Four Multicultural Churches Have Offered Me Hope

I have a fair share of conversations about racial reconciliation in the church. 

One practical step I always offer to churches, families, individuals, etc. is to visit a church that by God's grace has a ethnically diverse local expression of the body. (Note: I understand sitting in pews together doesn't always mean doing life together.) 

Couldn't find the pictures where I was smiling ... 

While much has been made recently about the racial church divide – with Sunday at 11 a.m. still being the most segregated hour in America – some churches are actually making progress on that front.

As a Christian, I want to see that. As a husband and a father, I want my family to see that.

And so we travel.

From time to time, we’ll take road trips.

The destination is churches on the east coast with a diverse leadership and congregation.

Here are four churches we have visited this far.

1.      CROWN AND JOY PRESBYTERIAN, RICHMOND, VA.

We started with Crown and Joy for a number of reasons. Richmond is the closest to my hometown in Staunton, VA, and we are part of the PCA denomination. We would commend anyone go there. 

The congregation is truly diverse. They preach the Word, and on the two times we visited the congregation stayed after and ate a meal together. It really helped us to feel welcomed to be asked to stay and eat afterwards.

2.      Anacostia River Church, Washignton, D.C.

When my family asked me what I wanted to do for Father’s Day, I told them visit Anacostia River Church, pastored by Thabiti Anyabwile. His sermon at the 2009 Worship God Conferenceabout the Church of Worship forever changed the way I relate to the local church.

Not only did we get to see a beautifully diverse church body, many members of the church were memorizing parts of Colossians together and Anyabwile preached a powerful expository message the day we were there. My friend Jeff attended there before being sent out by that church as part of a plant. He told us around the corner to get some good pizza, and then we made a day of D.C.

3.      Hampton Roads Fellowship, Hampton VA. 

We decided to do our back-to-school shopping at the new outlet stores in Norfolk, and attend church at HamptonRoads Fellowship. It was great. The worship team and the pastoral team were diverse. 

The Sunday we attended, a young man who they were training for leadership in the church preached, and he did the best expository unpacking of Philemon that I had ever heard. I left with my heart full and my gaze on Christ.

Also, something the pastor said that stuck with me in regards to evangelism: “Every person I meet could be a new brother or sister in Christ (paraphrased).”

4.      Crossover Church, Tampa, Florida.

A quick back story is needed here. Crossover’s pastor, Tommy Kyllonen, had a huge impact me in my early walk as a believer. I had been wanting to get down for FlavorFest, but when my sister actually moved to Tampa, I knew I had to check it out.

Also, the week we visited was Easter. I’m not sure what was the norm and what was special for Resurrection Sunday. Here’s what I can tell you. Crossover is incredibly diverse. They do a phenomenal job engaging visitors, and they do an incredible job incorporating arts in a Christ-glorifying way.

As much as I enjoyed the experience there – my kids are willing to move to Tampa – my favorite part was hearing them talk about how they planned to intentionally love their city. That was amazing.

A Final Thought 

I have a personal rule that I never try to miss my home church two weeks in a row, and I don’t let my work or leisure allow me to miss my own church twice in a month. I want to make sure I have a healthy commitment level to my brothers and sisters in Christ in my own congregation. 

With that being said, it’s important for me to experience settings that give us a foretaste of heaven, worshiping beside people of all nationalities. And I want my family to have a vision for that, too, especially since my kids are biracial.

I hope it encourages you, too. 

Chris Lassiter is a Christ-follower, a husband to Emily (read her blog here), a father to five kids and a freelance writer for Young Life Relationships, HipHopDX.com, JamTheHype.com and other publications. His first book, You're Grounded, was published by Moody Publications in 2013. You can order the book here.  His first kids' book, Grits & the Grimels, is out now. 

Reconsidering No Religious Affiliation

Recent studies suggest more and more Americans, classified as the "Nones," are claiming no religious affiliation.

These aren't just numbers. Each number represents a person. 

Some of them are people I know and love deeply. They grew up in church, but now wouldn't identify with any organized religion. We've had great, hours-long discussions on this topic. 

As a Christian, one thing I've taken away from these conversations is that we too often aren't engaging people at the point where they are wrestling through these issues. That's why I was so encouraged over the last month. 

My church Holy Cross PCA recently did a four-part series examining how the gospel speaks to the main points of contention of people with no religious affiliation.  

All four messages are well worth the listen. 

1. Which God? This is a sermon examining the Biblical God versus characteristics assumed to be true about the God of the Bible. 

