The Black Church and Hip Hop Culture Toward Bridging the Generational Divide

by Price, Emmett G., III

• ISBN13: 9780810882362
• ISBN10: 0810882361
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2011-11-10
• Publisher: Scarecrow Press

Summary

No friction among generations has been as extreme, volatile, and destructive as the present one between the Civil Rights generation and the hip-hop generation. Throughout the 1950s and 60s, the Black church stood as the stronghold of the Black community, fighting for equality and economic self-sufficiency, and challenging its body to be self-determined and self-aware. Hip-hop culture grew from disenfranchised urban youth who felt that they had no support system or resources. Impassioned with the same urgent desires for survival and hope that their parents and grandparents had carried, these youth forged their way from the bottom of America "s belly one rhyme at a time. For many young people, hip-hop culture is a supplement, or even an alternative, to the weekly dose of Sunday morning faith.In this collection of provocative essays, leading thinkers, preachers, and scholars from around the country challenge both the Black church and the hip-hop generation to realize their shared responsibilities to one another and to the greater society. Arranged into three sections, this volume addresses key issues in the debate between two of the most significant institutions of Black culture. The first section, SFrom Civil Rights to Hip Hop, explores the transition from one generation to another through the transmission ”or lack thereof ”of legacy and heritage. Section two, SThe Black Church and Hip Hop in Dialogue, explores the numerous ways in which the conversation is already going on ”from sermons to theoretical examinations and spiritual ponderings. Section Three, SGospel Rap, Holy Hip Hop, and the Hip Hop Matrix, clarifies the perspectives and insights of practitioners, scholars, and activists who explore various expressions of faith and the diversity of locations where these expressions take place.In The Black Church and Hip-Hop Culture, pastors, ministers, theologians, educators and laypersons wrestle with the challenging duties of providing timely commentary, critical analysis, and in some cases practical strategies towards forgiveness, healing, restoration, and reconciliation. With inspiring reflections and empowering commentary, this collection demonstrates why and how the Black church must re-engage in the lives of those who comprise the hip-hop generation.

Author Biography

Emmett G. Price III is chair of the Department of African American Studies and associate professor of music and African American studies at Northeastern University in Boston. He is the coeditor of Encyclopedia of African American Music (2011).

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	p. ix
Introduction	p. xi
From Civil Rights to Hip Hop	p. 1
From Civil Rights to Hip Hop: A Meditation	p. 3
Dissed-Enfranchised: The Black Church under the Steeple	p. 15
Chasing a Dream Deferred: From Movement to Culture	p. 21 Emmett G.
Hip Hop Culture and the Black Church in Dialogue	p. 31
Deep Calls to Deep: Beginning Explorations of the Dialogue between the Black Church and Hip Hop	p. 33
Rap Music as Prophetic Utterance	p. 43
Binding the Straw Man: Hip Hop, African American Protestant Religion, and the Dilemma of Dialogue	p. 55
Sermon: "Kick Your Delilah to the Curb"	p. 63
Thou Shall Have No Other Gods before Me: Myths, Idols, and Generational Healing	p. 67
Hip Hop Children of a Lesser God	p. 81
Sermon: "Bling Bling"	p. 85
Formality Meets Hip Hop: The Influence of Hip Hop Culture on the Afro-European Church	p. 95
Gospel Rap, Holy Hip Hop, and the Hip Hop Matrix	p. 105
Beats, Rhymes and Bibles: An Introduction to Gospel Hip Hop	p. 107
Isn't Loving God Enough? Debating Holy Hip Hop	p. 115
Five Theses on the Globalization of Thug Life and 21st Century Missions	p. 131
Hip Hop, Theology, and the Future of the Black Church	p. 153
Confessions of a Hip Hop Generation Minister	p. 159
Spiritually Educating and Empowering a Generation: Growing Up in a Hip Hop Matrix	p. 165
An Invisible Institution: A Functional Approach to Religion in Sports in Wounded African American Communities	p. 173
"To Serve the Present Age": A Benediction	p. 189
Selected Bibliography	p. 193
Index	p. 197
About the Editor and Contributors	p. 205
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