Daniel Hodge

Good Comedy or Bad Taste?

Daniel Hodge — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 15:10:33 -0800

Did you catch Saturday Night Live (SNL) a few weeks ago? Well, apparently there was a skit on there that cause some debate and controversy. It was a skit depicting New York governor David Patterson. You can see that right here:

Now, the question is…bad taste or just good comedy? I saw this clip and, personally, can see if from both ends. As a cultural theorist, I deal with the good the bad and the ugly of pop culture and American societal trends. I can see both arguments and see where both sides are coming from.

From the argument that it is bad taste, we see SNL attempting to make fun of someone who is disabled, in this case a man who is blind. We also can see SNL poking fun at Patterson’s past drug problems and obvious issues with New Jersey. From this point of view, there are certain cultural taboos and this is one of them. SNL should have left this alone and gone for something a bit more tasteful.

From the good comedy perspective, we can simply say, “Hey, if you don’t like it, turn the channel.” Alternatively, “Everyone is on the chopping block. Patterson’s physical disability is not out of bounds.” This view can also say that when SNL parodied Stevie Wonder, with Eddy Murphy, no one seemed to have that much of a problem. Moreover, SNL tends to poke fun at those in positions of power and fame—why limit it to able-bodied individuals. In fact, why limit SNL’s comedy; let’s just put it out there. SNL is no stranger to political humor or controversy. No one seemed to care when SNL poked fun at George Bush’s ignorance, John McCain’s “Oldness,” Sarah Palin’s ineptness, and Bill Clinton’s “Southern lack of knowledge.” Its just comedy, “get over it.”

Right?

Well, lets get conversant and see what you all think!! It’s the holiday season right? I’m curious to see.

Eschatological Issues within Television

Daniel Hodge — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 14:20:09 -0800

If you’re like me, you tend to watch a fair amount of TV. I am not one to watch any old show, however. I’m a very meticulous television viewer and an even fussier judge of script, color, theme, and character development. Therefore, shows like Scrubs just piss me off quite frankly. Yet, I know it fits a certain demographic. That said, I’ve noticed some interesting themes arising within certain television shows lately. Themes that are theological in tone and nature. The two shows that I currently have on my mind are Fox’s Terminator: Sarah Connor Chronicles & Fringe.[i] Both of these programs have some very interesting “apocalyptic” messages hidden within them. Let’s start first with Fringe.[ii]

Fringe is a show that chronicles the life of FBI agent Olivia Dunham (Played by Anna Torv), Olivia is placed on a “special” team to investigate strange socio-scientific occurrences that revolve around fringe science—in other words stuff like teleportation, psychic energies, time travel, time/ space disruptions, and kinetic energy. Olivia quickly finds herself in many “unexplained” phenomena and does not have clear answers for them whatsoever. Moreover, she is working with a team that has an estranged genius, a former institutionalized scientist (who was performing scientific experiments on the fringe of science before placed in custody), and a boss that appears to have more secrets than answers. The team deals with such issues like life after death, supernatural powers, teleportation, and even spiritual issues. All of these culminate to make an interesting show that depicts a futuristic world filled with several strong themes that correlate with our current cultural trends. Some are:

Systems cannot be trusted
The government is hiding something; potentially something big that could kill the whole of humanity
The masses are unaware of this impending doom
Corruption is a natural course of life
Science, by human kind, is considered to be “as smart as God”
Greed rules
Power hungry people

These trends point to a very dark and “spooky” end to humankind. Yet, the Bible doesn’t exactly paint that pretty of a picture either. There are textual images of flesh burning, evil gone awry, death and destruction, and the final showdown of good vs. evil. Hollywood is no stranger to “end of the world” grand narratives. One need only watch Independence Day, Omega Man (Or the new version with Will Smith I Am Legend), Armageddon, The Day After Tomorrow, The Day The Earth Stood Still, and the new film set to be released in July 2009: 2012. The end of the world, from Hollywood’s perspective, will come in one or all of several ways:

Machines and or robots taking over and killing all of humanity
Aliens attacking Earth with the ensuing enslavement or destruction of humanity
Satanic forces entering this world through some “gate” or “portal”
A virus that destroys humankind leaving only a few survivors.

Fringe is a show that preludes some (or all) of these events. It is a period in time when science is “out of control” and the “end is near.” Fringe illustrates the unknown and mystery, which many of us wonder about often. Fringe begins the discussion on “how will it end” and the historical ontological question of “where do we come from?” Within the show references are made to God and His “judgment” and the audience is held in the tension that something big is about to happen—we just don’t know what that “something” is yet. As a person who has studied “end times” a great deal, I cannot help but make the connection to pre-apocalyptic events that lead up to the “Anti-Christ” and the “Mark of the Beast.” Fringe is just that, on the fringe of Armageddon events that could lead to the destruction of humankind and bring about the “end of the world.”

Now, the show isn’t without its holes. It seems every week that Olivia and her team find a solution to whatever problem they are facing rather quickly. Those solutions take on the typical MacGyver “solve it in an hour” fashion and bring about a neat conclusion to the end of the show, leaving the audience satisfied for yet another week. Olivia’s team also seems to have come together a bit to “easy” and everyone has the staged “role” within the cast. Yet, the narrative premise that weaves its way through the series is that something big is coming and that humanity is on the brink of possible destruction—will there be a savior?

Let’s move on to the Terminator series. Let me first begin by saying I’ve been a fan since I saw Arnold (in his bulging muscleman says) burst down the door looking for Sarah Connor in the first Terminator Film. This TV show is set right after Terminator 2, and narrates the life and times of Sarah Connor. The show took a spin when the new Terminator, Cameron (played by Summer Glau), leads the Connors into a time machine thrusting them into the year 2007—a neat way of making the series “current” and without having to spend a lot of money on a period context. The show discusses certain biblical terms: Judgment day, judgment, God’s wrath, holocaust, apocalypse, Armageddon, and the end of time. These all connect with the overall series/ film theme of humankind’s last stand. Within the film, FBI agent James Ellison (played by Richard T. Jones), is cast as a “religious man” and is in constant possession of a bible. Ellison, while at first a non-believer of Sarah’s wild tale about machines taking over the planet, quickly becomes a believer when he is faced with one of the machines that kills his entire unit. Ellison, who was already contemplating life and society, begins to take a closer look at death, human nature, and the book of revelation. The show teases out issues of:

Morality
Ethics
The sanctity of human life
Machines vs. humans
Death and violence

In addition, within the show, Ellison becomes a sort of “missionary” if you will. In several episodes, he is seen opening up the bible with people to discuss life, theology, and human’s plight in life as he pleads with characters to “get right” with God. He is plagued with questions and mystery about who God is, yet, he is faithful and believes God still has a “plan” though all of the mess. Ellison makes his peace with God and pushes through the mystery toward enlightenment with God. He knows that we do not have all of the answers and that time is running out for humans.