2. Literally? Troubling passages? Scientific improbabilities?  Impossibly high sexual ethics? Do you expect us to take the Bible literally? 

3. Facts and Faith. Do you really believe Jesus rose from the dead? 

4.  Either, neither or both?  The problem of evil. Either God is:

• all powerful but not all good 
• all good but not all powerful
• not all good or all powerful  

Or ... is there another option? 

These are such important topics. If you take me up on listening to any of these messages, I'll treat you to a cup of coffee so that we can talk about it. 

P.S. If it's helpful to share your story about why you left the church,  please e-mail both chrislassiter540@gmail.com and office@holycrosspca.org. We'd be interested in hearing your stories. 

Chris Lassiter is a Christ-follower, a husband to Emily (read her blog here), a father to five kids and a freelance writer for Young Life Relationships, HipHopDX.com, JamTheHype.com and other publications. His first book, You're Grounded, was published by Moody Publications last year. You can order the book here.  His latest book, Grits and the Grimels, can be purchased here. 

Four Things Christians Can Learn From Baseball's Integration

One Christian journalist referred to it as “The only Oreo crumb in the cup of milk.”

The Oreo crumb phrase is in reference to being the only black person in a room full of white people. And, during my time in church and in campus ministry, this has been a regular occurrence for me. 

On the one hand, it's not that big of deal. What we have in common - the cross of Christ - is so much greater than our skin color that distinguishes us. 

On the other hand, it can be awkward. 

And confusing. 

And uncomfortable. 

Sort of like how 1947 was uncomfortable for Jackie Robinson. 

On April 15, 1947, Robinson broke the color barrier in Major League Baseball,  in large part due to a visionary named Branch Rickey, the Brooklyn Dodgers general manager who helped pave the way for Robinson.

When the MLB honors Robinson on April 15 this year, roughly 10 percent of the players in the league will be black. The sport is now so integrated that the Negro Baseball League ceases to exist.

But how did they get there?

And what can churches and campus ministries learn from baseball's integration? 

I can think of at least four things. 



1. Branch Rickey thought things could change. When no one could imagine one united major league baseball system, Rickey could. I love Rickey's quote. “I may not be able to do something about racism in every field, but I can do something about it baseball.”

We may be not be able to stop all racial division in the body of Christ, but perhaps like Rickey we can change it in our particular sphere of influence. 

2.      Branch Rickey invested in multicultural friendships that were deep enough to shape his convictions. One can only wonder how much of Rickey’s convictions came from befriending his one-time teammate Charles Follis, the first black professional football player. Rickey's front row seat to Follis' sub-human treatment created empathy and sympathy in him. 

Here's a tough question. Do we have multicultural friendships so deeply rooted that they help shape our life convictions? If not, can we really expect the dynamics of the room to change? And what are we willing to do if those answers are no?

3. Branch Rickey went scouting the Negro Baseball Leagues.  The Boston Red Sox brought in Jackie Robinson first as a politically correct gesture,  but Rickey actually went to the Negro League games in order to find a baseball player that could help integrate baseball. 

Rickey had a team of scouts that watched the Negro League players. In other words, he entered another culture and then invited someone from another culture (Robinson) to come integrate baseball.  

He invested time, money, talent scouts and resources into it, and he was willing to go where it was culturally uncomfortable. If we're not willing to make make similar sacrifices, we're really just paying the idea of a gospel-centered diversity a lip service. 

4.  Rickey was willing to upset the status quo. Jackie Robinson was as vilified in 1947 as he is idolized in 2016. The Negro Leagues didn't like losing Robinson as a player, and so no one was on board with it initially. Rickey knew this would happen. And he knew it would take a player with both Robinson's talent and vision to pioneer the way for other blacks.

Let's be honest. When areas diversify, it creates a whole new set of problems. You have to think through a whole set of cultural questions that you don’t have to think through in homogeneous settings. 

The question then becomes: is it worth it? Is having integrated churches and campus ministries more God-glorifying, Christ-exalting and more consistent with "on earth as it is in Heaven?"

In 2016, we'd find the idea of segregated baseball repulsive. I'm hoping we will find the idea of the church being segregated equally repulsive.  That goes for campus ministries, too.

Do we really want to see multicultural expressions of the body of Christ in our churches and campus ministries?  Would we really love to see it "on earth as it is heaven?" Or are we content with "on earth as it was in the Jim Crow South?" 

As the world remembers Jackie Robinson, let's let his example remind the body of Christ that what has been isn't what always has to be. 

