First of all, the book does things to you in a subtle way that you might not notice how slowly your views on issues are shifting. For me the book is a redefinition of the word ‘unashamed’. I had it all wrong all along. For some funny reason I feel even Lecrae had it wrong initially. I honestly thought being an unashamed Christian only meant being unapologetic about your faith. ‘Unashamed’ for me meant ‘unembarrassed’. It felt like a tag I could wear boldly on my chest in a world where it isn’t too cool to be Christian. I had it all wrong. From the book, I learnt that being unashamed meant not being afraid to accept your vulnerability and the fact that you are daily in dire need of a savior. Being unashamed according to the way I defined it previously puffs you up by inflating your heart with stinking pride. You can easily become judgmental if you are not careful.

You know how we often quote the parts of the verses we like and leave the rest out? That practice is deadly. Romans 1:16, which is the mantra of the 116 movement spearheaded by Lecrae and his cronies is one of such verses. The first part of the verse says ‘I am unashamed of the gospel…’ and this is all most of us care about. The next few words changed my understanding of the term ‘unashamed’ and put things into perspective for me. The verse goes on to say that ‘… for it (The Gospel) is the power of God unto salvation to them that believe; first to the Jew and then to the Greek’. How did I miss this part? The gospel transcends cultures. The gospel cannot be put in a cultural box. The writer of the book of Romans isn’t ashamed of the gospel because it can be as relevant and potent in any other culture as it is in the Jewish one. How did I miss this? Being unashamed doesn’t merely mean you are unembarrassed to be the only Christian in the room, it means you recognize the fact that the power of God could be as potent in other people’s lives as much as it is in yours.

Christianity is not Jewish-Culture Assimilation

I often say that ‘Christianity is not Jewish-Culture assimilation’. We are not supposed to learn and practice the way the Jews live because we are Christians. We are free to express our faith in God in our cultural context. It has already been proven from scripture in the previous paragraph that the gospel transcends cultures, but here is the thing, the gospel doesn’t walk on its two feet from place to place. Jesus knew that. That is why he sent his disciples on their mission trips and instructed them to make disciples of all nations (cultures). This sounds to me like a command to depart from your comfort zone and mingle with cultures you are not too familiar with while proselytizing. Remember the gospel is the power of God first to the Jew and then to the Greek? For some reason the Jews – I am using ‘Jews’ here metaphorically – are too proud to accept a gospel that transcends cultures. They want it to be for them and them alone. Is it not a shame that Jesus had more problems with ‘Church folks’ than with unbelievers? Is it not a shame that Lecrae is experiencing the same thing in 2016? Why is he getting flak for addressing social issues? Many people don’t understand that he is doing the exact same thing that the apostles did – especially Paul. If the gospel must influence people of all cultures, the work will be done when men avail themselves to be used. To me this is what Lecrae – together with the many like him – is doing. He is a man so definitely he isn’t flawless but all that matters is he is accepted by God.

So the biggest lesson I picked up while reading the book is in Page 101. The lesson is built on a discussion Jesus once had with his disciples. He asked them who men thought he was and went on to ask who they (his disciples) thought he was. Simon said, ‘You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God’. Jesus was so astounded by Simon’s answer that he replied, ‘Thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it’. The rock on which Jesus said he would build his church is in the response that Peter gave. Christ was only saying that the foundation of his church would be this revelation: that he (Christ) is the Son of the living God. Coincidentally ‘Peter’ also means rock. Therefore many assume Jesus was saying he would build his church using Peter as the foundation. Nope! Jesus was playing on words by mentioning ‘Peter’ and then going on to say ‘the rock’ in the same sentence. Jesus was dropping punchlines on the disciples and I can’t even tell if they got it.

Anyway, the lesson is in what Jesus said. He was going to build his church and the gates of hell would not prevail against it. Initially I thought this meant something else. Maybe ‘gates’ there was used metaphorically to represent the tricks of the devil. That doesn’t even make sense and I just didn’t pay attention to it enough to rethink it. Gates keep people out of a specific location. Lecrae said it best, ‘Gates are not weapons; they don’t attack people or things. They are defenses.’ How many times haven’t we heard that the devil is on the attack? Which is true anyway. But if Jesus said he was going to build a church so strong the gates of hell could not stand against it, it means he is building a church that is on the offensive. A church that is entering hell to snatch anything that is redeemable. This reminds me of the verse in Psalm 24 which says that ‘Lift up your heads O ye GATES and be ye lifted up ye everlasting doors and let the King of Glory come in.’ This is what Jesus is talking about. ‘Hell’ here doesn’t mean the place of damnation in eternity but every place, country, industry, field of study, career, establishment, movement etc. that the devil is holding people captives in. The gates of that hell will not prevail against the church that Jesus has built. We are on the offensive Church! If the movie industry is glorifying the works of Satan, we need Christians there. Just a few weeks ago I watched an interview of Mel Gibson in which he said ‘I made the ultimate superhero movie when I made the Passion of the Christ’. That’s what I’m talking about! You say hip hop is too profane, misogynistic etc. cool. We need somebody from the church to step in and let his light shine away the gloom. Big ups to Lecrae for the work he is doing. ‘Oh rap battles on the streets is way too crass and profane’, well that’s the reason why we have Street Hymns actively battling without cussing or using violent language. He laces each verse with biblical allusions so beautifully. How cool is that? ‘This will not have much impact’, you might say. But wait for it. Wait until a whole bunch of people start testifying to how their lives are being changed because some Christians refused to remain defensive and are rather on the offensive to reach out to the lost souls and the perverted art forms.

