Lecrae is a popular rapper who has contributed to the popularity of the deconstruction trend. Although he still claims to be a Christian, he attempts to reconcile his Black Christianity with past Reformed leanings. In an introspective monologue, Lecrae critiques and defends John Piper.
Daddy Issues
It’s vital to understand that Lecrae does not have a relationship with his biological father. This leads him to be eventually star-struck when he finally meets John Piper. However, the father-son relationship subconsciously desired by Lecrae was not reciprocated by Piper. Piper treated Lecrae as a peer, not as a son or even a lesser figure. Lecrae acknowledges that he had expectations stemming from childhood trauma in what he acknowledges as oversharing.
Piper And Jonathan Edwards
One of the ironies is that Lecrae critiques John Piper for admiring Jonathan Edwards, viewing his relationship with slavery as an inherent contradiction to the Christian faith. To Lecrae’s lack of knowledge, Piper has written on this subject, but its weird to suggest that Piper was not woke enough, something that Lecrae wrestles with.
John Piper promoted Critical Race Theory back in 2016. Lecrae credits Piper for defending him when Reformed Evangelicalism turned on him. Ultimately, Lecrae concludes that John Piper was woke enough, given his Southern upbringing.
No Hood Pass For Piper
One of the more potent and ironic insights is how Black people see John Piper. Despite being a woke preacher, John Piper is not received well in the Black community, according to Lecrae. Being a Piper follower, Lecrae describes, came with baggage that he had to overcome with Black Christians. Lecrae discusses how Christian hedonism and “Don’t Waste Your Life” were not compatible messages to the Black community.
However, the ultimate baggage of John Piper comes from being an Evangelical who’s White. Because the Black church was hurt in 2016, by White Evangelicals, Lecrae, despite being more favorable, does not trust White Christians. The year 2016 is a thinly veiled reference to Donald Trump.
Ultimately, Lecrae concludes that John Piper does not embody the negative experiences of Blakc Christians with White Evangelicals. Perhaps, in Lecrae’s mind, John Piper is the model White pastor. It used to be said that you can never be woke enough, but perhaps John Piper was, at least for Lecrae.
Powered by RedCircle
One Response
“he attempts to reconcile his Black Christianity with past Reformed leanings”
Please understand that LeCrae didn’t so much leave Reformed Christianity as he left evangelical Christianity. In this he was no different from fellow deconstructionist former Christian rapper Kevin Max of DC Talk and Audio Adrenaline fame, and Max was never reformed. And though racism was his excuse, LeCrae in the process also left behind a tradition of black American evangelical Christianity that dates back to when America was still a British colony and to this day includes several large black denominations that only differ from their white counterparts in voting behavior. In doctrine and practice there is little difference between most Missionary Baptist (black) and Southern Baptist (white) churches. Missionary Baptist churches, for example, also do not ordain female pastors and you are also actually less likely to encounter critical race theory or liberation theology at a Missionary Baptist church than at a Southern Baptist one. Between the Assemblies of God (white) and Churches of God In Christ (black) Pentecostal denominations? Same.
Again, race was just his excuse. But when LeCrae invited a secular rapper to defame Christians as hypocrites on his 2012 album Gravity – the first public evidence of his downgrade drift – the attack was as much against black, Hispanic, Asian etc. Christians as it was against white ones. And yes, plenty of black Christians did rightfully criticize LeCrae over this, including other black Reformed rappers like Christcentric and Shai Linne, who even released songs publicly denouncing him. So if Phillis Wheatley had no issues with being black and Reformed as a slave living in the 1700s then for LeCrae, Jemar Tisby etc. race is a mere excuse. If they were white like Max they would find a different one.