Chris Lassiter is a Christ-follower, a husband to Emily (read her blog here), a father to five kids and a freelance writer for Young Life Relationships, HipHopDX.com, JamTheHype.com and other publications. His first book, You're Grounded, was published by Moody Publications in 2013. You can order the book here.  His first kids' book, Grits & the Grimels, comes out this spring. 

The LeBron "Decision" We Must All Make (Part 1 of 2)

"Can I succeed in my hometown?"

This is a question we know LeBron James has wrestled through at least twice, as evidenced in his journey from Cleveland to Miami and ultimately back to Cleveland. 

In fact, the most criticism the NBA's most famous and physically gifted player has faced was for the "I'm taking my talents to South Beach" comment and everything that ensued afterward.

That was a mess! 

However, most has been forgiven after 'Bron returned to help the Cavs try for a championship that has eluded the city since the legendary Jim Brown was in the backfield for the Cleveland Browns. 

I can sort of relate to LeBron. 

Not with the  fame, finances, championships or basketball skills. (Maybe the hairline.)

But with the question. 

Can I succeed in my hometown? 

Like LeBron, I love my hometown. I'm as thankful to have grown up in Staunton as he is to have grown up in Akron. Like LeBron, I have dozens of ideas to leave my city better than I found it. And, just like Cleveland isn't exactly known for winning championships, my city isn't known for a lot of the things I want to achieve. 

This is what brought LeBron - as well as me and countless others - to the point of decision. 

"Should I be a pioneer in my hometown? Or should I just move wherever I need to move to make sure the dream gets achieved?" 

Although I once had dreams of sports achievements, my passion now is more theological. I want to be part of a gospel-preaching, multicultural church. I want to work with urban kids through a faith-based initiative. I want to write a few more books, and I want to create a sports, faith and culture podcast. 

And ...  I want to feed my kids and pay the mortgage. 

Do I have to "take my talents to South Beach?" 

Or do I try to pioneer those things here? 

Ordinarily, this is the part of the blog where you give five points, but this is something I'm still figuring out myself.  In addition to praying about it a lot, I've also been helped greatly by a book, What Color is Your Parachute, given to me by a friend at church. 

The book helps you ask yourself a bunch of critical questions which enable you to determine how you really define success. The book also helps you outline a map to achieve career goals. 

I write these blogs as conversation-starters. I would love to know how you've wrestled through moving or staying to find success. I also want to know what you've read that has been helpful to you in figuring out your career path. 

Chris Lassiter is a Christ-follower, a husband to Emily (read her blog here), a father to five kids and a freelance writer for Young Life Relationships, HipHopDX.com, JamTheHype.com and other publications. His first book, You're Grounded, was published by Moody Publications last year. You can order the book here. 

An open letter to churches in Staunton, Waynesboro and Augusta County

Dear local churches in the Valley, 

For the past two years, much of the narrative in America has centered around race. From Trayvon Martin to Sandra Bland, it's been a constant theme in our news media. With the rest of the nation talking about it, I figured we should, too. 

First, please know I am with you on this. I love the church. I am passionate about Christ and His bride.  I've given my life to serve her with my time, talents and treasures. I agree with pastor Art Azurdia when he says, "Any quarrel I have with the local church must be a lover's quarrel." (P.S. The entire sermon, embedded below, is worth the listen) 



We've inherited a problem. Most pastors under the age of 60 more than likely attended integrated schools. Yet, our churches remain largely segregated. The message it sends to both our Savior and a watching world is unmistakable. 

Our color trumps our cross. 

To any person in our community who has trusted Christ alone for reconciliation to God, this should be hard to read. But here's the problem with inherited problems. It's easy to not feel the responsibility for fixing it. 

We can say things like: 

"It was like this when I got here."
"There's no way to undo what's done." 

Here's why this is problematic. As our culture tries to figure out race relations, we can't lead the way with the gospel.  

Thus, the dilemma. To Christ, this is grievous. But to us, the divide has grown comfortable. Certainly more comfortable than the thought of trying to integrate. Even for those who recognize this as a huge problem, the problem can seem so insurmountable that we just throw up our hands and don't do anything. 

As a father of five, I'm pleading with my generation to begin at least taking baby steps toward reconciliation, and not put this all on the shoulders of my kids and their generation. 

What steps can we take? 

Here are seven thoughts.  

1. We can repent. Individually and corporately, we can acknowledge that we haven't pushed against the idea of "white church" and "black church," when scripture would only support the idea of Christ's church. 

