Lecrae Explains Why He Answered the Homosexuality Question So Poorly In Interviews
In a wide-ranging interview with Hip-hop artist Ruslan, Lecrae ran the gamut of discussion, talking about topics from deconstructing his faith, white supremacy, and how he lost his faith and renounced God for a time while presenting as a Christian musician.
While he did not going into any detail whatsoever, which is unfortunate, Ruslan asked Lecrae about not talking about the gospel or about Jesus in interviews, as well as an interview he did with DJ Vlad where he sputtered You know…well…um…er….ah….I don’t know’ when asked about the sin of homosexuality, reminiscent of Joel Osteen repeatedly saying “I don’t know” to CNN’s Larry King’s questions about the exclusivity of Christ. In that interview, a visibly uncomfortable Lecrae did not want to answer the question, played dumb, complained that people weren’t giving him “the grace and the space to be a learner” while explaining that he doesn’t have it all figured out. It was embarrassing and shameful, and you can see it below.
Rusland: “You identify as a missionary right, which ultimately the heart of a missionary is to conceptualize the gospel in said culture. Some of the pushback has been when you’ve had this kind of ‘alley-oop’ to make a clear statement about the gospel or about God’s standards, that you’ve kind of shied away from, you know, standing on truth…. like, are these opportunities where if you’re a missionary at the end of the day, when are we going to be unapologetic or unashamed? to clearly confess and profess the gospel in these opportunities?”
Lecrae acknowledges that he’s “dropped the ball” plenty of times as it pertains to the interview, then describes how he basically engages in the equivalent of ‘missionary dating’ in order to speak on the topic of sodomy and God’s design for human sexuality, while explaining he can’t, in fact, give a helpful, cohesive answer on homosexuality in 12 minutes, given how short of time that is:
“In my experience, I have seen more transformation happen through relationships than me just saying something in an interview. And generally, because an interview is for the purpose of sound bites. It’s not really letting me get deep in and letting me really unpack it.
Now if it’s like “you got an hour to just camp out on this particular thing” then it’s like, alright, then I can give you more than a soundbite. But if you’re like, hey, you know, what are your thoughts on homosexuality, this is probably not going to be helpful in 12 minutes. Whenever I say it is not going to be helpful in 12 minutes, its not going to be helpful on one side or the other.”
Lecrae also admits that sometimes fear paralyzes him as well- the fear of sharing his faith or other things- and then unpacks what is the equivalent of ‘friendship evangelism’ if done by a famous 41-year-old rapper with a fear of man and desire to be liked problem:
But then there’s been times where you’re thinking to yourself, you know, I just want them to listen to the album strategically. So let me just get them to pay attention to me and that I’m the type of person that can walk with them and talk with them, and then they’ll listen and hear a consistency of truth. And maybe they’ll watch videos and interviews and on and on and on, and really dive in where you’re going to get the fullness of who Christ is in everything that I’m articulating. So it’s just been a mixture of different things. And, you know, it’s never one reason. And sometimes it’s like, we weren’t even thinking about that. Sometimes it’s like, Bro, I literally was not even on that wave. I would just got off a flight out of bed. And they said, like, you know, something, and I just answered a question. So it’s all it’s always something. Right?”
That’s why the bible says “always be ready to give an answer for the hope….” Lecrae has been a public Christian figure for over 15 years who has been interviewed hundreds of times, and he doesn’t have a short, brief answer that is scripturally sound and biblically faithful, knowing he’s going to get asked about this a lot? How can 12 minutes be too short to answer these questions?
Ruslan: …”Is there ever a point where you are navigating these spaces in trying not to get canceled? Because you know, if you do take the Christian ethic stand or the historical standards, it may create an uprising?”
“Yeah, I don’t know if it was canceled as much as it was, ‘can I at least get in the door?’ You know what I’m saying? Will you at least let me- because a lot of people don’t understand. They don’t know the history. They’re getting the one interview, they’re missing the hundreds I did before that where people make fun to me, where they said, ‘Where’s your choir robe?’
Where it was kind of like, I didn’t even get to talk about real issues, where they wouldn’t ask me anything that pertained to what’s going on in society or football or basketball, they would just immediately go in for like, ‘what do you think about homosexuality? What do you think about gay marriage?‘ You know, ‘what do you think about marijuana? Is drinking a sin?’
Unsurprisingly, Lecrae believes that the ‘real issues’ revolve around sports and how a certain sports team is doing in the playoffs, but the fake issues would be the societal attacks on the sanctity of marriage, the abandonment of any semblance of biblical ethics, and transgendered craze. Also, all the more reason to have an answer. Take the question, answer it, make God’s glory known, and then use it as a springboard to something else.
And immediately, that’s what they’re coming at me with. And I’m like, well, first and foremost, are you a follower of Christ? Because that’s where we got to start. None of these questions even matter if you’re not a follower of Christ. Like that, now we’re talking about legalities. Because I can tell you to stop doing something but only the Gospels will give you the power to become a slave to Christ and no longer a slave to sin? Right? So what are we talking about? So let’s see Lecrae as a person, not as this alien preacher, who you got to just get off these polarizing questions so your views can go up.”
There’s about a hundred things wrong with that aforementioned statement, chief among them why wouldn’t they matter? Do you think he’d ever say this?
Question: “Hey Lecrae, is slavery a sin? Is white supremacy a sin? Is racism a sin?”
Lecrae: “None of these questions even matter if you’re not a follower of Christ. Like that, now we’re talking about legalities. Because I can tell you to stop doing something but only the Gospels will give you the power to become a slave to Christ and no longer a slave to sin? Right? So what are we talking about?
No? We didn’t think so.
Bonus: He also did an interview with the Christian Post where he says he’s been deconstruction and reconstructing his faith, where’s come to conclude “I love Jesus, but I’m not churchy”
About Author
“I love Jesus, but I’m not churchy”. I see this so much. People claiming to love Jesus, but hate his bride. Those two things don’t add up.
The author made a great point:
That’s why the bible says “always be ready to give an answer for the hope….” Lecrae has been a public Christian figure for over 15 years who has been interviewed hundreds of times, and he doesn’t have a short, brief answer that is scripturally sound and biblically faithful, knowing he’s going to get asked about this a lot? How can 12 minutes be too short to answer these questions?
Since these Christian entertainers have a public platform and an entourage of church and pastoral friends, and even label or empire execs, they should take it upon themselves to sit down develop answers to questions they know will come their way. That’s what good counselors do.
I get it. If you speak soundly on the Gospel, people will not buy your rap crap. Welcome to the fallen away church.
Staff writer: Proof second paragraph.
We need to make sure our kids, young adults, everyone really, understands that “Christian entertainment” is entertainment produced for Christians to buy. It doesn’t have anything at all to do with the personal beliefs of the entertainers. Some of them are Christians. Many or most are just regular American church drop out, cultural Christians. They don’t believe anything except that a more or less Christian Sunday school version of God loves them and everyone else. They don’t quote Bible verses because they don’t know any. They don’t read Bibles and they don’t go to church unless they’re being paid as performers. It’s an act. That’s why they’re called actors. Or performers.
If you like the movies or music, buy it. I’ve paid 99 cents on iTunes for several of these songs to have on my iPhone. But you should have zero expectations of the artists’ personal beliefs. Your church should not platform these people. It implies that you’ve vetted them. The songs are formulaic and often written by entertainment industry writers who don’t know or care about doctrine, any more than the artists. The normal formula is:
Verse 1
Chorus
Verse 2
Chorus
Bridge
Chorus x3.
Record labels pump them out like a factory.
This is not just Lecrae specifically. But the whole CCM and Christian entertainment industry.