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“Most  teenagers parents have no  idea what music  their  kids  are  listening to  or  the lyrical  content  of  their musical diet. Given the importance of music in shaping the values and  ideas  of  our young people we would be well  advised  to  devote  greater  attention  to this  dimension  of  our  youth  development” George Barna - Real Teens
 

Opposition or Opportunity?
I don’t know  about you but  the  times I’ve  listened  carefully  to  the  music played  by my  teenage  kids  I  can  still have no idea what the artists are saying. Yet my kids seem to get it, understand it  and  respond.  Initially  I  assumed  it was the beat that drew the kids toward this  style of music, yet  I have come  to understand  it  is way more  than  that – it’s a culture and one we cannot ignore. It’s  shaping  the  way  our  kids  dress, speak and interpret their world.

Hip-hop  is  very  infuential  among  NZ youth regardless of race or place of residence. Hip-hop  is  about  dance,  art  expression, pain, love, racism, sexism, broken families, hard  times,  searching  for  God  and  over coming.  It  embraces  far  more  than  just music – it has its own fashion, visual art, language and dance style.

Recently  I went  to  the World Hip-hop Championships  in  Las  Vegas.  (Limit Break (click on link below) was one of 3 dance groups  chosen  from NZ  to  compete at this  level.)  I was  thoroughly impressed by the energy, creativity and dedication of  young  people  from all around  the world  using  this from of  creative communication. While I tried to blend in, it  was obvious I was not  “one of them”. How do we capture this form of enthusiasm,  dedication  and  creativity for God’s kingdom? Does Hip-hop have a  place  in  the  church,  or  church  have a  place  in Hip-hop?  Or  are  they  two parallel worlds?

 Click here to read full article.