In the latter part of the 2^nd season, we now find Sarah contemplating some of the same issues and struggling with the ultimate questions we all struggle with: why would God allow this to happen?

Eschatological literature within the bible has several patterns in it that connect to both of these television series. The Dictionary of Bible Imagery states:

The Bible’s images of the end are built around a cluster of time images. One of these is the image of “latter days” (Jer 23:20; 30:24; Ezek 38:16; Jas 3:5) or “last day(s)” (Jn 6:39–40, 44, 54; 11:24; 12:48; 2 Tim 3:1; Jas 5:3; 2 Pet 3:3). Another motif is “the end” (Dan 8:17; 9:26; 10:14; 11:35, 40; 12:4, 9, 13; Mt 10:22; 13:39–40, 49; 24:3, 6, 13–14; 28:20; etc.). Yet another image is a coming Day of the Lord (two dozen references). While the details of sequence are not always clear in these references, they establish an important aspect of the Bible’s view of history, namely, that it is moving in linear fashion to an appointed consummation.^{^[iii]}

Both of these television series are:

Built around a cluster of time images
“Latter Days” are all painted to be dark and dismal for the human race
The Bible and human history is moving toward an “appointed consummation”
The terminator series makes constant reference to “The coming Day of the Lord” while Fringe hints of that through the strange scientific discoveries.

Further, these shows (along with many films) see eschatology as ugly, dog eat dog, and part of the natural discourse of humanity. This is not much difference within the bible either:

It is a nightmare vision of cosmic collapse, an equally violent disruption among people and nations, persecution for believers and spiritual deceitfulness and power by evil forces. The only positive note for Christians is the possibility of heroic endurance (“he who endures to the end will be saved” [Mt 24:13; Mk 13:13 RSV]) and the certainty that at the very end Christ will appear as divine rescuer.^{^[iv]}

Revelation thematic correlations can be made here from TV shows and films like this. They depict the fall of humanity as brutal, cruel, vicious, and extremely violent. Revelation is no different:

While such events as cataclysmic upheaval in nature and violence among people might be a picture of the earthly and human sphere left to its own disintegration, the book of Revelation views these developments on earth as part of a process of divine judgment against a wicked human race. At this point the imagery of the two spheres-the heavenly and the earthly-becomes important. The book of Revelation presupposes a two-tiered universe (or three-tiered, if we add hell) in which reality is divided between an unseen heavenly realm and the earth. The general pattern of Revelation is to shuttle back and forth between these and for events to be visited upon earth from a heavenly source, as though they are being stage-managed by a higher power (e.g., Rev 7:3; 8:7–12; 9:13–15; 16:1–21). Indeed, the tumultuous events at the end of history are explicitly presented as the outworking of the wrath of God (Rev 14:9–11; 15:1), and the events can therefore be interpreted as images of divine punishment against sinners.^{^[v]}

However, with these shows, we are left with the question, will Christ show up to rescue us and take us all on His horse riding into the Armageddon sunset? For the terminator series, the “hero” is John Connor and it is his responsibility to save humanity from its impending destruction. Moreover, John becomes the focus for Sarah and her quest to save him is for “The good of all.” In Fringe, Olivia’s team becomes the “hero” and the “hope” for a better tomorrow. One might wonder what might Mary have done if terminators were sent back to kill Jesus?

As I said before, I am no stranger to “end times.” I grew up in a Seventh Day Adventist home and part of the Adventist mantra is the study of last day events. So, I naturally gravitate toward television shows and films that depict the end of time. At first, I would laugh off directors and screen writer’s interpretation of eschatology. I would count it all as sheer “entertainment.” However, after growing a little more, I see many parallels. Moreover, I am faced with the reality that I don’t have the answers—I use to believe I did. So, TV and film begin to fill in the blanks, because the reality is, none of really know, we think we know, but we really don’t, exactly how the “end” will come. So when I see preachers grandstanding on how it will all end and their positive assumption that “end times” will happen “this way,” I tend to get leery—even more so when actual dates and times are given.

One thing is seen in throughout the bible: God rarely shows up the way humans expect God to show up. So why would the “end of the world” be any different? One thing is constant though, perseverance:

The coming judgment of unbelievers and apostates at the end of the age is a repeated theme in Hebrews (Heb 6:2; 9:27), especially as a warning and an encouragement to persevere (Heb 10:27–31, 36–38; 12:25–29; 13:4; cf. Toussaint). Those who heed the warnings of judgment and the exhortations to persevere will receive at the consummation of history full salvation (Heb 9:28), their reward (Heb 10:35; 11:26) and the complete inheritance that was promised (Heb 6:11–12, 17–18; 9:15; 10:23, 34–35; 11:39). The inheritance of the promised land of the new earth is the author’s irreducible summary of what true believers will receive at the eschaton (Heb 11:9–16; 13:14). God will raise them from the dead in order that they might participate in the inheritance (Heb 11:35; cf. Heb 6:20). This final inheritance will be indestructible (Heb 12:27–28) and eternal. There God’s presence can be more fully experienced (cf. Heb 12:14). The readers should not be lax about these exhortations because the final “day” is “near”^{^[vi]}

We are continually encouraged to “hold on” and “rest” in the Lord. In “crazy” times like the ones we live in, I find it hard to do that often. Fringe and Sarah Connor have made it a little more difficult to picture and embrace “rest” and or even “peace.” I see many connections here and I’m sure that there will continually be debate and discussion of how it will “all end.” As humans, we tend to not deal too well with obscurity and ambiguity—especially in the Western World. In the modern age, we strive for solid conclusions and answers; however, within the post-soul context, those answers and grand theories become almost irrelevant and obscure. People are striving to make sense of life and society; films and TV, along with our bible, do not paint a very nice picture, so we are left wondering.[vii] So, while I conclude, I try to take solace in that “rest” in the hope that tomorrow is a better day and that the “inheritance” that was promised from God, will eventually come—hopefully not stolen by some greedy corporate CEO hungry for power and control of the human race.

[i] Don’t know what I’m talking about? You can see all of the episodes by clicking here.

[ii] You can see all of the first season of Fringe by clicking here.

[iii] Ryken, Leland; Wilhoit, James C.; Longman III, Tremper, Dictionary of Biblical Imagery, (Downers Grove, Ill: InterVarsity Press) 2000, c1998.

[iv]Ibid.

[v]Ibid.

