Music Debate Between Fundamentalist and Rapper

[Zymologist]

I wish more Christian music was theologically heavy, instead of being highly-repetitious, feel-good garbage. I'm neither Reformed nor a rap fan, but I like and respect Shai Linne's music a lot for what he does.

I agree. A lot of these Reformed rappers have anything but shallow lyrics.

[thewriteranon]

Hmmm, well I would argue that Shia Linne's music is probably some of the theologically heavier stuff available.

For example his QnA on the Atonement is solid stuff. (now you may agree with his Calvinism, as a fellow reformed I obviously don't, but not much other music out there consists basically of pure theology)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7RUciHVpCbw

Or his Greatest Story Ever Told
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ChWgrzqEVZ4

Tim Challies, who personally doesn't enjoy Rap, recently went over a new book published by Cruciform Press: Does God Listen to Rap? Christians and the World’s Most Controversial Music by Curtis Allen
http://www.challies.com/cruciform-pr...-christian-rap
I haven't read it yet but it's on my Kindle wishlist.

Oooh, those were very good. I'm not a Calvinist either, but those songs were definitely worth reposting on my twitter.

[Pentecost]

FWIW, I'm going to a show tonight where the headliner's lead is a Pentecostal evangelist.

[RBerman]

The Koine Greek of the New Testament is not the language of the marketplace. It's its own sort of "Biblese" that constantly uses phrases and grammatical structures out of the Septuagint to a degree found in no writings contemporary to it.

This is interesting. To what degree does the language differ from what was used in ordinary writing (as opposed to everyday speech, which would naturally be more difficult to know much about?) Since Paul had a habit of cobbling quotations from various sources, if that were the case, it would seem that these would stick out like a sore thumb if there was a significant difference.

I'm not sure which "it" you're saying would stick out. But yes, the NT would not have read like regular people talked. Not that "regular people" committed their workaday thoughts to writing like we do, what with the price of paper and such. As for Paul, he does occasionally quote secular sources, but like the other NT authors he alludes to the Septuagint constantly. Here's a big book on the topic:

http://www.amazon.com/Handbook-New-T.../dp/0801038960

[RBerman]

I wish more Christian music was theologically heavy, instead of being highly-repetitious, feel-good garbage.

Alas, we get what we pay for. The pop music industry is structured to provide a steady stream of attractive young men and women who will stare longingly into the camera and tell you (in song, in rap, etc.) how much they think about you. It's not the sort of setup that fosters even rudimentary theological thoughts, let alone "heavy" ones. Shai Linne, like a few others over the last thirty years, is the exception that proves the rule.