2. Read scripture. Let's be honest. It would be hard to imagine Paul condoning "white church" and "black church" if he didn't give a  "Jew church" and "Gentile church" option to the church in Rome.   

3. Pray together. We all have our theological and doctrinal distinctives. However, one thing we should be able to do together is to call out to our God to heal our church together in this area. 

4. Read books by authors with hearts for reconciliation. Oneness Embraced by Dr. Tony Evans might be a great starting place. (Watch the last two minutes of this video if you don't have time for the whole thing!) 




5. Lay down our preferences at the foot of the cross. This could be a whole book in itself. The principle is don't let our pragmatics - "how would we do music?" - outweigh our theology. What does a racially divided church say about our gospel? 

6. Have conversations cross culturally.  If all of us today were thrown into a congregation that was 50 percent black and 50 percent white, we'd have some emotions to work through. And that's OK. 

My guess is one of the greatest fears would be the idea of racially reconciled churches producing more interracial marriages, and other situations that are similar. These are real emotions that people have and need to work through. As believers, it seems like the gospel would have us engage in hard conversations and extend grace rather than to remain separated and avoid the awkwardness. 

Side note: If your cross cultural friendships can only hold surface conversations, but can't discuss what happened in Ferguson and South Carolina, you have every right to question the depth of that friendship. We need friendships that can discuss and even disagree freely without having to worry about jeopardizing the friendship. 

7. Plant new churches with gospel-centered racial reconciliation in mind. I am encouraged to see several churches in our community planting new churches in hopes to reach more people. Reversing course on centuries of racial division in existing churches is difficult but doable by God's grace, but churches that begin with the idea of a multicultural staff and gospel-centered reconciliation won't have anything to undo. 

Two quick notes: First, if there is any way I can serve Bible-believing, gospel-proclaiming churches in our community with this topic, please reach out to me (lassiterfam7@gmail.com). I don't want to just blog about it and not roll my sleeves up. 

Second, I hope this can help us all  to have healthy, Christ-honoring dialogue. I'm inviting all discussion that has the end goal of more Christ-likeness for the church . I'm asking that anyone who just wants to argue race to kindly do that some place else. 

Chris Lassiter is a Christ-follower, a husband to Emily (read her blog here), a father to five kids and a freelance writer for Young Life Relationships, HipHopDX.com, JamTheHype.com and other publications. His first book, You're Grounded, was published by Moody Publications last year. You can order the book here. 

Awful Clothes, Funny Teammates and The Gospel

I never signed up for Fashion 101. My college teammate decided to enroll me. 

They enrolled me because I own shoes like this.

Growing up, I only really cared about basketball and hip-hop. I was so focused on my two passions that I didn't realize there were actual rules to fashion. So when I showed up at Shenandoah University, my wardrobe wasn't fresh. 

Not fresh at all. And that's an understatement.

Shoes weren't Foamposites. Jeans weren't Levi's. And a quick glance through old pictures will reveal that my shirts, as Kanye once told Sway, "Ain't Ralph Though." 

Right: Not Ralph Though... Left: Cross Colours 

The purple Reeboks pictured above (I won them from Champ Sports with a soda top lid) are just one sad example of things that were in my wardrobe. My fashion sense (or lack of fashion sense) didn't sit well with one of my teammates, Larry Tharpe. A post player from Washington, D.C., Larry's disappointment in my wardrobe reached a boiling point one day. 

I promised what happened next is a true story. Larry ran up in my room, pulled open my closet doors, and started angrily body-slamming my clothes, forbidding me to wear most of my wardrobe ever again. 

He wasn't joking! 

I'm sure all of my friends from Shenandoah University are cracking up right now ... unless you are one of the other two people that had the same experience with Larry. 

The New Testament writer Matthew records a story of a guy who has a fashion crisis worse than mine. He rolls up into a wedding party, but his outfit "ain't Ralph, though!" In the parable, everyone is invited to a wedding banquet of the king, but one guy shows up in something that's not appropriate wedding attire. 

The guy - there's always that one guy - is thrown out of the party (like Jaz on Fresh Prince of Bel-Air) and is severely disciplined.

The question is why. 

In our society, fashion represents social standing. In this parable found in Matthew 22, clothing represents moral standing. The central message of the Bible is clear. Our own morality (represented by the unfit clothing in this parable) could never measure up to God's standards. 

