Not Another Church Clothes Review…Really, It Isn’t!

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_g0glIo7m2k&feature=plcp&rel=0]

Thursday, May 10^th, 2012 will go down in history as being one of the most important days in Christian Hip-Hop, and more specifically, in Lecrae Moore’s career. While I must say, I enjoyed 10 out the 18 songs (not bad), the music is not what made that day monumental for me. In fact, several of my peers have asked me to write a review on Church Clothes, and I nearly obliged. But, perhaps against my better judgment, I have chosen not to do so.  Aside from a few tweets here and there, you won’t get many words from me about the mixtape. However, I am excited for those who had an opportunity to work on the project and experience the fruits of their labor. Glory to God and blessings to all of them!

At this point, you might be wondering why I even took the time to dedicate an entire paragraph to something I won’t be writing about. Well, I have good reason. I like to give credit where credit is due, and if it wasn’t for Church Clothes, I wouldn’t have received the inspiration for this post. You see, amongst all the “Praise God!” “Hallelujah!” and “Jesus is Lord!” comments was this little gem, and I was so moved by it, that I took a screen shot:

Upon reading this comment, I was astonished and affirmed. I was astonished because, he was right, there wasn’t much negativity at all. It’s as if the entire body of Christ got a memo to be on their best behavior, and most complied. If you’ve ever scrolled through the comments on any Christian blog or message board, you already know what I mean. On any given day, there’s no telling what kind of foolery is awaiting you. Negative comments are that pot of mold you can expect to find at the end of every post. Well, Church Clothes had generated quite a bit of controversy leading up to its release, and rightfully so. Many ride or die, unashamed fans were concerned that Lecrae might be selling out. So, in my mind, I was already prepared for typangelists to wield their caps-lock swords (i.e. “REPENT OF YOUR SINFUL WAYS AND COME BACK TO CHRIST! JESUS LOVES YOU, LECRAE! 1 John 20:40). So as previously stated, someone must have sent out a mass text, carrier pigeon, or telegraph, because I didn’t see any of that on DatPiff.com (at least not the few times I checked).

The feeling of affirmation came from something I discussed with a friend after watching video clips of Reach Records’ SXSW showcase. One clear difference I noticed between their showcase and some of the other ones out there (which I watched on live stream) was the crowd energy. The crowd at that Reach showcase easily could have been the most live and supportive one out of all the crowds from that week. Besides Rick Ross and Dee-1, most of those other artists were getting straight up crickets. Forget about telling those people to put their hands up, because they weren’t having it. All the sets I watched received the driest, most disrespectful response and that’s an understatement. I was insulted for Shady Aftermath when I witnessed the severe shade that crowd was serving. I mean, GOODNESS! If you couldn’t care less about what’s happening on the stage, why bother showing up? Anyway, I’m getting off course. I told my friend that the mainstream folk who showed up for Reach’s showcase had to be thinking, “Daaaag! I didn’t know they went hard like this!” The crowd alone might have led some folk to question the direction of their careers and if the approval that comes from glorifying sin is really that glorious. Yes, many people sell out just for the money, but there’s still a core group of Hip-Hop heads that value respect and love. Think I’m wrong? Kanye West. Who demonstrates that better than him? So, it made my heart happy to see the same supportive energy from SXSW pour out onto these blogs and garner people’s attention.

Jesus said it best, “Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples” (John 13:35, NLT). So, remember that the next time you comment on one these sites, write a tweet, or post a status. Now that the door is open and people are starting to peek inside, don’t think being good on these mainstream blogs is enough. Keep it kosher no matter where you’re posting, whether it’s Rapzilla or Rap Radar, because people are watching. It’s always interesting when I see some Christians pull out the red carpet for the lost but pull the carpet from under their fellow Christians. What happened to all that love? People who switch it up so instantaneously are hard for me to respect, and make my life and mission as a believer so much more difficult. The non-Christians I know can see right through the façade, and I honestly can’t blame them for not even wanting to be bothered. How far we have strayed from Acts 3 and how desperately we need to get back to that place. I don’t know what it’ll take to make that happen, but at the least, we can look at the response to Church Clothes as an example of how far a little positivity can go. People have heard enough preaching. They know what sin is. Now let’s show them what love is by following the examples of Jesus and the apostles. Don’t just change your rhetoric, but ask God to simultaneously change your heart. I struggle with this myself, however I believe there are brighter days ahead of me. So save that image, if you must, to remind you why we’re here. Spread the love.