Can we ever truly just fight for something without having to fight against something else? Should (good) Christians fight against anything? What about religiosity? My first reaction to "The Soul of Hip Hop", by D W Hodge was how I was quite taken with his topic, methodological approach to communicating it, his passion and his testimony—who doesn’t like a good story? But I was left with some questions in the end and concerns that have left me wondering if this is a safe book for young and influential youth ministers to read? One could be persuaded to give in to a vigilantism or “we vs. them” stance in the Church. Not that we don’t have that already at times. Times are changing quickly. There is a tide that is upon us and an unidentified undertow that seems to be slowly eroding a foundation—whether it is the good parts of the foundation or the bad has to be discerned.
I found myself routing and cheering when Hodge used such terminology as “the domesticating of converts” being “mounted in church pews” after they have become “familiarized with the Christian cultural norms”. I too hate this aspect of “church” for I have seen so many converts prematurely abandoned as “dogs returning to their vomit”. But I do not see much historical ties with Hodge’s methodology and it would seem there should be. When he quotes Wilbert Shenk, “Western theology has weakened the force of the gospel message” and that Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount “cannot possibly be intended as the basis for ethical guidance” I thought of how many church fathers looked to Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount as a key to the Church, its mission, and holy living (Augustine, Fox, Wesley, Bonhoeffer). In fact, there isn’t much (if any) reference to holy living (evangelical style) in this book. And yet there is a “holy communing” that permeates this book that is highly attractive—a WYSIWYG format for achieving spiritual intimacy where Christ shows up in post-Emmaus fashion. But hasn’t the church always diverged at the road between social justice and personal holiness?
I found Hodge’s regurgitation of Niebuhr’s "Christ and Culture" refreshing as well as his ‘six junctures’ very informing and relevant. The mystery stage is a cocooning time, one I related to right away and it gave me great courage in my God. I would add “Transformation” after Enlightenment as the walk we must all take—or flight of the butterfly released from the cocoon of mystery. In the last 30-40 pages I began asking, “What about discipleship? I wonder how Hodge sees discipleship taking place and what he has seen as the fruit of this method?” I also wondered if 10 years of research was enough to be able to promote such a method. And when he gave his list of several key items from Hip Hop culture to facilitate growth I jotted in the margin, “A postmodern ministry model” that I have been waiting to see formulated! No one I have read has dealt with a reality noticed in the city—what Hodges calls “the fragmenting into orbiting communities” is a truism and more should be written on this. He quotes Edward Soja and the “exopolis” or “restructuring of urban form”—and unless I have been out of the loop, there needs to be more discussion about this occurrence.
I know what rims are but still not sure as to what timbs refer to. I love the Jesuz of Hip Hop, but I don’t see myself getting into one of those (or starting one of those) churches. I do believe I could better dialogue with those within the sphere of that ministry and support its efforts. Hodge’s approach to discipleship seems to come across as a ‘facilitator’s role’—a choice for post-moderns who fear knowledgeable predators. What about the historical church’s monastic catechumenate? Could it offer an ‘adoptive agency’ approach to the Hip Hop community that would prove effective in transformation? There has to be a guidance for the path and a Confession that would solidify the language and such a focus should prove beneficial. I also wonder as to what Hodge’s baptismal rites would look like. I do not agree with his “waiting for people to figure out their life and how Jesuz fits into it” as a biblical methodology. “Moving and growing in a relationship with Christ…” widens the gap of discipleship. It seems Hodges believes in chucking all of church history and starting over. But I really enjoyed this book! There are too many good things about it to leave it on a shelf or put it into a garage sale.
I found myself routing and cheering when Hodge used such terminology as “the domesticating of converts” being “mounted in church pews” after they have become “familiarized with the Christian cultural norms”. I too hate this aspect of “church” for I have seen so many converts prematurely abandoned as “dogs returning to their vomit”. But I do not see much historical ties with Hodge’s methodology and it would seem there should be. When he quotes Wilbert Shenk, “Western theology has weakened the force of the gospel message” and that Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount “cannot possibly be intended as the basis for ethical guidance” I thought of how many church fathers looked to Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount as a key to the Church, its mission, and holy living (Augustine, Fox, Wesley, Bonhoeffer). In fact, there isn’t much (if any) reference to holy living (evangelical style) in this book. And yet there is a “holy communing” that permeates this book that is highly attractive—a WYSIWYG format for achieving spiritual intimacy where Christ shows up in post-Emmaus fashion. But hasn’t the church always diverged at the road between social justice and personal holiness?
I found Hodge’s regurgitation of Niebuhr’s "Christ and Culture" refreshing as well as his ‘six junctures’ very informing and relevant. The mystery stage is a cocooning time, one I related to right away and it gave me great courage in my God. I would add “Transformation” after Enlightenment as the walk we must all take—or flight of the butterfly released from the cocoon of mystery. In the last 30-40 pages I began asking, “What about discipleship? I wonder how Hodge sees discipleship taking place and what he has seen as the fruit of this method?” I also wondered if 10 years of research was enough to be able to promote such a method. And when he gave his list of several key items from Hip Hop culture to facilitate growth I jotted in the margin, “A postmodern ministry model” that I have been waiting to see formulated! No one I have read has dealt with a reality noticed in the city—what Hodges calls “the fragmenting into orbiting communities” is a truism and more should be written on this. He quotes Edward Soja and the “exopolis” or “restructuring of urban form”—and unless I have been out of the loop, there needs to be more discussion about this occurrence.
I know what rims are but still not sure as to what timbs refer to. I love the Jesuz of Hip Hop, but I don’t see myself getting into one of those (or starting one of those) churches. I do believe I could better dialogue with those within the sphere of that ministry and support its efforts. Hodge’s approach to discipleship seems to come across as a ‘facilitator’s role’—a choice for post-moderns who fear knowledgeable predators. What about the historical church’s monastic catechumenate? Could it offer an ‘adoptive agency’ approach to the Hip Hop community that would prove effective in transformation? There has to be a guidance for the path and a Confession that would solidify the language and such a focus should prove beneficial. I also wonder as to what Hodge’s baptismal rites would look like. I do not agree with his “waiting for people to figure out their life and how Jesuz fits into it” as a biblical methodology. “Moving and growing in a relationship with Christ…” widens the gap of discipleship. It seems Hodges believes in chucking all of church history and starting over. But I really enjoyed this book! There are too many good things about it to leave it on a shelf or put it into a garage sale.