There is no list of do's or don'ts that can make us right with God.  To put it fashion terms, our morality "ain't Ralph, though!" I'm not saying you're not a great person. I'm saying that using the biblical standard of morality, everyone falls miserably short. The picture in the parable is that this guy thinks his own morality is good enough to be in the presence of God. 

By way of contrast, the King accepts the wedding garments of the other guests. The reason is because those garments were provided by the King Himself. The garments provided by the King are a picture of the gospel of Jesus Christ. 

The gospel is that Jesus came to rescue us from our moral brokenness. My pastor Rick Gilmartin always says, "We don't need rules! We need rescuing." 

Jesus lived the perfect life we could never live in our place. Then He goes to the cross on our behalf to die in our place.  The acceptable garments are a picture of the righteousness Christ provided to cover our sins. 

Jesus is our rescuer!

Imagine I wanted to go to a social event with Larry. If I would have gotten dressed in my own clothes, Larry would have said there was no way I was going out with him looking like that.  I would have had to borrow "acceptable clothes" from someone with better fashion sense. 

This is what Jesus does for those that place their trust in Him. Rather than God grading us on our morality - how well do the do's and avoid the don'ts - God grades us on Christ's morality.  And Jesus was perfect. So Christianity isn't based on what you or I did. It's based on what Christ did. 

Just like I would have needed someone with better clothes to provide me an outfit, I need someone with a perfect righteousness to provide me right standing with God. And that Someone in Jesus Christ. 


I write these blogs as conversation-starters. I would love to know: 

• What is the worst thing you've ever worn? 
• How do you believe man can be right with God? 

Chris Lassiter is a Christ-follower, a husband to Emily (read her blog here), a father to five kids and a freelance writer for Young Life Relationships, HipHopDX.com, JamTheHype.com and other publications. His first book, You're Grounded, was published by Moody Publications last year. You can order the book here. 

Bigger Than Football: P.K.'s Story

Life is bigger than sports. Thank you P.K. Kier for reminding us. 

Before I tell you what P.K. - a sophomore at Winchester's Millbrook High School - did for a 7-year-old cancer survivor, let me explain our connection.  

I went to Shenandoah University in Winchester mostly because P.K.'s dad, Pede, was already there playing baseball. (I didn't know that  going to college together meant Pede would steal all the food in my refrigerator every night, but that's a different story.) 

Growing up, I thought the world of Pede, who live three blocks from me in Staunton. That admiration has only grown as we've gotten older. Most importantly, Pede shared the gospel with me. It has completely changed the trajectory of my whole life. 

At the beginning of the season, Pede e-mailed me an article about P.K.'s four-touchdown performance. I was impressed. Last week, Pede sent me Val Van Meter's Winchester Star article about PK and his teammates. 

I was even more impressed. And the article had little to do with football. 

P.K., his coaches and his Millbrook teammates arranged for 7-year-old Isaiah Truman to be the team's special guest on the sideline. Truman's guest appearance highlighted a week where doctors said that his brain cancer was in remission after a year of treatments. 

P.K. and Isaiah are neighbors.  According to the story, P.K. went to his coach Josh Haymore and told them about Isaiah. The 7-year-old's story includes being airlifted to U.Va Medical Center, a rare diagnosis of brain cancer in a child, and routine trips to the Children's Hospital in Washington, D.C. 

The team, who wore bracelets with Isaiah's name on it, then came up with a way to support Isaiah at the football game. 

I work with a lot of kids. We often talk about servant leadership. We define it as "taking initiative for the benefit of others." Thank you P.K., coach Haymore and the Millbrook football program for being one such example on this occasion. 

When sports is done correctly, it's supposed to teach you about life: how to put "we" before "I," how to battle adversity, how to accomplish goals, how to be part of something bigger than yourself. It sounds like the Millbrook team is learning this lesson. 

If you are thankful kids are still learning lessons through athletics, take the time to encourage the 2014 Millbrook Football team. You can write them at: 

Millbrook Football

c/o coach Josh Haymore 

251 First Woods Drive

Winchester, VA 22603 

At the least, take the time to encourage the team through email in care of coach Haymore. 

His e-mail address is haymorej@frederick.k12.va.us. 

When things make us angry, it motivates us to action. We'll write a letter or send an e-mail immediately. I hope the thought of this next generation taking initiative for the benefit of others will motivate you to take a moment to publicly applaud them. 

Chris Lassiter is a Christ-follower, a husband to Emily (read her blog here), a father to five kids and a freelance writer for Young Life Relationships, HipHopDX.com, JamTheHype.com and other publications. His first book, You're Grounded, was published by Moody Publications last year. You can order the book here. 

