Who in the world is Slim Shady? If you have children between the ages of 12-20, you may know already. If you work with teen outreach in your church, I'm sure you know. Slim Shady is the alias for the hottest rapper in popular music today, Eminem. (pronounced like m-&-m)
He is a master of crude, offensive, and violent language. His lyrics attack his fellow entertainers, his wife and family, homosexuals and lesbians, and modern culture in general. He is a 26 year old white man, who has suburban kids rapping with him in what has traditionally been a "black culture" type of music. He is both loved and hated by the recording establishment. He is loved because he has sold over 5 million LP's since May 23; but hated because he continually attacks almost every group in America.
One thing for sure, he "reaches" the youth in America. Why? We could castigate today's young people's taste in music and chalk it up to unlearned ignorance. But I believe we would be missing a lesson. Young people tune in to Slim Shady because he seems to be without hypocrisy. He is not a part of our "politically correct" culture created by years of liberal thought. In the young people's eyes, he tells it like it is. Because of this brashness, he is under attack from many varied special interests. This seems to increase his popularity!
Young people have always seen through hypocrisy. Many times parents say one thing and do another. Our elected officials talk about morality and ethics, and then are caught in compromising situations. Christians lift up a standard with their voice, then tear it down with their deeds. In this morass of sanctimony and pharaseeism, along comes Slim Shady. Our introduction to Eminem's alter ego comes in the song, "The Real Slim Shady". In it, he sees through the hypocrisy of our culture and spits it back in our face. He revels in it and so do his fans.
I think bible believing Christians can learn a valuable lesson here. The New Evangelicals would use this as an opportunity to espouse "Christian rap" and other contemporary means to "reach" young people. This is not an answer. The answer is staring us in the face in the form of Eminem himself.
Christians must live out what we claim is in our hearts. We compromise and bend at every resistance. Slim Shady's appeal is that he will not compromise, no matter what! What ever happened to lining up with the word of God, no matter what society and culture say? If we want the respect of young people, we must BE REAL.
A perfect example of what I am talking about happened last week. Football player Reggie White, a defensive end and Christian evangelist, came out of retirement and signed to play with the Carolina Panthers. A few years ago, he was vilified for a speech that condemned homosexuality as a sin against God. He lost money, prestige, and the respect of many in society.
He was asked by the media if, after two years, he had come to regret what he said. Here is his response.
"I wouldn't change anything. I'm going to say whatever God puts on my heart. I have to. If people don't like it, then that's people's problem. They didn't like what Jesus said, either. "
When asked about losing a chance at being a TV sports analyst because of the speech, he said,
"It didn't cost me. By the world's standards, it did. But really it didn't, because I'm not going to sell my soul to the devil. I would rather lose everything I've got in the world and keep my relationship with God."
Can you see the connection? We don't need to copy the modern methods of culture to "reach" the lost, we need to recreate the methods of the Apostle Paul, who said:
But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God. And now, behold, I know that ye all....shall see my face no more. Wherefore I take you to record this day, that I am pure from the blood of all men. For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God. Acts 20:24-27
Let us renew our hearts and minds to carry the gospel message to all people. Some will object, some will vilify us and call us names, others will search for hypocrisy in our lives, but let no one be able to accuse us of not living out the Christian life in truth and grace. Let no one stand and say, "You never told me about Christ." We must wear our faith on our sleeve as well as in our hearts, as an advertisement for others to see Christ in us. Many will hate us, but some will believe. That is how evangelism is done; that's how it's always been done.
If Slim Shady win a generation of young people with evil; surely we can win some with God's Truth!
Robert L. Cobb
bobcobb@cherco.net
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