April 2013

Video #1: Lecrae says he’s not a gospel rapper but a Hip Hop artist

Video #2: John MacArthur’s Master’s College Facebook page features ‘gospel rap’ artists.

Joel Beeke has also been guilty of promoting this satanic delusion as this quote from his blog illustrates.

“October 25, 2012 By Joel Beeke

A new rap song by Propaganda has caught the attention of a number of Christians in the blogosphere (lyrics here). It styles itself as a series of questions to a pastor who loves to quote the Puritans, criticizing them for their culpability in the slavery of African-Americans. The rap repeatedly uses the phrase “your precious puritans” in a way that is ironic, to say the least. It is sad that “precious” becomes a piece of sarcasm, for the Lord Himself said to His people that we are “precious in my sight” and “I have loved thee” (Isa. 43:4). To his credit, Propaganda promotes the gospel of Christ in other raps, and says that he has learned a lot from reading the Puritans. But his rap song forcefully portrays them as deeply flawed men, profoundly guilty for their participation in the Atlantic slave trade and slave economy. (http://www.joelbeeke.org/2012/10/propaganda-giving-the-puritans-a-bad-rap/)

Below is a video of Propaganda ‘promoting the ‘gospel of Christ’.

This is not a setting forth of the gospel. For Dr Joel Beeke to say that this man is a gospel witness is a shameful and deceiving statement. What a contrast is the clear, succinct, easily comprehended, Spirit-inspired statement: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life,” John 3:16, KJV; or Paul’s response to the jailer’s anxious enquiry: “Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house. And they spake unto him the word of the Lord, and to all that were in his house,” Acts 16:30-32, KJV.

Is this endorsement of Jason Petty (the rapper’s real name) by Dr Beeke an acting out of the philosophy of “infiltration” which I understand he favours rather than the Bible’s truth of the believer separating from all that is contrary to true holiness?

Does Dr Beeke believe that it is “hip” or “cool” or ”with it” to speak well of the modern phenomenon of “hip-hoppers”? Is this his keeping in with the religious “in crowd” as he did with John Piper etc., when “New Calvinism” was emerging?

To give his approval to such coarse and uncouth mouthings as this man manufactures and call it the gospel is wrong, deceitful and degrading to the Son of God, His work of redemption and the Word of God.

Is this not a repeat of Jehoshaphat’s mistake? “And Ahab king of Israel said unto Jehoshaphat king of Judah, Wilt thou go with me to Ramothgilead? And he answered him, I am as thou art, and my people as thy people; and we will be with thee in the war,” 2 Chronicles 18:3, KJV. How wrong to mingle ourselves with the forces of Ahab and affiliate ourselves with his cause. That is made very clear in the message the Lord sent to Jehoshaphat after his allying himself with Ahab. “And Jehoshaphat the king of Judah returned to his house in peace to Jerusalem. And Jehu the son of Hanani the seer went out to meet him, and said to king Jehoshaphat, Shouldest thou help the ungodly, and love them that hate the LORD? therefore is wrath upon thee from before the LORD,” 2 Chronicles 19:1-2, KJV.

This is what Dr Beeke has done in promoting this “rapper” and calling his incoherent nonsense the gospel. At best Jason Perry’s outpourings are a parody of the gospel. Dr Beeke has allied himself with that which is not of God.

There was a time when the devil was required to disguise himself in order to be welcomed amongst God’s people. As Paul says in 2 Corinthians 11:14, “And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.” How dark is the day when Satan can send his agents amongst Christians undisguised and they are welcomed and embraced as servants of God? Is this not what Dr Beeke would encourage us to do when he speaks of this man as a gospel witness?

What a day of confusion has come upon the professing church of Christ. Do we not see with a vengeance that of which Jude and Paul spoke?

“For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ. . . . . But, beloved, remember ye the words which were spoken before of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ; how that they told you there should be mockers in the last time, who should walk after their own ungodly lusts. These be they who separate themselves, sensual, having not the Spirit,” Jude 1:4, 17-19, KJV.

“This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts, ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. Now as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning the faith. But they shall proceed no further: for their folly shall be manifest unto all men, as theirs also was,” 2 Timothy 3:1-9, KJV.

May the Lord Jesus, in mercy to His poor people, open the eyes of our understanding that we may discern the signs of the times and obey His Word and turn from such blasphemous deceits and delusions.

– Rev Ivan Foster
Updated 27th March 2013