Welcome back (again)? Four Thoughts on Ma$e's Return to Hip-Hop

Ma$e is back in the news again. 

The latest on the rapper-turned-pastor-turned-back-to-rapper is that Betha is leaving his pastor position for a full-fledged return to hip-hop.  

Full disclosure: I grew up a fan of Ma$e. 

Not just pop culture icon Ma$e that was P. Diddy's sidekick at the height of the Bad Boy era, but Murder Mase that rapped with Cam'Ron and Big L in a group called Children of the Corn. Back before he was even famous, I was a fan of his work on the mixtape scene coming out of New York.  

I watched Ma$e's story with great interest because I became a Christian at the same time that Ma$e left hip-hop for the first time to pursue his own spiritual journey.  I even went to a college in Baltimore to hear Ma$e speak at the Hell is Not Full Tour. 

 

With Ma$e's most recent return to hip-hop, here are four thoughts that I have. 


1. I hope the response of the church is to bend their knees in prayer for Ma$e and not just shake their fingers in judgment. 

Some people find it hard to have sympathy for millionaires. I don't. Unlike me, Ma$e's entire spiritual journey has been open to public scrutiny. 

Ma$e watched  label mate and close friend die Christopher "Notorious B.I.G." die violently. Ma$e recently went through a divorce.  Reportedly, he also lost the custody case for his kids. 

Regardless of what you think of Ma$e as a pastor, theologian or Christian  - and I am sure Ma$e and I would have some sharp theological differences - he is still a person made in the image of God still in need of the mercy of Christ. 

2. I wish Ma$e's path would have been more like No Malice and Jin. 

Ma$e isn't the only recognizable name to abandon his platform in hip-hop to follow Christ. Malice from the Clipse and former Ruff Ryder artist Jin also land in that category. There is a difference, however. In Ma$e's book, Revelations: There's Light after the Lime,  he spoke of distancing himself from hip-hop because of all of the evils associated with the genre. 

Jin and Malice (who is now No Malice) have taken a different approach: to engage hip-hop culture for Christ from the inside. Although Jin and No Malice are bold in their proclamation of being Christ-followers, they still rap and identify with hip-hop culture as a whole. They still make quality hip-hop music, but they have changed their content to be consistent with their beliefs and their worldview. 

In return, they have found a new audience of fans of hip-hop music who share their beliefs. The rappers and that fan base mutually encourage one another. I wish Ma$e would have have been a bigger part of that community, too. 


3. Church leadership is for the spiritually mature. 

In the New Testament, the apostle Paul lays out a list of church leadership qualifications in letters written to young church leaders named Timothy and Titus. 

The standard is super high. And, as the New Testament states, it is not a calling for those new to the Christian faith. The faithfulness and maturity that Christian leadership requires must be cooked on a crock pot on low, not in a frying pan on high. 

I don't know Ma$e personally. Never met him. In my own situation, I've had wise men of God look to see if I was ready to take steps into Christian leadership. I don't know if Ma$e had these type of men in his life or not, but I just sincerely hope that he wasn't rushed into the pulpit to leverage his influence without his maturity ever having been inspected. That would be unfair to both Ma$e and any congregation he led. 

 4. How Christians approach the arts (in this case hip-hop) really matters. 

There is one line of Christian thought that says Christ wants to be glorified in everything, so Christians should be active in the mainstream film, music and television industries. And not just active, but leading the way. 

There is another opposite line of thought that says that these things are so evil that Christians should retreat. Rather than influencing, this line of reasoning goes, we will only be influenced. 

At the first reading of Ma$e's book a decade ago, it seemed the people influencing him may have subscribed to the latter form of Christian thinking. It was almost like there was this line in the sand: choose between hip-hop or Jesus. 

To me, the dream scenario would have been for a group of godly men to entrust the truths of the gospel to Ma$e,  preparing him to go back into hip-hop with an understanding of how to use his mainstream hip-hop platform for Christ. Not by saying Jesus in every sentence, but by addressing the same subject matter as other rappers from a distinctly Christian viewpoint. 

Then the church could have cheered his return to hip-hop as a missionary. 

And not mourned his return as a musician. 

I write these blogs as conversation-starters. I would love to hear thoughts! What do you think about Ma$e's return for hip-hop? 

Chris Lassiter is a Christ-follower, a husband to Emily, and father of five kids. He has written articles for VIBE, The News Leader, Rapzilla.com, HipHopDX.com, JamTheHype.com and the Young Life Relationships Magazine. His first book, You're Grounded, was published by Moody Publications. You can read about it and purchase it here. 

