A couple years ago, I highlighted the debut album of Evangel, a solidly Reformed theologian and artist who has found a way to express the deep truths of the Reformation through the medium of rap music. Well, I’ve just discovered that this same man has a new album coming out, which I’ve been privileged to listen to already, and am pleased to say that it contains much more doctrinal acuity, mixed in with a little lighthearted fun, and all in that same hip-hop style. Continue Reading
When you think of different items that obviously go together as pairs, what comes to mind? Peanut butter and jelly? Socks and shoes? Reformed theology and hip-hop music? Uh…probably not those last two.
But actually, believe it or not, there are a few groups today who are intent on showing that those two items – rock solid reformed theology and hip-hop – can belong together. One such group is Christcentric, and they sent me their latest album, Didactic Music, volume one, to preview ahead of time. Below is my review of their lyrics – and after that, an enlightening interview I had with Christcentric, where they explain just what makes them tick. Continue Reading
Does the bible misquote Jesus? When stated that way, the question – intentionally – sounds provocative. What Dr. Bart Ehrman means to call into question, by this incendiary query, is whether we can actually know what Jesus really did and taught, given the history of the transmission of the original gospel accounts, and the other New Testament documents. We do not have the original manuscripts that the authors of scriptures penned. We do not even have copies. We have, according to Ehrman, “copies of copies of copies,” that have been so corrupted that we simply cannot know what the originals actually said with any degree of certainty. Continue Reading
Of all the essential doctrines of Christianity, perhaps the most foundational are the doctrines of the scriptures – what they are, why they matter, whether they really are inspired and inerrant in the original manuscripts – for the great foundational doctrines of our eternal salvation through Christ and his cross are all firmly rooted in the bible alone. It is evident, therefore, that one of the most pressing necessities for all believers is that they be taught to know with certainty what books make up the inspired scriptures and the foundational premises for studying them carefully, trusting them implicitly, and defending them unwaveringly. John Piper’s small group series on Why We Believe the Bible is an excellent resource for such a purpose, and a tool I would eagerly recommend for small groups and any other Christians desirous of a more stable foundation or a more God-honoring approach to interacting with cynics and skeptics on the vital topic of the Word of God. Continue Reading
The Late Great Planet Church (volume one) is a well-structured and easy-to-watch dvd presentation that gathers together the insights of several notable scholars and pastors, most of whom were formerly committed dispensationalists, specifically on the rise of dispensationalism and the often dubious nature of its history during its formative years. It continues with more recent trends, including both the “revised dispensationalism” championed by Charles Ryrie, and the “progressive dispensationalism” of such scholars as Darrell Bock and Craig Blaising. By the end of the dvd, the viewer will be well-acquainted with the basic history of the entire movement. Continue Reading
The responsibility of Christians to proclaim and defend their faith reasonably and intelligibly, in the face of worldviews and philosophies that are antagonistic to Christianity, is a serious biblical concern. So how do we go about equipping ourselves for the task? In order to defend the faith adequately, must we be current with the prevalent philosophies and epistemologies of the day, and eloquent enough to mount a persuasive argument within the confines of those philosophies? In other words, must we be skillful enough thinkers to beat the atheists on their own playing field? No, Dr. Bahnsen would insist; although understanding philosophy and epistemology may be useful, ultimately, if we would be successful apologists, we only need to learn to think as Christians. And in this clear, scriptural, penetrating series of lectures, he demonstrates exactly what that means, and how it can equip any Christian to be a biblical and competent apologist. Continue Reading
To many Christians, the gospel is simply the message encapsulated in “The Five Spiritual Laws,” or some other similar evangelistic tract, and the work of evangelism is simply sharing this message, whether through personal conversation, passing out tracts, or some similar means. Now, there probably are some evangelistic tracts that do a good job of explaining many of the essential realities of the gospel (and some that are considerably less than good, too!), and to the extent that they convey those essential realities accurately, they may doubtless be passed out with some hope of profit. But is this minimalistic approach to evangelism really the most helpful method we could follow? When our whole mindset is to find the least amount of truth necessary to make someone a Christian, and emphasize how easy it is to come to Christ (just believe truths A, B, and C and repeat this prayer, meaning it with all your heart), is it possible that we are obscuring some of the harder teachings that Jesus left us with? Is being a Christian necessarily that simple or easy a thing? What about hating father and mother, taking up your cross, not looking back when your hand is to the plow? Continue Reading
Lately, I’ve been showered with gifts from our brothers over at Christcentric; besides the new album from Evangel, which I just mentioned a few days ago, I’ve also received the new album by Voice, called the Process of the Pardon. There’s some phenomenal stuff on it, so I want to give everyone a quick heads-up. Continue Reading
When it comes to today’s Christian music scene, it’s quite easy to find much that’s shallow, meaningless, man-centered, and just plain wrong. It’s a little harder to find theological depth and rock solid truth. That’s why I’ve been very pleased in the past to highlight a growing movement in the medium of hip hop that is characterized by a commitment to biblical truth and the historic, reformed faith — previously, I’ve spoken of Lampmode recordings, and specifically of some phenomenal albums by Shai Linne and Timothy Brindle.
Well, recently I came into contact with a sister ministry, called Christcentric. One of Christcentric’s artists, Evangel, has a debut album ready to release the twenty-sixth of August, called Expository Journey. Christcentric very graciously sent me a copy ahead of time, so I’ve been able to preview it. Continue Reading
Some time ago, I did a post on Shai Linne’s hip-hop album, “The Solus Christus Project”. A little after that, Shai sent me two albums from Timothy Brindle, his label-mate at Lampmode Recordings – the first one called, “The Great Awakening,” and the second called, “Killing Sin.” Both of them are treasure houses of Reformed theology and sound exegesis, hip-hop style. I took the liberty of typing up a few lines from the first few tracks of “Killing Sin,” as an example of the sort of substance that one may find throughout the two albums – but really, the depth of doctrine from beginning to end calls for a fuller acquaintance than these brief samples can provide. So go to www.lampmode.com, and buy the albums. Continue Reading
Well, before I let the dead horse alone, I couldn’t help but go to the effort of typing up the lyrics to one of Shai Linne’s songs, and offer to everyone a little more substantial taste of the deep theology, Hip-Hop style, that I’ve been speaking of. This is a song called “Justified,” and it’s basically a brief exposition of Romans 3:10-24. Continue Reading
Advertisement