Discussing
Chance the Rapper’s Beautiful F Word

“I Might Need Security” blends an angry rebuke at broken reality with the joyful noise of anticipated harmony.

I love Think Christian.

But can we stop referring to every single cultural/pop element that points out injustice as “prophetic?” It cheapens the word. And brilliant artists have been singing about protest and injustice since well before this generation. Was it all prophetic?

Also - let’s stop excusing the use of vulgar language using biblical verses. Let’s just stop and be honest with ourselves and the Body as followers of Jesus. The biblical gymnastics “we” employ to justify vulgarity and cursing are amazing.

I'm surprised someone hasn't already called you out for this one. I'm not, 'cause while it costs me $1 everytime I use the word, thus I try not to; I'm not inherently opposed to it.

What I am opposed to is the apparent (here and elsewhere) of the truth of songs like this one. The assumption that cops are bad, violent, racist. The evidence is clear that's not the case. Unfortunately people would rather believe people like this than the evidence.

Articles like this one, lend credence to the voice(s) of protest, even when that voice is at best at least inaccurate and at best a lie.

Hi Alexis,

Thanks for the comment, and for wanting to keep us on track when it comes to our discernment. We really do appreciate this sort of back and forth. As editor, I'll have to give your note about the use of the word "prophetic" some careful thought. You're right, it is one that we go to frequently. But this also seems to be a time of artistic protest against injustice, so when I see that sort of art lining up with biblical notions of justice, I feel the use of the word is apt.

And we’ll probably just have to disagree on whether or not “biblical gymnastics” are at work in the piece overall. I’m sorry I wasn’t able to convince you of my position on this occasion, but the process of considering popular culture in the light of the Bible is what we’re all about at TC.

Hi Jeff,

Neither Chance's song nor this article operate on "the assumption that cops are bad, violent, racist." Rather, the song points specifically to Chicago's history of police misconduct, which has been well-documented in many places, including the Chicago Reader article we link to.

How can you compare a song full of vulgarity, with scripture? You call the stories of Esther, and Shadrak, Meshak, and Abednego(?),and Paul's letters as protest songs. None of these are about protest.nthey are about faith in God, in spite, of whatever we are facing. Even death. Nebbucaneser turned towards the one true God because of what he saw in the furnace. We are all strengthened by Paul's courage of faith, even in his death. None of these people protested against their persecutors. And none of them resorted to vulgar language.

Hi John,

I think the two articles I link to - by Rachel Held Evans and Preston Sprinkle - make a strong case that both protest and vulgarity can be found in Scripture, and are in fact employed on occasion by faithful followers of God. If you didn't find my post convincing, I'd encourage you to read those articles for more context.