Lecrae Criticizes Church on Race Issues: We Haven't Seen You Since MLK!
Lecrae doesn't have all of the answers to solve the problems in the world, but he does believe some key factors are needed to improve some social injustices within the country.
According to The Washington Post, the rapper who was born as Lecrae Devaughn Moore believes in order for race relations to improve, there should be "unity, forgiveness, equity and justice."
The Christian-rapper-turned-New-York-Times-bestselling author who is promoting his first book Unashamed, hasn't shied away from speaking up about racial injustice in the past. Still, he insists that his fight extends beyond his African-American heritage.
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"I don't see this as a black-white issue. In India, the Filipinos are being treated like they are less than human. I'm not focused on race, exactly," he told The Post. "If blacks in America are treated equally, I'll move on to the next group."
As a Christian, the rapper said he believes that the Church has not done enough to improve racial issues in the country.
"The church has been absent as far as race and justice for three decades," he said. "We're like: 'We haven't seen you since MLK!'"
The artist who was the first to simultaneously top both the Billboard gospel music charts and the Billboard 200 with his 2014 album Anomaly has been involved in the Black Lives Matter movement. Although he took part in the Ferguson, Missouri, protests after black teenager Michael Brown was shot by a white police officer in 2014, Lecrae admits that he has received flack for it.
"It's unfortunate that myself, as a black man, cannot care about the issues that impact the black community without being seeing as a race-baiter or without being seen as someone who doesn't care about any other ethnic groups," Lecrae previously told CNN.
For the rapper and head of Reach Records record label, his Christian faith does define his personality.
"A Christian is noun. A Christian is a person. I function, I live life as a Christian and me living life as a Christian doesn't mean I'm a sanitized person," Lecrae told CNN. "It means that I readily admit I'm a jacked up person and I need a savior."
Despite his influence, Lecrae is not interested in using his faith to force people to see things his way.
"My views as a Christian means there's moral plumb line that I'm fighting to adhere to ... it's not say this is the way the country's going to run and things are going to be," Lecrae said. "Honestly, what Jesus was about, was laying his life down for the marginalized who didn't have it all together."
In a previous interview with The Atlantic, the rapper said he believes people have placed limits on the faith. "We've limited Christianity to salvation and sanctification," he said. "Christianity is the truth about everything. If you say you have a Christian worldview, that means you see the world through that lens — not just how people get saved and what to stay away from."
While he does not speak against Christian artists who are blatant about their faith in their music, Lecrae also sees the importance of speaking about an array of topics.
"Christians need to embrace that there need to be believers talking about love and social issues and all other aspects of life," he told The Atlantic. "Many times, that's how people see Christian art, or Christians making art: They see the art as having an agenda. Christians have really used and almost in some senses prostituted art in order to give answers instead of telling great stories and raising great questions."
