Thanks for the mention. Definitely flattering and feels good to be recognized, thanks for that.

I’ve struggled with how the “CCM” world sees hip-hop music from believers (which is a very wide spectrum). While I am thankful for the little pieces here and there, I don’t always feel like it’s ever been even close to being understood.

Over the years I’ve been doing Sphere of Hip-Hop, and also in my work at record labels (Uprok Records and currently Illect Recordings), I don’t get much assurance that things have changed or ever will change. Maybe the latter is too cynical. The current growth is because most artists built their own following apart from the support of Christian media and radio. That’s frustrating but not surprising given things I’ve heard in private meetings with “industry executives”.

Bottom line… evangelicals are missing a big opportunity to reach youth culture. Not all of these people respond to or like rock music. Hopefully it changes but I’m personally not holding my breath BUT that isn’t stopping me from living out my calling which is to serve urban culture.

Hit me up via email if you’d like to connect. peace!

Just a brief response to your questions recognizing a lot more could (and should) be said.

#1. Yes, everyone believes in what they most want to believe in. Existentially it is impossible to do otherwise. The regenerate heart freely believes in what it wants (things in the direction of being consistent with the true God) and the unregenerate heart freely believes in what it wants (things in the direction of not being consistent with the true God). At times there is an apparent tension in the soul as when the father with the tormented son cried out “Lord I believe; help my unbelief (Mark 9), but even here we have an ultimate desire expressed flowing from what appears to be a position of authentic faith.

#2. If there is NO God there is NO moral grounding that can be legitimately viewed and understood as a working standard (in and of itself) that all should follow. Notwithstanding the sad and weakly argued fantasy of such purblind perspectives (such as Sam Harris’ Moral Landscape) that protest otherwise.

Liberal humanism has no INTRINSIC moral authority because it is situated in the whims of mutable Men. If there is NO God, (Wo)Man is the highest being in the known universe and (Wo)Man is woefully inconsistent in how he(she) prioritizes values and applies them. One person will not steal to get what he(she) needs, another person steals freely. One person will not murder to get what he(she) wants, another person murders freely. If there is NO God, 7 billion people can each rightly claim to be the highest individual arbitrator of right and wrong and no one has the intrinsic moral right to displace another’s views on the merits of the views alone. It merely comes down to power; who has it and who can determine, by force if necessary, what the proverbial law of the land will be.

Moreover, if there is NO God, there is no good, no evil, no standard, no sub-standard, etc. There is only RANDOM masquerading as order. If there is NO God, there is only chaos, and yet there is not even chaos, because chaos presupposes the existence of order, and without God there is no order.

And to your question, given that all is random in a universe devoid of a transcendent, sovereign God, there is zero basis for the notion of a morality that has INTRINSIC properties of right and wrong for which all can be legitimately held accountable.

I would also mention that 1John 2:19 gives some insight as to why some seem to “lose their religion”.