At the end of the day I am just happy with what Lecrae is doing. I don’t even agree with everything he says or does but I look up to the guy. Sometimes I hop onto Lecrae’s instagram and facebook pages just to read the insults rained on him by Christians. It is all too pathetic. His latest single ‘Can’t Stop Me Now’ highlights how depressed he has been over some of the comments that people pass concerning stuff they know nothing about. Shame on us! Would it not be much more beneficial if you went on your knees and said a prayer for the man? It is easy to see the flaws of one standing in the spotlight so be very gracious in your criticism. Because one of these days you will stand in the grandest spotlight before a cloud of witnesses in heaven and you won’t be judged by how much you pointed out others’ mistakes, but by what you did. May you not be found wanting.

Do you guys really think if a person uses “profanity” (words we’ve given meaning) in their music they couldn’t possibly b Christian? Why?

— Andy Mineo (@AndyMineo) February 13, 2016

I can’t figure out his intentions. It appears to have something to do with Kanye West’s latest album and the fact that kanye said it is a gospel album though it contains profane lyrics. Whatever compelled Andy to pose this question isn’t my focus here.
To the many who lashed out at Andy, I think you were all wrong. I get your point though. Profanity in Christian music seems so obviously wrong that you think the topic needn’t come up for discussion. But hey, he said he was just trying to start a conversation. Believe it or not, that’s what he said his intentions were, so let’s all just leave it at that.
Is it cool for a Christian to cuss in a song? My answer is a big NO. Simply because the bible is very clear on the matter. The bible speaks against the use of profane words in our speech. These days it is very difficult to point out someone’s mistake without appearing to assume moral superiority over the person. So to all who may think I am judging you by stating what the bible says … I am not. No one is perfect. Nevertheless, I find it extremely offensive that the bible is the last book people expect you to make reference to in a debate on a Christian topic. That doesn’t even make sense. How do you get offended when I refer to the constitution of this country during a debate on any of the laws of the land? The bible is the standard. Forget the standards set by Hollywood or the West. This isn’t one of those issues that the bible isn’t too clear on. It isn’t one of those pesky issues in the bible we are expected to apply wisdom in its interpretation against the backdrop of the values of the world today. In more than one verse, we are told to desist from the use of foul words. Here are a few of those verses:

Ephesians 4:29 ‘Let no foul word or polluting language come out of your mouth…’
Colossians 3:8 ‘Now you must put all away, anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth’
Ephesians 5:4 ‘Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking which are out of place…’

Matthew 12:36-37 ‘“But I tell you that every careless word that people speak, they shall give an accounting for it in the day of judgment. 37“For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”

I could go on and on and on with quoting scripture. At this point I believe it is clear what the bible says on the issue of profanity. Does a person lose his salvation by using cuss words in his speech? Of course not! To even assume that, means one has little respect for God’s grace. You cannot out-cuss God’s grace. There is forgiveness for anyone who sins but this isn’t a license for anyone to consciously continue in sin. However, what is wrong here is to put up an argument against the fact that cussing is a sin. You and I do not determine what is wrong. I could have quoted from the book of Ezekiel concerning how wrong it is to mix the Sacred and the Profane, but I didn’t. Often people dispel anything quoted from the Old Testament on the grounds that it is outmoded. So there you have it above, God’s view on profanity in the New Testament.