Why We're Hoping to Open Our Home This Summer

I was 22-years-old. I had accomplished everything on my life's to-do list. 

Play college basketball. Check! Graduate college. Check! Get a job revolving around sports. Check! Get a car. Check! Get an apartment. Check! Get every color of retro Bo Jackson Nike Cross Trainers. Check! 

 And I knew there had to be more than life. I felt empty. 

Thankfully, I had a cousin Pede. He and his wife April  opened their home to me and others. For me, the timing of that group could haven't been better! It came during a season of my life when I was really trying to figure out the meaning of life. I wasn't ready to head back into the church - I hadn't been connected to one for the four years I was in college - but I wanted to talk about spiritual stuff. 

So, week after week, I was in my cousin Pede's home. With a great group of people. I laughed - and got laughed at - and I learned. God really used my time in my cousin's living room to help me understand who Jesus was and what He was all about. 

It changed my life. 

For July and August, my wife and I have prayed and dreamed about doing the same thing: opening our home for people who would be interested in having similar conversations in a home among friends. 

We were thinking about Sunday nights at 8 p.m. We want to hear from anyone who would be interested in coming, and we also need to know any needs you would have. For instance, if you'd like to come but you need babysitting, let us know. 

We'd love to hear from anyone interested in coming. 

Chris Lassiter is a Christ-follower, a husband to Emily (read her blog here), a father to five crazy kids and an author of the book You're Grounded, which you can read about here. 

A Cry for Help: Why the Church Can't Ignore The Hood

"I've seen a lot, except for the face of my father!"

These words, "I've seen a lot except for the face of my  father," haunt me . This song (watch the powerful video above) is from a New Jersey teen named Ahsan. In song form, he pours out his fears about the possibility of becoming the next violent crime statistic.

Pay close attention to the chorus!

"Don't the let the City get me. Don't let the bullets hit me. Don't let the dealers trick me. don't Let the streets win me  ... Don't the corner hold me. Don't let the mother mourn me. Don't let the hood take me down. Don't let me this hood take me under."

As someone who has spent a decade as an urban youth worker, I've watched this scenario play out in the lives of so many kids. As a Christian, I'm praying that this would become an issue that grips all Christ-followers.

Sadly, Ahsan's song was written nearly 20 years after another another New Jersey native penned a similar account. Ironically, the song was entitled, Everything is Gonna Be Alright. (Note: Even the edited video below is graphic. And you can read lyrics here.)



In the song, Naughty by Nature's Treach made it clear that everything would not be all right. The most gripping lyric is when he asks a question and then answers it himself.

"How will I make it? I won't that's how!"  How can that not grip you?

If Jesus is the answer, who is going to tell the people in the hood that He's the answer? How does the church respond to what we see happening in America's inner cities?  If we learn anything from the book of Jonah, the answer is not with apathy.

Most people think Jonah is a book about a whale. The fish is actually a sidebar. The book is actually about a reluctant prophet who didn't share God's compassion for a particular city. Here are four things we learn from the book of Jonah.

1. God has compassion on a "Godless" city. Jonah has one of the strangest endings in the Bible. It closes with God asking Jonah a question.  "And should I not have concern for the great city of Nineveh, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left—and also many animals?” Despite the city's wickedness, God's heart was to still see Nineveh repent.  As Christians, are we hard-hearted or full of compassion for the cities in America?

2. God rebukes Jonah for loving a plant more than the people of Nineveh. Jonah has a lot of passion. He gets angry a lot in this book. He gets angry when the people of Nineveh repent. He gets mad for God showing kindness to the people of Nineveh. And Jonah is furious when God provides for him a plant for shade and then takes the plant away. God's question to Jonah is "Why do you care more about the plant than the people?" It's not a stretch that God would ask the American evangelical church, "Why do you care more about (fill in the blank) than the people in the city dying without the gospel?"

3. God sends someone to preach God's word to the people of Nineveh. This is why the fish is only a sidebar. Jonah decides he doesn't want to be God's spokesperson in Nineveh, so He runs. The point is that God ordained that His word would be the cure for the problems in Nineveh. And I believe that same Gospel - lived and proclaimed in word, truth and deed - can change our cities, too. Please pray, support, and when appropriate link arms with churches and ministries taking the gospel to the cities.  (Listen here to LeCrae's song "Beautiful Feet" about going to the city with the gospel.)