[vi]Martin, Ralph P.; Davids, Peter H., Dictionary of the Later New Testament & Its Developments, (Downers Grove, Ill: InterVarsity Press) 2000, c1998.

[vii] Another good television series on “end times” is Supernatural. Check it out here.

Obama, Bi?

Daniel Hodge — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 17:02:10 -0800

No, no, I’m not referring to Obama’s sexual orientation!! Don’t get it twisted yo! However, I am referring to Obama’s ethnic background: Bi-racial. Or, as many would call it, “Mixed.” Black and White. Hmmm. African American & Euro-American. Hmmm. Or is he just Black as many people, including myself, have summarized him down to? It’s hard being mixed. Trust me, I know, I’m half Black and half Mexican. My mom is Mexican and my dad was African American. I’ve struggled my entire life trying to “fit in” with one or the other. But to have a “mixed” president, is a new and uplifting thing for me.

Back in the day Tiger Woods got a lot of slack for not identifying with his “roots.” In other words, Tiger was slammed by many in the Black community for not claiming his Black side. Tiger simply said that if he only paid attention to the Black side of him, he would be denying his mother. A lot of folk could not understand that, yet, I could. I’ve been forced to choose many times. And not just by “friends.” Take a notice on any type of professional application you fill out, there will inevitably be a section there to fill in your “race.” If it’s electronic it will typically only let you choose one box and they’ll make it clear: African American (non-Hispanic), Latino (Non-African American), etc. America does not do well with “multi racial people.” In most cases you are asked to choose between the two. When I’m with my Latino friends, it’s hard to have the Black in me come out because of the racial tensions. When I’m with my Black friends, those Brown tensions run deep too. Growing up, I was never called a spic, wetback, or greaser. I was called a coon, nigger, and a colored; I therefore began identifying with the Black side of me. Having a mom that loved Black culture didn’t help either!

It’s not been until recently (within the last 5 years) that I have begun to embrace the Mexican side of me. Now don’t’ get it twisted, I grew up in a Mexican culture, speak great Spanish, know most of the Mexican holidays, understand and participate in Mexican culture, and have relatives that stretch back to Santa Anna fighting at the Alamo. My Mexican heritage runs deep. Likewise, my African American roots run deep too, but, not having seen my dad since 1982 means I’ve had to find a lot of my Black roots on my own.

American in general does not like to deal with the mixed people of the world. We like absolutes and clear and present ethnicities—a relic of the modern mindset. Most of mainstream society does not deal well with people who are mixed. Look at our celebrities, we don’t really ask Jessica Alba her ethnic background. We look at the Roc and say, “What is he?” Halle Berry gets looked at with a mixed set of lenses too. We as a culture like it when someone is “full.” This bi thing confuses us. Obama being mixed presents a whole set of new issues we as a country have yet to deal with or wish to deal with. Yet, mixed people are growing. My daughter, for example, is mixed with German, Scottish, Black, and Mexican ethnic backgrounds. So, what does that make her? Black? In society we would most likely just call her that and lump her into that category. Moreover, what do you do with folks like Eminem? He talks “Black.” He dresses “Black.” But, dangit, he’s White—right? These are all deep conversations that I feel, and hope, that Obama is able to address within his tenure in office—we’ll see.

Obama is not just African American, as much as most of us would love to think—including me. Now, he is our first Black president, but that is because there is a fundamental difference between race and ethnicity. Race is a social construct while ethnicity is more the biological construct of a person. Yeah, it gets complicated. So, we do have a socially Black president, but we have an ethnically bi-ethnic president who has two sets up ethnic heritages.

I too hope we can someday get to a place where all this does not matter. But, I’ll be honest; I’m not holding my breath! We have a lot of work to do and when people have a hard time dealing with one ethnicity, it makes it even harder for folks like me to bring in my “other;” which is the title I usually get when filling out census forms: other. I’ll anxiously wait to see the next 4 years to see how some of this might break down and hopefully change!

A New Era

Daniel Hodge — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 00:04:40 -0800

A couple of years ago, some students in my class asked me ifI thought the U.S.was ready for a Black president. I responded to them and said, “No. I don’tthink that Americacan handle having a Black president and I don’t think it will happen in mylifetime. But…I hope I’m wrong.” Today, I’ve never been happier, ecstatic,proud, and grateful to be wrong! This is a new era for the U.S. people andtoday, history was set. Today, is a new era.

Now, if you’re White, never having dealt with any type ofracial issues, nor having never taken a single class on minorities in Americaor intercultural communication, it will be extremely hard for you to understandwhat this means for not just Blacks in this country, but to people of color allover the U.S. I mean, for the first time since grade school I’ve been proud tocall myself an “American.” Moreover, I’ve actually been proud to be an“American” especially after the last 8 years of darkness for many people ofcolor. I realize that for many Whites, that will be hard to comprehend. What’sso hard about being an American? Why can’t you just “fit in?” You’re justmaking things harder for yourself not fully assimilating! I kinda ya…to a point,those are all questions/ statements from people who tend to not understand thecomplexities and intricacies of race relations—including some Blacks. Still, thisis a big day for me. I’m beside myself and finally feel like “Black” isbeginning to be taken seriously in this country. Today, is a new era

Now, I do not feel that racism has ended. Nor do I feel thatall of our racial issues are solved with Obama being elected. Moreover, Obamahas a hard road ahead of him and has A LOT of work to get going on. Plus, he isnot the “Messiah” for Black people. Anytime you have the “first” of anythingfor any group of people, they (or we) have not “arrived.” However, it is a hugestep in the right direction. For the young people of color I work with, thereis a little glimmer of hope. For the single moms that have seen a little to nosupport from the White House over the last 8 years, there is now a vision forthem. For all the Blacks that have wondered, when, and how long will it be?Today, is a new era.

Today marks a new era in the life story of the U.S. It givesme a little hope and light in a dark time, and it gives me the hope that dreamscan still come true even when nepotism and cronyism prevail. I’m still inshock, not really comprehending the weight of what is happening. I’m still notable to actually believe that this is a reality and that this is a new era forthe American people, but moreover, for the people of color. Today, is a newera.

Now, I actually liked McCain. I thought that he was a greatcandidate and that he wasn’t as scary as some of the other potentials. I don’tthink that McCain would have been the elected nominee for the Republican Party ifit had not been for the low public opinion of the Republican Party. But, evenin defeat, McCain was humble and very much a gentlemen. I respect that, andlike I said, I actually like the dude! But, today, is a new era.

