Blog # 3
Blog 3
What are others saying about your topic? Are there any media related "witch hunts" going on now or have in the past? Describe them and give the "Rhetorical Situation". Was the fear warranted or not? What was the reaction (if any) by the "attackee".
I looked up the “witch hunts” of Christian Rap. I was very surprised to find that a lot of people have accepted it more and more over the years. There are of course those people who will reject the music just because of the Christian message it brings.” Christian hip hop has a history of being dismissed by churches as sacrilegious, or devil music” The Christian rap message is not so much just rejected by the message but mostly by the people of the Church. Some feel as though that the message Christian rappers bring is not of Jesus but they are only about themselves and bettering themselves. “I dare you to go to ANY so-called "Christian" rocker or rapper's website and show me the simple plan of salvation, the Gospel of Jesus Christ. You cannot! The reason is because they are of the world, and the world follows them. This is why professed "Christian" rock-n-roll bands like P.O.D., Mercy Me, and Third Day have all appeared on the godless TONIGHT SHOW with Jay Leno. Do you think they would invite John the Baptist and allow him to preach on the TONIGHT SHOW? No way! James 4:4 plainly teaches that to be "a friend" of the world is to become God's enemy.”(1) This comes to the conclusion that yes people do use Christian Rap wrong. There are people using this just to make money or get their name out. This leads to my question, can you condemn all of Christian rap because one person has used it in vain? Hasn’t the religion of Christianity started wars? Hasn’t people used the name of God in wrong? The answer is yes, so this leads to my next question in that can you condemn the message of Jesus Christ because some have used it in vain. The answer is simple no in that we as humans use things wrong and we do evil things but the message of Jesus Christ is pure and overall Christian Rap portrays this message of love for the sinner. Christian Rap is attacked but overall the music is accepted and is actually used in many different movies, TV Shows, and some albums have topped the charts of popular music sites like ITunes. The public has mixed feelings towards Christian rap some reject it and attack it but most actually accept it. This is the case of the rapper GRITS. “The GRITS song "Ooh Ahh" received positive exposure on various TV Shows and movies, such as The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift and Big Momma's House 2.[22] It was also featured as the theme song for the second season of MTV’s hit show The Buried Life” This shows that Christian rap is accepted by most people even if they do not believe in Christianity. Also in the case of the rapper Lecrae, his album Gravity, topped the ITunes charts for best albums out at number 4 for a while. The “witch hunts” are most toward the case of people trying to get money by doing Christian Rap or doing it for God’s work. It’s hard to make some much money and not fall into the temptation of the world for Christian Rappers. “It’s not about the sales per se but about the souls you save through the sales.” – Platinum Soul (gospel rap group). “In this article, I examine how anatomies of religious belief interact with gospel rappers’ everyday struggles to balance the need for a paycheck with winning the big payback of life everlasting.” There are definitely people who attack and accept Christian rap but there are more issues than that. Christians themselves are at a so called War with themselves in that it is hard to glorify God and at the same time live like this world tells you to do. The Struggles is not only between the attackers of Christians or Christian rap but more of a Christian vs. him or herself. “An interview is presented with Christian rapper Lecrae Moore, on the release of his album "Gravity," in which he discusses how he has been received by the hip-hop community as a Christian, his friendship with golfer Bubba Watson, and the success of "Gravity" on digital music retailer iTunes.” This interview shows that Lecrae’s Gravity album is being accepted and is high on ITunes’s list. Also the famous golfer is in support of Lecrae. This shows that people do accept Christian rap and that people actually like it. One it’s like other rap, it has good beats, sick lines, the only difference is there is no crude language and has a clean message. “Lecrae, "Gravity" (Reach Records) Christian rapper Lecrae doesn't fit the typical mold of a gospel artist. His arms are covered with tattoos, he normally sports his hats tilted to the side and often wears slightly sagging pants.” This shows that Christian’s are normal people. Lecrae’s or anybody else’s looks for that matter should not be judge by anybody including Christians. One should not judge a book by its cover. This is true for anybody or any situation. This talks about Lecrae’s new album and shows how Christian music is not just church hymns. Music in general is a way of a person to express one self, so why is it bad that one uses beats and rap lines instead of a guitar and singing.
1."Christian Hip Hop." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 23 Nov. 2012. Web. 28 Nov. 2012. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_hip_hop>.
2. Zanfagna, Christina. "Kingdom Business." Kingdom Business: Holy Hip Hop's Evangelical Hustle 24.2 (n.d.): 196-216. Print.
3. "Lecrae." Interview by Tim Newcomb. Time Vol. 180 Issue 13 24 Sept. 2012: 58. Print.
4. "Review: Gospel Rapper Lecrae's New Album Is Solid." Rev. of AP Regional State Report - Texas, 09/04/2012. n.d.: n. pag. Print.
5. (1) Web. 03 Dec. 2012. < http://www.jesus-is-savior.com/Evils%20in%20America/CCM/whats_wrong.htm>
6. (Clark) "Holy Hip Hop: Can Rap Music Glorify God?" Holy Hip Hop: Can Rap Music Glorify God? N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Dec. 2012. <http://www.clarkyboy.com/holyhiphop.htm>
What are others saying about your topic? Are there any media related "witch hunts" going on now or have in the past? Describe them and give the "Rhetorical Situation". Was the fear warranted or not? What was the reaction (if any) by the "attackee".