4. Jesus succeeds where Jonah fails. Jonah ran from God's mission. Jesus ran to it, even when it landed him on a cross. Jonah had no compassion for the people. Jesus cried for the people who where like sheep without a shepherd. Jonah disobeyed God. Jesus never disobeyed God. He lived perfectly. Yet, he substituted Himself on a cross for us, paying for our sins, because He had no sins of His own to pay for. That's the good news that I need, you need, and the hood needs.  Whether you are from the hood, suburbs, or a trailer park, we can all be reconciled to God now.

I write these blogs as conversation starters. I would love to hear your thoughts on how you wrestle through apathy or engaging the plight of the inner-city.

Chris Lassiter is a Christ-follower, a husband to Emily (read her blog here), and a father to five crazy kids. Chris has written for The News Leader, VIBE, Rapzilla.com, JamTheHype.com and other publications.  Recently, Moody Published released his first book, entitled You're Grounded, which you can read about here.

The Cross Promotion blog gets updated twice a week. Please consider following the blog by e-mail or by clicking the Join This Site tab at the bottom of the blog.

Michael Sam, Macklemore, My Gay Friends and the Gospel

What if Michael Sam and I were teammates? 

Michael Sam, an all-American college football player at Mizzou, became the first NFL prospect to announce that he was gay over the weekend. The 2013 SEC defensive player of the year, Sam is sure to be drafted at the upcoming NFL Draft, which will make him the first openly gay player to be on a current professional football team.

That brings me to my question. What if me, a Christian man, and Michael Sam, a gay man, were teammates? 

As evidenced by Macklemore's hit song "Same Love,"  many would suggest that my Christianity and Sam's lifestyle would put us at odds as friends or even teammates. In fact, the opening verses of the song states:

"The right wing conservatives think it's a decision
And you can be cured with some treatment and religion
Man-made rewiring of a predisposition
Playing God, aw nah here we go
America the brave still fears what we don't know
And God loves all his children, is somehow forgotten
But we paraphrase a book written thirty-five-hundred years ago
I don't know."

I have also seen Christians take a wide variety of approaches on engaging the gay community. Some of those approaches have been based on the gospel. Other approaches have been based on fear and hatred.

So imagine we were teammates. What would a conversation sound like between a Christian athlete with a gay teammate and friend? I would hope I could communicate the following two things:

1.  I would hope we could both embrace each other as friends. I sincerely hope that our different beliefs would not stop us from being friends. I don't need a person to believe exactly what I believe to value their worth as a person or their friendship. I'd hope I wouldn't make assumptions about him as a gay man, and I would hope that he wouldn't make assumptions about me as a Christian.

2. I'd focus more on the gospel than on sexuality. It would be crazy to have a conversation about the Bible with sexual ethics as the starting place. In fact, my conversation with my gay friends would probably sound the same as my discussions with: 

• a friend from another faith background
• a friend who goes to church out of duty but doesn't love Jesus 
• an agnostic friend who isn't sure we can know what is true
•  a friend too busy partying to care who believes what.

That conversation would be this: The grand narrative of the Bible is that Jesus didn't come to make "bad" people "good." He came to make "dead people" alive. 

The grand narrative of the Bible is that all men and women - both heterosexual and homosexual - have chosen to be god of their own lives instead of trusting the God who created them. 

However, God conceived a way to mend the relationship that we broke. All of the Biblical ethics  - which are important - are secondary to any person's understanding of the person and work of Jesus Christ. 

Bryan Loritts is one of my favorite communicators of the gospel. You can read a powerful blog he wrote about the gospel and the gay community called "Tom" right here. 
 
Also, Fellowship Memphis Church where Loritts serves as a teaching pastor is currently doing a four-part series on the gospel and the gay community. You can hear the first of those four messages here. 

I write these blogs as conversation starters. I would love to hear your thoughts on the Michael Sam story, the Macklemore "Same Love" song, the Bryan Loritts sermon and the relationship between the evangelical Christian community and the gay community. 

Chris Lassiter is a Christ-follower, a husband to Emily (read her blog here), and a father to five crazy kids. He leads Young Life at his former high school, Robert E. Lee in Staunton, VA, and he has written for The News Leader, VIBE, HipHopDx.com, Rapzilla.com, JamTheHype.com and other sites. 

Moody Publications recently published his first book, You're Grounded, which you can pick up here.   The Cross Promotion Blog gets updated twice a week.  Please consider subscribing by e-mail or clicking the "Join This Site" button at the bottom of this page.