Pastor Rudy Rasmus of St. John’s Methodist Church gives insight to a book by one of music’s most iconic figures and how it relates to the church of today.
via: Chron.com
I took one book with me to read on a recent trip to Sierra Leone. It was Jay-Z’s new book entitled “Decoded.” It is an inside look into the methodology of one of the most venerated and criticized emcees of the 21st Century. To coin a word used primarily in theological circles, the book is an artful exegesis of Jay-Z’s lyrics in relation to the life of hustler and the lessons learned while dodging the law, discerning foes, and escaping death during his early life in Marcy projects. The 308-page tome answers many of the questions that have been raised by religious critics as to the faith perspectives of the culture-shaping icon and debunks many of the conspiracy theories surrounding his alleged participation in secret societies and association with the devil. Proof that the American religious experience can get in your blood system, 26 pages contain references of God and an additional 25 of the books pages espouse his philosophical positions on subjects ranging from fine art to politics to hustling.
Throughout the work Jay-Z points to the folly of literally interpreting his lyrics and suggest a deeper look for the meaning behind the words saying ”It’s a trick I learned from the great emcees: a “dumbed down” record actually forces you to be smarter, to balance art, craft, authenticity, and accessibility… and its also “bait for lazy critics”. One of the reoccurring themes plaguing Jay-Z’s religious detractors is his use of the moniker “Hova” which many have assumed was his comparing himself to God. He writes, “Hova is, of course, short for Jay-Hova, which is a play on Jehovah – a piece of wordplay that irritates the f@#k out of some religious people… they should just relax and listen to the next line” which says “I’m far from being God.” Is it worse to make rhyme as art referencing “Hova” or possessing the tendency to be a Messianic minister? Religion’s loss of influence as a moral compass and the church’s drift from the center of society has drastically affected the value of the faith practitioner’s opinion on culture. I am saying the slip in influence is due to a loss in the church’s credibility as a result of Messianic ministers and parishioners and not because of rap music or Hip-Hop culture.
Fundamentalism, whether its reading scripture literally or listening to current music and perceiving the lyrics literally the end results are the same…judging, ridiculing, and ultimately alienating. Jay-Z reminds, “The art of rap is deceptive. It seems so straightforward and personal and real that people read it completely literally, as raw testimony or autobiography.” Rap and Hip-Hop art forms and art can never be effectively interpreted through a fundamental lens without missing the beauty and the expression of the artist’s original intent. Interpreting the scriptures requires the reader to contextualize or risk missing the meaning. Pittman McGehee in the invisible church says “Fundamentalist in its simplistic beliefs about the nature of a cause-and-affect and reward-and-punishment universe, the American religion is a pseudo-religion trying to pass itself off as true religion.” In reality, McGehee continues saying our religious experience is rooted in Puritan beginnings and “has always been more about structure (control), and authority than spirituality.” Mark Twain puts American religion in perspective when he said, “people’s belief’s and convictions are in almost every case gotten second hand, and without examination.” The time has come for the church to examine, to question, and to grow. The only way it can grow is by learning from the people who are influencing culture more effectively than the church. Here are two: Billionaire, Warren Buffet and cultural icon, Jay-Z. The two met in Omaha with Stephen Forbes for an interview that appeared in the October 11, 2010 issue of Forbes Magazine. At the end of the conversation Warren Buffet said, “Jay is teaching in a lot bigger classroom than I’ll ever teach in. They’re going to learn from somebody. For a young person growing up he’s the guy to learn from.” I think the guy who is one of the top recording artists in history with over 40 million albums sold worldwide, who’s tied Elvis Presley for the most number one albums by a solo performer, and is second only to The Beatles for number one records can teach the church a thing or two about cultural-relevancy.
How many times has the church missed opportunities to impact the lives of future politicians, celebrities, business barons, and cultural icons because of an internal focus on the children already safely on the inside instead of focusing on being the hands of feet of Jesus for children and their families who are in the throws of mean streets and hopeless hallways. I know from my own experience as a pastor how difficult it is to access a community but I believe if there had been churches reaching out to Brooklyn’s Marcy projects (Jay- Z’s childhood community) with the goal of making an impact on the lives of the children in that neighborhood, Jay-Z’s position today would probably be radically different but since there obviously wasn’t one… he’s got 99 problems but a church ain’t one.
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