I had a conversation with a friend of mine a few years ago concerning Christian rap music. And he made a very interesting comment. He commended the rappers for the sort of work they put in making their songs especially because they don’t cuss – seeing that cuss words convey certain emotions that clean words cannot. There is some truth in this assertion. ‘I love basketball’ sounds way too mild compared to ‘I f#&king love basketball’. Therefore he has a point; but is it a good enough point to support the use of cuss words in a song composed by a Christian? According to the bible, human languages are already inadequate especially during prayer.  In Romans 8:26 it states that the holy spirit himself, in view of the limitations of our speech in prayer, helps us out by interpreting our groanings that are too deep to be expressed in words. The inadequacy of human languages is probably one of the main reasons why Christians speak in tongues. God is too big to be described with the same words we use on trivial things. Therefore if the argument for cussing in a Christian song is that certain emotions cannot be expressed in clean language, then that argument doesn’t even hold a drop of water. If the Holy Spirit has to interpret our groanings that are too deep to be uttered in words to the Father, that should tell you how inadequate any human language is. Are you making it any better or worse by cussing?

Secondly, today’s set of profane words are highly sexist and mostly sexual slurs – the F word for example. Even ‘bitch’ is highly sexist when you think about it. A bitch is a female dog. The question is, why is it insulting to call someone a bitch? Especially when it is a show of affection in informal parlance to refer to a guy as ‘my dog’ (a male dog)? That sounds very sexist to me.  The gospel of Jesus has the ability to save souls. Therefore it must be presented in a socially acceptable way. People are highly sensitive to gender issues now. Imagine yourself evangelizing to someone who takes offense at the slightest case of sexism and using the word ‘bitch’ in your submission. Do you honestly expect the person to take you seriously? We can come up with as many seemingly logical arguments as we want, but the fact remains, the existence of profanity in anything Christian, will do more harm than good. Would you be ok with your pastor cussing in church? No? Why? Because the church is a holy place, right? Guess what the bible says about your body. Your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. What isn’t appropriate to be done in church is very inappropriate to be done by a Christian. I doubt any church will allow its congregation to sing profane songs in the auditorium. Anything produced by a Christian should be worth consuming within the walls of a church. Therefore if a song, written and performed by a Christian isn’t church-worthy, then it is a misrepresentation of Christ.

It is very true that some words in themselves are not profane but gather filthy connotations with time. We must desist from the use of such words too. Black people call each other ‘nigga’ because that is what they are, black. But over the years, especially after the era of widespread slavery, the word has gathered a very derogatory meaning. Hence, most black people take offense when referred to as such by white people – and rightly so. However, the bible uses the word in Acts 13:1 in reference to Simeon who was affectionately called ‘Niger’. We cannot refer to this as an approval of the use of the word even in an informal setting. Why? Because at the time the word was used in the bible, it didn’t mean anything other than the color of a person’s skin. Now it invokes all manner of painful memories of slavery hence black people cannot stand being called that, especially by white folks. We can use this same analogy in dealing with other words that might have gathered a derogatory connotative meaning with time. So far as society deems it unclean, crass and profane we have no business letting it slip out of our speech or even carefully weaving it into songs we write.

Would you cuss at a job interview? Would you cuss on TV? TV stations edit cuss words in their shows, why? Is it a simple case of a secular organization being ethical? I write, so I know inspiration doesn’t come along with a matching language or set of vocabulary, the writer decides which set of words to encode the message in. Therefore though the language used doesn’t determine the worth of the message, it can contaminate it. Clean water is good for consumption but when poured into a dirty cup and poured out again, it is still water but it is just not clean and good for drinking.

Let’s talk about engaging culture for a bit. Very few people have engaged culture better than the Apostle Paul, in all of Christian history. He is a master of the art. In Acts 17, Paul went to Athens, a city ‘wholly given to idolatry’ and debated with their philosophers. That is a typical example of a Christian engaging culture. It was he who said ‘I became all things to all people, that I might save some’. The interesting thing here is, it was he who wrote almost all the verses I have quoted above that speak against profanity. Therefore, if the goal is to engage culture in order to save souls, let’s follow what Paul did and not lose our Christian values while trying to save people. In our world today, Lecrae stands out as one person who is actively engaging a culture that is drenched in the glorification of violence, misogyny, profanity, sexism etc. What does he have to say about cussing? In his song ‘Believe’, he said ‘Me learning how not to curse was like learning to write in cursive’. In this song Lecrae spoke about the things he did right after giving his life to Christ while in college. He actually made a conscious effort to stop cussing. Wow!

One of the greatest misconceptions in Christianity today is that, the only things we are supposed to desist from are sinful acts. A big NO to that. Paul said if eating meat offends his brother, then he would rather not eat meat at all. Eating meat is not a sin. We have the freedom to do a lot of things but both Paul and Peter said we shouldn’t abuse our freedom by using it is an opportunity to please ourselves. Boundless freedom is as ensnaring as the chains of slavery. This is a fact that people do not know. Please, watch your mouth and what comes out of it.