Obama being elected for me does not mean that things in lifewill now be “all good.” Nor does it mean that life as a male of color in thiscountry will be much different. But it does mean that my story, life, opinions,cares, wants, desires, hurts, & fears can be heard with just a little moreseriousness than before. It means that people who look like me actually havesome hope and a glimmer of light in a future that is not all laced with thecarvings from the elite. It means that now, we have an era that—with carefuloptimism—can begin something in this country that has never been seen: trueracial healing and real reconciliation. Today, is a new era.

I don’t envy Obama. His road ahead will be laid out with aneconomy that is in a mess, a country still divided, issues of class that havegone untouched, the real threat of terrorism, and a global community that has not seen theU.S. as a beacon of light for a very long time. He’ll have to choose hiscabinet wisely and avoid the pitfalls of a “first timer” in Washington. Obama’s got some tasks ahead ofhim that are real and will require some stern discernment. Yet, today, is a newera!

If you’re White and you have some Black friends—or friendsof color—let em have their day! Join them in the electric slide and maybe, justmaybe, take in some chicken! (Yeah, I had to throw that one in). Today is a newera. An era of what, you ask? Well, we’ll have to really let time dictate that,but it is the beginning of something new. I am pleased to see the amount ofWhite’s who got out and got behind Barak. It’s simply amazing, and it suggeststhat we are moving in the right direction—that does my heart really good. TheLatino vote swung for Obama too, that also does my heart good. And to see theshear amount of young people, who have never even considered voting, get outand get registered/ vote not only did my heart good, but also gave me a renewedsense of hope! For today, is a new era!

The Controversy of The Great Commission

Daniel Hodge — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 17:24:41 -0700

I had just moved to Southern California for grad school and I was on the hunt for work. I had found a job on an online forum that listed ministerial jobs. It was a youth pastor position, it was about twenty minutes from where I was going to live, the location of the church was directly in the neighborhood I wanted to be in, and the pay was exactly what I was looking for. What a find, I thought. All I needed to do was “ace” the interview, right?

My wife and I headed into the interview, even more elated because only a week before a friend of mine had a “vision” that I was to be working as a youth pastor in the Southern California area. So, it was a shoe in for us. We walked in and noticed that all of the interviewers were older, much older, than we had anticipated. But hey, I am not prejudicer of age. We also noticed, via church group photos, that the church was predominantly White in a predominantly Black and Latino neighborhood. But, those just arouse assumptions; we needed to get to know the people before we cast any type of judgment. They started with the basic questions, how long had I been doing youth work, how long had I known Christ, what were some of my passions, and the rest of the mundane rigor. Then they started asking if I played basketball. Then they asked if I played the guitar. A few questions later, I was also asked if I was a fan of Black Gospel music.

Not totally sure where those random questions came from, I felt, overall, that the interview was going well. I patiently answered all of their questions and it came time for me to ask them some questions. Then the senior pastor walked in. He was a younger pastor, so I thought that he would better understand the plight of a youth pastor. He was adorned with a very large crucifix that hung down to the middle of his chest covering much of that area as well. I thought it odd for such bling, but hey, to each their own, right? Before I could even begin my questions, and without even asking my name, his uttered the question, “So, tell me who’s your favorite football team?” I smiled and snickered, not taking him very seriously and moved on to my questions. But he asked again, this time more forcefully and appearing agitated that I ignored his initial question. I, hesitantly, said, “Well…it’s the Cowboys.” “The Cowboys?” he responded, “They’re horrible, I can’t stand them, you all have no quarter back and are a bunch of drug infested players that have no place in the NFL!” He continued on this rampage for about two minutes until I said, “Hey, they’re just my team; I don’t own em or anything.” His face then scowled and he said, “Well, they suck! I’m an Eagles fan and I hate the Cowboys.”

By this point I was a little put off by his awkward interaction with me. He finally seemed to pull himself together long enough for me to ask a few questions. So I started in with my questions. I wanted to confirm the pay range, the hours, and what they expected of me as a youth pastor. All was good…except the last question. With that last question, the entire committee told me that they expected me to work primarily and exclusively with only their youth.

I was a little thrown off. I was a little confused. They had told me most of their youth had grown up in the church, most of their youth came from Christian homes, and a large portion of their youth had familial roots in the church tracing back a hundred years. So I was amazed that they only wanted me to work with only their youth. I asked, “Well, what about the community around you guys here? Are you all willing to work with any of their kids?” The entire committee looked at me with a puzzled glare. “What do you mean?” asked the senior pastor. “Well,” I said, “It seems to me that if a church that has mostly Christian youth, is in a neighborhood that is predominately Black and Latino and from lower economic brackets that one might be thinking of doing some missional work and growing the church group using the established youth to lead the way.” One committee member responded to me insisting that their youth needed the most attention. So I persisted. “I’m just saying that this church is in a great location, the youth appear to be on the right track, and that the youth group, including the church, can be grown, especially from the youth department,” I replied. Then the senior pastor chimed in, “What kids are you talking about? Are you talking about the ones with tattoos around their necks and the ones with sagging pants down to their ankles?” I then said, “That’s exactly who I’m talking about!”

At this point the entire committee in one glance looked toward the senior pastor as if to say, “What you gonna say now?” The pastor, in complete seriousness and with a “matter of fact” attitude said, “No, we’re not interested in those kids, they are the scary kids and they’d scare away our older church goers, especially the ones who tithe well.”

I turned to my wife, looked her in the eye, turned back to the committee and said, “Thanks for your time, it’s been educational” and proceeded to walk out. One day later I got a call telling me that I did not get the job. Thank God!

You see, there is a scandalous element to the Great Commission that many, not just this particular church, do not fully understand nor weigh when contemplating missions. The “stranger” for many Christians is someone who is:

q Scary

q Different

q Needing their help so long as they don’t need the strangers help

q Someone who has “problems”

q Someone to be avoided unless they become “like you”

q Estranged from God and needing “us” to bring them to God

q Only valuable if they can agree with what “we” say

q Only worth “saving” if they accept the first offer of salvation, if they reject it, then they are really “lost”

q Frightening until “tamed” with the Gospel

q Need Jesus, but only “those people” really need Him

It is with many of these preset ideas that a lot of Christians venture out into communities in an attempt to “evangelize.” The stranger, then, becomes someone who only needs salvation and once that is attained they receive the ever desired “You have arrived” button. Once the stranger becomes familiar and familiarized with the Christian cultural norms, language, symbols, customs, and code they are domesticated and mounted in a church pew. They are no longer the stranger but indeed “one of us.” They no longer need attention, because they are “saved” and no longer sin. But if that stranger is to even mention or utter and remnant of their former lifestyle, they are quickly reminded that hell is hot and that salvation can be lost. If they insist on being different, then they run the risk of being sanctioned and if the insistence continues, they will return to the labeled “stranger” and only be “prayed for” never engaged with.

