Friday's Weekly Rap-Up - February 22, 2013

One of the things that I appreciate about rap and hip-hop is that it allows for an inordinate amount of information to be shared within a relatively short period of time. Not only can experiences be communicated through the medium of rap or hip-hop, but robust Christian theology can be shared as well. As evidenced by Shai Linne, theological rap can be quite interesting, and a tool to memorize foundations of doctrine. As a matter of fact, Shai himself entitles his style as "Lyrical Theology". Be sure to check out his blog, aptly titled, Lyrical Theology. Here's three of my favorites from Shai.

"Mercy and Grace"

"Mercy and Grace" is a track from Shai Linne's Attributes of God album. Timothy Brindle also raps on this track, giving us the third verse. This song addresses two of the characteristics of God, his mercy and grace, which are related and commonly misunderstood.

Even if you're not a fan of rap, I suggest getting to the Lampmode site and buying The Attributes of God. Shai uses this album to guide us through God's attributes one song at a time. All of the lyrics on this album were reviewed by Mark Dever, the Senior Pastor of Capitol Hill Baptist Church in Washington, DC, which is where Shai and his family worship, and are members. This fact alone shows how concerned Shai is regarding the theology of his lyrics, ensuring that they are saturated with scripture.

"Lord of Patience"

"Lord of Patience" communicates the patience that the Lord has for His children, even in our sin, doubt, foolishness, and through our "stumbles and falls, and our idolatry, through all of our grumbling and our hypocrisy". It's a great reminder of the fact that the Lord continues to work in us, continues to mold us, conforming us more and more to His image, and that this patient process will not be completed until the day that we are with Christ. 

"Penelope Judd"

Finally, my favorite Shai Linne song is "Penelope Judd", a children's parable, which uses fantastic imagery to address humankind's inherent sinfulness and Christ's cleansing forgiveness. "Penelope Judd" is complex in its themes, and should speak even to those of us who have outgrown our childhood! In an interview with Credo Magazine, Shai offers the following quote:

"For instance, I have a song called “Penelope Judd”, which is an allegorical children’s song that never explicitly mentions Jesus or reformed theology. Yet, classical reformed emphases like imputed righteousness, the sufficiency of Scripture, radical corruption, etc. are found throughout if you dig beneath the surface a little."