A friend invited me to listen to and reflect upon Jay-Z's "Empire State of Mind" where, in the third verse, he rhymes:
"Jesus can't save you;
Life won't begin 'til the Church ends."
An observation, a question, and a challenge...
An observation:
Jay-Z, rightly, links Jesus and the Church.
A question:
What kind of Church, and therefore, what kind of Jesus has Jay-Z encountered? If it's anything like the irrelevant, locally and globally ignorant and indifferent Church in the West that my friends in SF with a soul craving for Jesus are experiencing, then sadly, he has a point.
A challenge:
To the Church: wake up! This is what the world thinks of us. It's time to live a different, true Story. It's time to live the saving Story of Jesus in a language that our world can understand.
If and when we do, I wonder how the lyrics will change...
