it’s important for us to recognize a hustle when we see it. Hopefully the next time you think about going to a “cash & go” spot, or a check cashing place, or a “cash for your car title” hustle, you’ll think again. I’ve known several people who have dug themselves into deep debt by utilizing these types of hustles for quick cash. Don’t do it!

The Aftermath [Part 2]

The vote is over. The President Elect has been chosen. But who chose him? Was it the 64 million voters who cast their ballot for Obama? Was it the 349 electoral votes that he received? Many will say yes. I would say hold on.

There’s one Scripture from the “Christian Voter” discussion that I left out. A passage of Scripture that MUST shape how we as Christians proceed from this point… no matter who we voted for.

“Let every person be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God.” ~Romans 13:1

That’s loaded… and it’s just the first verse! Keep reading the passage. It UNDENIABLY professes God as the one who determines our governmental leaders, and our responsibility to submit and pray for them. Yes, we vote… but God is “the Decider!” [Sidebar: Sorry, couldn't resist] Some have been reacting like God went into the voting booth and checked the wrong box by mistake! Others have reacted as if Obama is the new Messiah.

No matter what you think about him, he is the candidate that God chose to lead this country for at least the next four years. Our responsibility is to realize that this is God’s doing, and to prayerfully submit to that leadership.

Our inability to submit to such leadership only illustrates our refusal to submit to the rule of the Father.

You Tube Video of the Week

Again let me reiterate… I LOVE YOUTUBE!!! I have absolutely no profound spiritual truth to attach to this video. It’s simply comic relief for the events of this week. Enjoy.

The Aftermath [Part 1]

Facebook is an incredible networking tool. In a matter of seconds, you can be in anyone/everyone’s business at the click of a mouse. Wednesday morning I realized that I have Christian friends on facebook of all shapes, sizes and backgrounds. I realized this from all the various responses to Tuesday’s election.

Some Christians nearly elevated Obama to the 4th person of the Trinity, while others fell just short of declaring him the Antichrist! I realize that’s a slight exaggeration… but IT’S ONLY SLIGHT!!! We have officially flown off the deep end! I feel like my job is to pull us back by reminding us Who the Ultimate Politician is. Until He returns to govern the world directly, He does so differently. Check this out:

“The kings heart is a stream of water in the hand of the Lord; He turns it wherever He will.” ~Proverbs 21:1

Let’s not strap our faith too strongly to President Elect Obama. His administration may very well be a fresh change that America needs. However, let’s remember that his leadership is simply a pawn in the hand of an Almighty God, accomplishing His will.

May we place our faith in the God who steers our new leader’s heart. May we pray earnestly for our new leader, that he will seek God’s wisdom in leading our country.

Tuesday Inside Bobby’s Brain – Election Day Edition

6:55am – (as the alarm clock goes off) Whoa! I just had this crazy dream that the ‘Skins got DRUG last night by the Steelers! Whew, glad that’s over!

8:30am – Man, Tom Joyner keeps bumping Huggy Lowdown for election coverage! They need to get their priorities straight!

9:15am – (arriving at my old stomping grounds Kettering Middle School to vote) Yo, this looks like the government cheese line.

9:35am – (calling my boy Brian McGhee on the cell) Don’t think I didn’t just see you cut in line! YOU AIN’T SLICK!!!

10:17am – (in unison with my boy Kenny Hilliard who went to this school with me) Man, this school hasn’t changed a bit!!! It’s just smaller.

10:31am – (reading the list of administrators outside the school office) MS. SNOWDEN STILL WORKS SECURITY HERE!!! YOU’VE GOT TO BE KIDDING!

10:46am – (looking around at all the black people voting here) You can’t tell me that America isn’t still segregated.

11:05am – (as the little kid behind me in line throws his pacifier pretty far) You know, the Cowboys are looking for a quarterback right now… you’d be a significant upgrade at this point.

11:18am – 2 hours… that’s not so bad!

2:41pm – (faintly overhearing my female co-workers’ conversation about yesterday’s episode of Oprah) Did she just say vagina?

7:35pm – CNN’s Wolf Blitzer REALLY LOOKS LIKE A WOLF!!! Actually, he looks like Michael J. Fox’s dad in Teen Wolf!

9:00pm – (trying to hold Levi so he can see the election coverage on TV) It’s funny… you have no idea that history is taking place right now. All you care about is how quickly I get this bottle ready for you!

9:35pm – Man, it LOOKS LIKE Obama is going to win… but I’m waiting for something CRAZY to happen… like breaking news that McCain stole California or something.

10:59pm – (as CNN announces that Barack Obama will be the next President of the United States) Wow, I’m speechless.

11:27pm – Excellent concession speech by McCain. By far his best performance of the entire campaign.

11:59pm – HUGE DIFFERENCE!!! When McCain mentions Obama in his speech, the crowd boos. When Obama mentions McCain in his speech, the crowd cheers. Ridiculous.

12:31am – (to LaVera as Barack Obama promises his girls a puppy) Well sweetie, YOU’RE not moving into the White House!

12:40am – Lord, the vote is complete… but Your Word is clear that ALL human leadership instituted by YOU. I pray for President Elect Obama, that he will lead this country wisely, and that You will direct his heart to accomplish Your will. Thank you for our current leaders as we anticipate the return and reign of your Son, Jesus. Amen.

Today’s the Day!

Today is definitely a defining day in the history of our country. Just want to encourage you to take the time, stand in the lines, and be a part of history! Vote!

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