Missiologist and cultural theorist Wilbert Shenk, in The Transfiguration of Mission, states that, “Western theology has weakened the force of the gospel message…” (1993: 11), and that there are strong distinctions between Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount (ethics) and evangelism. Shenk then contends that the two (Evangelism and ethics) are held mutually exclusive and that most feel they, “…cannot possibly have been intended as the basis for ethnical guidance” (11). This becomes particularly an issue when questions of oppression, unjust actions, oppressive systems, racism, classism, and warfare are raised—for many Evangelicals these are moot points and have no real connection to the Gospel of Christ,^{^[1]} yet are key and tantamount issues for people living in urban areas, oppressed contexts, and the vast community of Hip Hop.

So we find, often, that the Great Commission is really a problem, when we think about it. “Other people” can be scary and often times avoided—much like Niebuhr discusses Christ Against Culture. So, we’ll see what happens as we move into this next decade and come face to face with the realization that if the Christian church is to grow and not just recycle other Christians, then we must engage the “Nations” with Christ.

[1] As seen in interviews by many conservative evangelical Christians including John McArthur, James Dobson, Pat Robertson, and political figures like Rudi Giuliani who has openly shared their negative views on community organizations.

The Jesuz of Tupac & Social Awareness

Daniel Hodge — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 13:18:35 -0700

In October I get the chance to speak at the Christian Community Development Association’s (CCDA) national conference in Miami, Fl. The overall theme of the CCDA conference this year is peace. So, when asked, I proposed that I do a workshop on Tupac & peace. Oxymoron, right? Some might just say that, but I wouldn’t. In fact, just the opposite. It’s amazing to me how the media can make someone into a villain overnight, and Tupac was just that in many people’s eyes. Last Saturday, September 13, was Tupac’s 13^th year death anniversary. Many people celebrated his life and his message. Here are some thoughts of mine on the Jesus of Tupac and how it all connects to being socially aware.

Tupac pioneered the dialogue about theological matters in the ‘hood and Hip Hop culture. Tupac became a lighting rod for those theological matters, both positive and negative. Tupac connected the profane to the sacred. Moreover, Tupac made religion, God, church, and community attainable for comprehension and understanding by the masses.^{^[1]} I use the term theological message as Tupac’s own interpretation of the scriptures, Jesus, salvation, and Heaven using his own contextual hermeneutic. Here, Tupac’s spiritual message is centered more on both an idealistic and realistic message for living. A lot of Tupac’s spirituality^{^[2]}was shaped over his entire life; his theological understanding came during his formative years as a child through his early adulthood.

Tupac blurred the lines between the sacred and the profane and insisted you live there momentarily while he educated you on even more realities. James Cone, in his book The Spirituals & The Blues, describes a blurring of the sacred and profane with the musical genre of the blues. In Cone’s edited chapter, The Blues: A Secular Spiritual, he states, “The blues depict the ‘secular’ dimension of black experience. They are the ‘worldly’ songs which tell us about love and sex, and about that other ‘mule kickin in my stall’” (1992: 68). Further, he states, “The power of song in the struggle for black survival—that is what the spirituals and blues are all about” (1991: 1). While I would agree that the blues do depict much of the struggles and life of the Black experience, Tupac’s music was not completely “secular” (i.e. devoid of God). Tupac’s music presented a myriad of deeper theological understandings that could and did bring people closer to God. This “blurring” of lines, however, was certain and the debate whether Tupac was just a “popular” rap artist or an actual saint will continue to be debated.

Jesus also blurred the lines between the sacred and the profane. Jesus’ connection to Tupac is astounding. Jesus was about social justice and social action (Book of Luke & John). Tupac was a living poster board for social justice and action. Jesus blurred the religious lines of His day and made church officials really think about His message. Tupac did the same. Tupac connected God to man through Jesus. Jesus was God through human form to connect humanity with God. Tupac knew this and rapped about it to a new generation of Hip Hoppers that needed that particular message.

Tupac insisted that people not reduce their hopes, dreams, and vision to the level of the event. For someone living in the inner city, this meant the vile living conditions you were in at the time. For others, that event might be poverty or a “broken home.” Whatever the event, Tupac insisted that people keep their heads up. Hopelessness occurs when one cannot imagine a different future. Tupac encouraged his audience to keep believing for a better day, and that Heaven itself might have a “ghetto.” Simply put, there is a place that will accept “us” as we are.

Tupac represented two sides of the coin. On one side, you have extraordinary hopefulness with songs like “Keep Ya Head Up,” “Dear Mama,” and “Black Jesuz.” We have a representation of a Black Jesus that looks like we look, eats like we eat, smokes and drinks like we do, and is now on our level; a saint in the ghetto to whom we can pray. On the other side, you have the deep pain and suffering that he himself endured during much of his childhood. This is reflected in many of his songs. Tupac was searching for a pure theology. Tupac was also searching for a Jesus that could deal with his type of pain and suffering, this is seen in the song “Searching for Black Jesuz”:

[2Pac]

Searching for Black Jesus

Oh yeah, sportin jewels and shit, yaknahmean?

(Black Jesus; you can be Christian

Baptist, Jehovah Witness)

Straight tatted up, no doubt, no doubt

(Islamic, won't matter to me

I'm a thug; thugs, we praise Black Jesus, all day)^{^[3]}

From this particular verse, one thinks immediately to that passage in Hebrews,[4] that tells us we have a savior and deity that can identify with us and has been through what we have been through. Tupac, made that same correlation:

Searchin for Black Jesus

It's hard, it's hard

We need help out here

So we searchins for Black Jesus

It's like a Saint, that we pray to in the ghetto, to get us through

Somebody that understand our pain

You know maybe not too perfect, you know

Somebody that hurt like we hurt

Somebody that smoke like we smoke

Drink like we drink

That understand where we coming from

That's who we pray to

We need help y'all^{^[5]}

Tupac gave the listener the suffering Christ. For Tupac, Hebrews 4:14-16 demonstrated to him that Jesus knew of the suffering of the ‘hood, cared for the individuals there, and was able to identify with the person going through that trial.

Lastly, Tupac is the “secular” externalization of an ongoing debate regarding spirituality, Christology, salvation, and end time events. Tupac embodied the non-standard 21^st century evangelist and presented a narrative of Jesus that has not been told much. I, for one, look forward to this conversation amid the stale evangelistic methodology we consider to still “work” with people!

