No doubt that many people in the church today have heard about a minister named G Craige Lewis (his picture is at the right). He recently (past 2 or 3 years) have been teaching about the horrors and evils about Hip Hop Music and Culture. How its crept into the church and that we must take responsibility and do what Gods has called us to do. I agree I mean like the rest of society, mainstream Hip Hop is godless. But he goes as far as saying that all rap/hip hop music is from the devil and cannot be used to glorify God or bring people to Jesus our lord and savior. He has put out his teaching on DVDs available through his ministry: EX Ministries. He seems to be targeting my generation - Generation X, but many of us are now in our thirties and are not following Hip Hop like we were in our 20's and teens. He has said that he came up with "EX" because he wants to change generation X. He has 4 DVDs. The first one is available from Google video (I'm streaming it below). He has many good points. No doubt about it the devil is using hip hop to lie, steal, and destroy lives. But to label it all evil and bad mouth people is a too much.This guy's presentation had much sensation and shock value. He talked about the worse the industry offers and about casting out demons and conversing with them. Unfortunately there was very little documentation and proof of his claims. To be honest listening to him reminded me of Kenneth Copeland and other Word-of-Faith ministries. There was very little teaching of theology in the first recording. There was a lot of denunciation of hip hop artists even gospel artists - so many in fact that it makes me wonder if he really knows the walk of the people he slandered. His argument is basically So-and-so did a song or an album with _____ (insert famous secular hip hop artist here), therefore so-and-so backslid or was never saved in the first place.
His second presentation is also on the internet on GodTube. It is called "Truth Behind Hip Hop 2: Exodus Back to Egypt. I liked this one better than "The Truth Behind Hip Hop I" because you get hear more about what he believes about God and the Bible actually says. I hate to say it but it seems very Word-of-Faith like. He said that God stepped back and gave control over the earth to humanity and for God to intervene in the earth He "needs our bodies". Sound familiar? It should to anyone who has heard the heresies coming from hell today. This so biblically untrue. God needs nothing or no one. He chooses to use whatever he wants to use to fulfill his own purpose. God is sovereign and complete all by himself! I have not reviewed the whole of material readily available yet, but I intend to do so.
G Craige Lewis said:
The Bible says (Here and in many other passages):
34 At the end of that time, I, Nebuchadnezzar, raised my eyes toward heaven, and my sanity was restored. Then I praised the Most High; I honored and glorified him who lives forever.I'd say that it is a lie just as bad the sexually explicit, women defiling, violent lies that populate secular media today! Don't be deceived, God don't like it. Here is G. Craig Lewis saying exactly that God needs us. It needs to be pointed out that the majority of Hip Hop music and culture is destroying our very existence and future by drawing people away from Christ, but there are those in the industry who seek to do better and draw people to Christ. They have a real God-given, God glorifying ministry. Lumping them all together is wrong. Calling dirty what God has called clean is wrong. Here is a great article about how EX Ministries message affect the church: 7 Reasons Why Craig Lewis and Ex Ministries Has Duped the Church into Believing Him.
His dominion is an eternal dominion;
his kingdom endures from generation to generation.35 All the peoples of the earth
are regarded as nothing.
He does as he pleases
with the powers of heaven
and the peoples of the earth.
No one can hold back his hand
or say to him: "What have you done?"Daniel 4:34,35
Many articulate Christians have stepped up to refute this guy. In part 2, I will take a good look at one of their responses. Hazakim.
Here is The Truth Behind Hip Hop.
My brother you are wrong about hip hop and its use in the church. The originaters have said that it is a religion pointing to ourselves as gods. So how can you and others that think that hip hop can be used for God's glory if the people who created it say it is not? We need to stop trying to make things we like or enjoy or have no problem with cater to our belief in Christ. Is it possible to have a holy homosexual? According to what you are saying here it is and that is completely false. My friend holy hip hop is a joke and many Christians today think that by any means necessary we need to reach the lost but that is untrue as well. If we as Christians would not only talk the Bible but live the Bible there would be no need to come up with clever ways to reach the lost...they will come running. Be blessed
ReplyDeleteI appreciate your opinion and I agree that you cannot be a holy homosexual. I have a few questions for you: Did you read Hazakim's response? Have you read the other posts on my blog concerning this issue? Have you ever heard artists like Hazakim talk about their art form and how they see what they do as a calling from God? Have you ever heard the music? Where did you get your information that the originators of hip hop said that it was "a religion pointing to ourselves as gods."? This is the crux of the message of Craige Lewis. What do you think of his theology that I point to on this post? I agree that we are not supposed to do what the world does, but people do get saved and God does get glory from Hip Hop music that is sanctified for Him. God clearly says that homosexuality is an abomination but no where does He say that hip hop is an abomination. Equating the two is a straw man argument.
ReplyDeleteAnd the thing about the originators is that all four of the elements already existed before Herc threw that party. When hip hop was created it was not created with the goal of establishing a religion. That is revisionist history courtesy of Afrika bambaata when in reality he aint even the one who came up with the phrasee hip hop. And KRS One was 8 when Kool Herc threw that party so how is he one of the originators. Hip Hop originally had nothing to do with religion, Christian or otherwise. Afrika combined his own spiritual beliefs with hip hop and used it to spread those beliefs. He used a tool that he didn't invent. He has no monopoly over the definition of hip hop because all of the elements already existed. He can't claim to be the inventer of something that already existed.
DeleteG Craige Lewis is a fraud. Whoever believes his bull sh*t is brainwashed. I had to de brainwash myself from his messages. He's a cult leader soon to be exposed. Go look at how his fans kiss his ASS. I knew him personally and let's just say he absolutely does not practice what he preaches. He even laughed at his fans and says, "my flock know my voice. " He wishes death on those who criticize his "ministry" (yes he said these things to me personally). His ego is so large to compensate for his small stature.
ReplyDeleteI had that gut feeling. It’s hard for me to listen to someone who is ALWAYS right and EVERYONE else is TOTALLY WRONG!
DeleteI thank God for a man like pastor G. Craige lewis.Hit devils will holla.
ReplyDelete