I looked up the “witch hunts” of Christian Rap. I was very surprised to find that a lot of people have accepted it more and more over the years. There are of course those people who will reject the music just because of the Christian message it brings.” Christian hip hop has a history of being dismissed by churches as sacrilegious, or devil music” The Christian rap message is not so much just rejected by the message but mostly by the people of the Church. Some feel as though that the message Christian rappers bring is not of Jesus but they are only about themselves and bettering themselves. “I dare you to go to ANY so-called "Christian" rocker or rapper's website and show me the simple plan of salvation, the Gospel of Jesus Christ. You cannot! The reason is because they are of the world, and the world follows them. This is why professed "Christian" rock-n-roll bands like P.O.D., Mercy Me, and Third Day have all appeared on the godless TONIGHT SHOW with Jay Leno. Do you think they would invite John the Baptist and allow him to preach on the TONIGHT SHOW? No way! James 4:4 plainly teaches that to be "a friend" of the world is to become God's enemy.”(1) This comes to the conclusion that yes people do use Christian Rap wrong. There are people using this just to make money or get their name out. This leads to my question, can you condemn all of Christian rap because one person has used it in vain? Hasn’t the religion of Christianity started wars? Hasn’t people used the name of God in wrong? The answer is yes, so this leads to my next question in that can you condemn the message of Jesus Christ because some have used it in vain. The answer is simple no in that we as humans use things wrong and we do evil things but the message of Jesus Christ is pure and overall Christian Rap portrays this message of love for the sinner. Christian Rap is attacked but overall the music is accepted and is actually used in many different movies, TV Shows, and some albums have topped the charts of popular music sites like ITunes. The public has mixed feelings towards Christian rap some reject it and attack it but most actually accept it. This is the case of the rapper GRITS. “The GRITS song "Ooh Ahh" received positive exposure on various TV Shows and movies, such as The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift and Big Momma's House 2.[22] It was also featured as the theme song for the second season of MTV’s hit show The Buried Life” This shows that Christian rap is accepted by most people even if they do not believe in Christianity. Also in the case of the rapper Lecrae, his album Gravity, topped the ITunes charts for best albums out at number 4 for a while. The “witch hunts” are most toward the case of people trying to get money by doing Christian Rap or doing it for God’s work. It’s hard to make some much money and not fall into the temptation of the world for Christian Rappers. “It’s not about the sales per se but about the souls you save through the sales.” – Platinum Soul (gospel rap group). “In this article, I examine how anatomies of religious belief interact with gospel rappers’ everyday struggles to balance the need for a paycheck with winning the big payback of life everlasting.” There are definitely people who attack and accept Christian rap but there are more issues than that. Christians themselves are at a so called War with themselves in that it is hard to glorify God and at the same time live like this world tells you to do. The Struggles is not only between the attackers of Christians or Christian rap but more of a Christian vs. him or herself. “An interview is presented with Christian rapper Lecrae Moore, on the release of his album "Gravity," in which he discusses how he has been received by the hip-hop community as a Christian, his friendship with golfer Bubba Watson, and the success of "Gravity" on digital music retailer iTunes.” This interview shows that Lecrae’s Gravity album is being accepted and is high on ITunes’s list. Also the famous golfer is in support of Lecrae. This shows that people do accept Christian rap and that people actually like it. One it’s like other rap, it has good beats, sick lines, the only difference is there is no crude language and has a clean message. “Lecrae, "Gravity" (Reach Records) Christian rapper Lecrae doesn't fit the typical mold of a gospel artist. His arms are covered with tattoos, he normally sports his hats tilted to the side and often wears slightly sagging pants.” This shows that Christian’s are normal people. Lecrae’s or anybody else’s looks for that matter should not be judge by anybody including Christians. One should not judge a book by its cover. This is true for anybody or any situation. This talks about Lecrae’s new album and shows how Christian music is not just church hymns. Music in general is a way of a person to express one self, so why is it bad that one uses beats and rap lines instead of a guitar and singing.
1."Christian Hip Hop." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 23 Nov. 2012. Web. 28 Nov. 2012. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_hip_hop>.
2. Zanfagna, Christina. "Kingdom Business." Kingdom Business: Holy Hip Hop's Evangelical Hustle 24.2 (n.d.): 196-216. Print.
3. "Lecrae." Interview by Tim Newcomb. Time Vol. 180 Issue 13 24 Sept. 2012: 58. Print.
4. "Review: Gospel Rapper Lecrae's New Album Is Solid." Rev. of AP Regional State Report - Texas, 09/04/2012. n.d.: n. pag. Print.
5. (1) Web. 03 Dec. 2012. < http://www.jesus-is-savior.com/Evils%20in%20America/CCM/whats_wrong.htm>
6. (Clark) "Holy Hip Hop: Can Rap Music Glorify God?" Holy Hip Hop: Can Rap Music Glorify God? N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Dec. 2012. <http://www.clarkyboy.com/holyhiphop.htm>