[1] This was no different from what music did for slaves during the time of slavery. The music was a way to help slaves escape, connect, and hope in a savior that was not seen, but had been through what they had been through; Tupac comes from this line of historical music. Dubois was himself fascinated with the tension in the spirituals between hope and despair and sorrow and joy; Tupac’s music was very similar (The Souls of Black Folk 1961: 182-189)

[2] By this use of the word I mean that Tupac was not a traditional “Christian” or formally trained theologian, he was a non-standard representation of Jesus.

[3] From the album 2Pac +Outlawz: Still I rise (1999).

[4] Hebrews 4:14-16 (ESV) Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. [15] For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. [16] Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

[5] “Black Jesuz” from the album 2Pac +Outlawz: Still I rise (1999).

Time Bandits as the Postmodern Articulation of Good & Evil

Daniel Hodge — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 22:30:55 -0700

I have seen Terry Gilliam’s film Time Bandits (1981) about a hundred times. I first saw it when I was in grade school and it just sort of stuck with me. About a week ago I sat down to re-watch it with a new set of eyes and my godson next to me who is a near expert in film analysis. What took place was amazing.

WARNING, THIS CONTAINS SPOILERS! So if you haven’t seen the film, you can see it here first

Gilliam’s film was before its time. He pits the classic forces of good vs. evil against each other in a British, Monty Python sort of way. Time Bandits illustrates the classical issues of:

q Questions regarding the authority of God over earth

q Questions to God in regards to death, pain, and suffering of “innocent” people

q Evil that takes shape in odd forms

q The power of greed and wealth

q Fortune, fame, and money as a form of happiness

The film depicts an imaginative child Kevin (played by Craig Warnock), who goes on a time-travelling adventure with a bunch of treasure-hunting little people, who have "borrowed" a map to the Universe's time holes from The Supreme Being—i.e. God. Kevin’s wardrobe contains a time hole in it and through this hole an assortment of little people come while escaping from the Supreme Being. They take Kevin with them on their adventures through time from Napoleonic times, the Middle Ages, the early 1900s, the time of Legends and the Fortress of Ultimate Darkness where they confront Evil.[1]

But the thing that makes this film unique begins with the opening scene. Gilliam begins his film with a commercial for appliances. Kevin’s parents are zoned in on the television and anxiously awaiting the new item so that they can purchase it in order to keep up with their neighbors. Kevin, while in the same room, does not seemed to be phased by this and lets his parents know that in Roman times people had to know multiple ways to kill a person. His father replies, “Well at least we got an automatic hedge cutter.” This is very similar to the growing “nothingness” that George Ritzer describes.[2] It is as if life is filled with the nothingness. The nothing can include ATM’s, automated answering services, faceless systems that interface with us everyday, and branded commercials that attempt to sell us something we really don’t need, but if we do get it, we’re told, our lives will be better off.

The nothing, as Ritzer would put it, is a social form that is generally centrally conceived/ controlled and comparatively devoid of distinctive substantive content; like fast food restaurants that are around as a social form in many communities. While these restaurants are apart of a community, they are conceived and controlled from a far off location. Making them, in essence, disconnected because they are still controlled by a “central unit” rather than being organically produced. While this is not all “Bad” it does give way for some Mcdonaldization which occurs when things are produced efficiently, calculated, predicted, and controlled.[3] Moreover, it is what “Evil” (The presumed Devil in the film) is embracing and consumed with. At several points Evil makes reference to how he would have started human kind with “…lasers, day 1!” It is part of this “nothing” that helps to shape a theme throughout the film, Evil even uses the lure of material nothing to lure the band of little people so that he can steal the map and control the earth.

Kevin’s parents are consumed with materialism as well. A screen shot of their place reveals that their entire home is filled with the latest and greatest appliances, televisions, furniture, and home amenities—yet they are still not happy. Kevin’s mom is constantly comparing their lives to the neighbors and wanting more. Kevin’s father has disconnected with Kevin and only engages with him for disciplinary action and or punishment. Both Kevin’s parent’s interaction with him is shallow and stale. Kevin knows this too, and when presented with an opportunity to stay with a real family or go back, he chooses the new family.

After Kevin’s experience with a knight coming through his closet, he is prepared the following night to take pictures and investigate this apparent phenomenon. Kevin’s adventure begins with an abrupt visit from the Supreme Being who is strongly recommending that they give up the map—the guide to finding time holes in the universe. It’s interesting to note that even from the beginning, God is giving warnings to give back the map, because He already knows what the map can do to people—sort of what the symbolic ring does to people in the Lord of The Rings trilogy.

This particular issue touches on the whole subject of “pure sin” and “original evil” and what it does to us. Gilliam puts that at our front door step and insists that we deal with it. How do we handle power? How do we handle fame? How do we handle wealth? How do these things affect our authentic self and the interrelations with others? Just like the Lord of The Rings and Star Wars we see that “sin” and “evil” creep up on us and gently take over us, all the while we think we’re in control when we’re actually not. God knew this and tried to warn Kevin’s friends about the perils of the map. But, as often we all do, they did not listen and went off pursing riches and fame.

Gilliam also places another serious question to his audience. What do we do when we’re not validated? Randall begins regaling Kevin with a brief bio of their crew. He tells Kevin how they made all of the trees, shrubs, bushes, and “all of this that you see…but did we get any credit for it?” Randall and his crew want the “credit” for what they’ve done. Randall feels God hasn’t given him much recognition, so in return they’ve “borrowed” the map to make up for God’s obvious error. This get’s into all of my mess. How do I feel when I’ve done a “Great Job” but get no pats on the back? How do I deal with people who don’t externally validate me? How do we deal with God when He doesn’t do something we expected Him to do? Moreover, how do we react in situations when we’ve known we’ve done “good” but get no credit or recognition for it by our peers? These are all important questions that are not simple to answer. Randall reveals deep human questions regarding the “Supreme Being.” Randall even states, “…creation was a botch job, we only had 7 days to do it” and so Randall, along with his crew, continue feeling justified in “borrowing” God’s property. How many times do we just “justify” away our own actions and behaviors in response to being improperly validated?

Kevin, a boy, is one of the only ones that has any type of real wisdom. At one point, Evil even asks who Kevin is, Evil states, “He’s stronger than the rest of them.” Kevin’s “innocence” comes out and wonders why if you possess such a powerful tool, would you waste it on simply “getting rich?” Sounds a lot like the parable of the talents, Jesus’ own interaction with the rich young ruler, and the thematic tones of young people serving God throughout the Bible—Kevin embodies a lot of this throughout the film.

