After watching the What About Holy Hip-Hop? video that was trending a couple weeks back, I wanted to write something in response.  But before I address some counter points that should be considered, I wanted to make an appeal to those wounded by the remarks in the video.

When you feel like you’ve been stoned, the gospel response isn’t to throw stones back.  That’s certainly not the point of this blog.  Consider what it means to walk in love, to do good, and to forgive people who have wounded us.  Together, let’s agree to contend for the gospel but to respond in love.

One more disclaimer.  I’m no seminary-trained theologian  – nor do I pretend to be – just a man who loves Jesus with a burden to lead his family well and reach his community with the gospel.

With that brief introduction, let’s look at the six reasons I’m keeping my Christian hip-hop collection.

1. Redeemed musical styles didn’t start with hip-hop.  In Exodus 14, the Hebrews witness the salvation of the Lord.  It’s an amazing thing.  The Red Sea parts.  The Israelites pass through.  Their enemies literally become fish food.  To commemorate God’s deliverance, the Israelites make a song.

The question then becomes what kind of song.  Weren’t the Israelites slaves in Egypt?  To what kind of music would they have been exposed?  Could it be, as Christopher Wright argues in his book, The Mission of God, that the musical style was borrowed from another culture and changed in a way that honored the Lord?

In a similar way, reformed seminary teacher V. Phillips Long argues in Psalms & Wisdom Books class that the Israelites didn’t invent the literary style found in the Psalms.  Finally, in church history, we know that famed hymn writer Fanny Crosby and Salvation Army founder William Booth both used familiar mainstream tunes as background music for their hymns.  This isn’t a new argument.  It’s only new music styles facing old scrutinies.

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