Gilliam also plays on the whole money, power, and sex theme a bit—in a PG sort of way. Gilliam portrays Napoleon as an insecure leader regarding his power and physical stature. Robin Hood turns out to be someone who had really missed the point in regards to helping the poor. Michael Palin’s characters all had issues that subtlety focused around sexual disorders. Even Sean Connery’s character’s—the only one that actually had some integrity and veracity—struggled with the queen for power and position. This is no different in our society today. Money, power, and sex continue to be quick sand for many.

Evil, interestingly enough, does not show up until almost the middle of the film. Evil is pleasured by the bandit crew fighting and arguing. Evil begins to question how God could allow such “imbeciles” take the map. “What sort of Supreme Being created such riff-raft, is it not the workings of a complete incompetent!” Evil proclaims. But just as Evil is asking that question, he himself is questioned from one of his demons. “But he created you evil one… so he can’t be totally wrong…” (Then Evil blows him up for questioning him like that). Evil is also caught in a paradox. He hates God, but he is also created by God and controlled by God. Evil wants to believe that he created himself, but even his demons are cautiously questioning his existence and why they are trapped in the fortress of ultimate darkness. It kind of makes you wonder what goes on in the mind of Evil. How does Evil deal with a God that not only created him, but also allows him to do the things that he does. Evil is filled with rage because he still has to answer to the Supreme Being. Evil even questions why God created “slugs” Evil does not understand their purpose. What do they do? Evil is a contemporary Evil and wants to start with lasers, computers, and technology from the beginning. Evil seems to be a capitalist—an interesting note indeed. Evil is also consumed with materialism, commercialism, and will use it to get his way.

Job’s theme arises at the end of the film when Evil and God clash in a cathartic ending. God shows up in a lack luster 3-piece suit, He’s old, has white hair, is White with an English accent (no surprise), and appears to be a bit out of sorts and out of touch. Still, He admits to having a plan to all of the chaos and knowledge of what was happening---which He contends is part of “His plan.” Kevin asks the films most important question, “If you knew what was going on, why did all of these people have to die?” That is the billion dollar question. Job himself wondered why he had to go through all of the crap he did. God even allowed him to complain for quite sometime before even showing up. The paradox that arises in Job, and from Kevin’s question, is that God knew and allowed all of the “bad things” to happen—people died, chaos abounded for a while, Evil seemed to prevail and it all fell into “God’s plan.” Kevin is perplexed by this. Kevin seems to be upset at God and concerned that God doesn’t really care for humans. Kevin questions God, and God replies, “…it has something to do with free will.” What a message! So you mean we can actually choose what “side” we’re on? Still, Kevin, along with myself, is perplexed by The Supreme Being’s decision making process, Kevin is left in Evil’s fortress and is not allowed to go “back to creation” with the rest of the crew.

In the end, Kevin wakes to his home being on fire. Kevin’s parents are already outside and really only concerned with their material goods that were burned. When Kevin does finally make it out of the burning house, he notices that his parents are holding the apparent appliance that caused the fire, upon further notice he sees a part of concentrated evil that remains nestled inside the appliance. Kevin quickly yells to his parents, “Don’t touch it, its evil!” His parents quickly gaze at him then simultaneously back to the appliance and touch Evil—instantly they are burned up and all that remains of them are smoldering holes; kind of similar to Lot’s wife. The film ends with Sean Connery winking to Kevin who is still in a state of shock. Gilliam leaves the audience wondering what is going to happen to Kevin and how will he reconstruct his life.

Still, Kevin was left with an admonishment from God: “You must stay here and carry on the fight.” A good word indeed, but it still leaves you wondering.

All in all Time Bandits is an excellent film for Bible study and it raises essential and fundamental questions regarding good and evil, suffering and pain, God and the Devil, and “the good fight.” Gilliam leaves the door wide open by having you question whether or not Kevin dreamt all of this or actually experienced it. Gilliam has that dreamer quality in his films, Time Bandits is about the young dreamer, Brazil (1985) is about the dreamer in middle age, and The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (1988) is about the dreamer in old age. That is the power of abstract art and the uniqueness of Gilliam’s postmodern film style. Time Bandits is a timeless Biblical film that humorously pushes us to better understand ourselves, God, and the Evil that exists within us all when fully revealed!

[1] Adapted from Steward Clamen & Zaphod on http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0081633/ last accessed 8/21/08.

[2] In his book The Globalization of Nothing (2004) Sage Publications.

[3] Ritzer The Mcdonaldization of Society (2000) Pine Forest Press

The Missiological Significance of Hip Hop Pt. 2: Tha Hostile Gospel

Daniel Hodge — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 16:08:42 -0700

This is an ongoing conversation about Hip Hop's theological message. You can read part 1 here.

We have a hostile Gospel. We serve a Jesus that was, and still is in many facets, hostile. In order to move forward in our Christian theological development, we must confront both of those elements within our Christian Bible. For most Christians, Jesus is looked upon as a mild, gentle, all loving, peaceful man who just loved everyone in some neo-60’s, post hippie sort of way. When I read the Gospel of Jesus, I do not see that most of the time. I see a Jesus that caused much trouble, created a movement that has changed the world, spoke up for the marginalized, in essence brought a very contradicting economic message to both His context and ours, and left more questions than He did answers. Jesus also took on the form of humankind, when He could have stayed in His own “luxury” and “comfort.” Jesus embodied hostility everywhere He went. His very language of “viper” and “dogs,” in response to religious officials, was in fact a profane statement within His context.

In John 6: 52-68 we see Jesus telling his followers that they must eat His flesh and drink His blood, but we must remember, that within a Jewish context doing this would constitute a “sin” and was considered extremely unclean and at times blasphemous—especially for a Jewish teacher.^{^[1]} I begin this discussion because it is extremely important that we conceptualize our rich Christian heritage in relation to Hip Hop’s theological message.

As a result of this discussion, we can begin to see Hip Hop in relation to Jesus because there are strong connections to His own hostile message of the Gospel and Hip Hop’s own “hostile gospel.” Here are the similarities:

· Jesus’ message of salvation through Him and only Him without having to go through the priests and religious institutions. Hip Hoppers like Tupac argue for this. While Tupac made no claims that he himself was a “savior,” he continually pointed to Jesus as the way and not the institutionalized church.

· Jesus had strong words for those who were in power and in control. Especially if those systems or people oppressed people. Hip Hop and rap’s message is no different. Ice Cube challenges the notion that we go into every other country that needs help, but we cannot provide aid for our own within the inner city. Jesus would be right there with Cube.

· Jesus called out injustices. Without going deep into this, this is a key element of Hip Hop and provides positive outlets for young rappers who would otherwise not have an outlet for those injustices. Dead Prez, Common, KRS-One, Paris, and Tupac all call us to understand the social injustices which exist within our borders here in the U.S.

· Jesus chose to roll with cats that were dangerous, crude, mean, and in essence the “thugs” of his day. I mean come on, this is Hip Hop. Many Hip Hoppers have an “eclectic” past and if given the chance, could actually do something with their lives. While most of Hip Hop is not concerned with the literal definition of “thug,” there is that element of Hip Hop that presents a troubling question, “What do you do with the Pookies and Shaniqa’s who just love to scrap?” Jesus worked with individuals like this in His crew as well.

· Jesus often times chose not to use His “power” when he clearly could have. We see this clearly on the cross, and we find Jesus choosing to allow His disciples to “get it” when He could have just implanted His message within their minds. Hip Hop, in its purest form, empowers and rises up[2] its members from the ground.

· Jesus died an innocent man on the cross for the sins of humanity so that Humanity would know salvation and the “good news” about His life. Hip Hop begins to point to this in many ways. Again, Hip Hop is not a “Jesus” per say and there are very few artists who would actually say they are the “savior.” This still does not negate the fact that rap music is transcending in many ways (dance, concerts, and poetry readings) and brings uplifting messages regarding injustices and wrongs done in people’s lives.

Carter Heyward, in her amazing book Saving Jesus from Those Who Are Right, has a statement that I feel captures the essence of this hostile Gospel Jesus carried with Him. Heyward states:

Most Christians expect Jesus to be all good, completely good, perfect, “without sin,” as the tradition has taught us. Either we overlook and ignore things that he did and said about which, if it were anyone but Jesus, we might complain (cursing and killing a fig tree?), we learn to rationalize away the biblical record (he didn’t really do this), or we find positive ways of looking at what only appear to be negative images (he’s not really belittling his mother at the wedding; he’s just trying to stretch and re-image his friends’ understandings of “family”). We cannot seem to bear the notion of a Jesus who didn’t always do or say the right thing (1999: 144-145).

I use Jesus as the prime example in connection with Hip Hop’s hostile Gospel because there are so many similarities. Heyward has it right; we cannot imagine Jesus doing anything that does not fit into our “boxed theological paradigm” of who we think He is. Hip Hop theology is just that. It is new. It is creative. It is Holy. It is prophetic. It is controversial. It is about love. It is about anger. It is about community. It is about Jesus and His message. It is hostile. It is part of the narrative that we all find ourselves in and that is the narrative of the Bible.

As I’ve stated here before, if we are to move forward in our dance with popular culture, then we cannot avoid Hip Hop.

[1] All this is adapted from Miles, Jack. 2001. Christ: A Crisis in the Life of God. New York: Alfred A. Knopf.

[2] The commercial end of this is in exact opposition to this view, and while I do not particularly care about this element of Hip Hop, it is, nonetheless, a part of Hip Hop that needs equal treatment. I do plan to cover this element of Hip Hop culture.

The Lost Hip Hop Generation?

Daniel Hodge — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 18:15:47 -0700

As I sit here compiling and analyzing research for a new book I’m writing,[1] I am quickly realizing that there is a large gap between the connection with the Hip Hop generation and the church (emergent, traditional, or whatever you wanna call it). Most Hip Hop youth (between the ages of 12-18) see the church as oppressive, judgmental, harsh, and out of touch. They also recognize the double standards that are set forth as well. Double standards like “Do as I say not as I do.” Moreover, there is a vast amount of young urban Hip Hoppers seeking connections with other religions. One young guy I interviewed stated, “Yeah, I grew up in the Black Church, but Sh** they outdated now man, I mean…umm, they just don’t get me and I just can’t get with a punk Jesus they keep portraying to me…Rastafarianism is doing a way better job of meeting me at my level, Sh** I’m tired of being judged, I love God, but…whew…I don’t even know about the Christian church man.”

That statement, and his ensuing comments, have stuck with me. They ring in and out of my eardrums. My own Christian indignation rose up in me. I wanted to say, “No wait, we’re still cool! I can get you to Magic Mountain and to summer camp! I can also give you a great Bible study!” However, did this young brotha even need that? I wanted to yell and shout and tell him, “Wait, wait just a minute, you’re not giving it a chance.” And, well, I did say that, in a round about “academic” way….his response…”Man, I’ve been waiting my whole life for the church to change and meet me where I’m at, all I see Sunday after Sunday is the preacher talking bout the same old same old….money, power, and more money and how it all revolves around Jesus….is that even in the bible? How can I be at a church that always talks about money, the pastor rich as hell, and my family broke as a joke…come on now bruh!”

“Shoot!” I think, “You’re just too young and you need to just switch churches and see that not all Christians are that way.” Right? I mean, it’s him…right? It must be…2000 years of “correct” Christian doctrine can’t be wrong…right?

Hmmm. Well, I don’t want to give away the “meat” of my book, but this is a dilemma for me. The young Hip Hoppers I talk to on the streets all see the Christian church as oppressive, mean, judgmental, filled with hate, and “out of touch” with reality. Come on, this can’t be all-true…right? So what does that say to a practical Hip Hop theologian like me? How might I go about engaging a culture that is a little “hostile” to Christianity?

I see some tough roads ahead of us. The research is telling me some interesting things about what is happening “out there.” We (meaning the Christian church) will need to make some major changes in order to accommodate a new generation that does not deal well with “words” only. They live to see action and behavior in action. Communication theorist and expert Donald Smith[2] argues there are 13 signal systems present in every culture. He also lists those signal systems in order of their relevance and believability. At the top, where it is least likely to believe and what we consciously do, is language or words. At the bottom, where it is the most likely to believe and what we do unconsciously, are actions & behavior.

Interview after interview has stated how much young Hip Hoppers believe actions over words. That has big implications for Matthew 28:16-20. I, for one, am not willing to just sit and watch a generation be “lost” because we (as the church) were too stubborn to change. I know what most of you might probably be thinking, we need to supersede culture and not be “in the world.” Well, my friends, from my perspective, we’re in it. I’m in it. This young brotha is in it. So what I am gonna do? What are we gonna do? Hip Hop is not going away anytime soon. My hope is that we will at least, as Niebuhr suggests, dialogue how Christ might transform us and culture while we embrace Hip Hop with salt and light.

[1] The new book, set to launch in 2009, titled “Tha Hostile Gospel: Missionally Engaging the Theology of Hip Hop” is being published by Inner Varsity Press Academic. Keep your eyes open for that!

[2] Adapted from Smith, Donald K. (1992). Creating Understanding: A Handbook for Christian Communication Across Cultural Landscapes. Grand Rapids, MI.: Zondervan; pp.144-165.