Why Lecrae Says He's 'Divorcing' White Evangelicalism
Lecrae is one of the biggest rappers in the Christian community and his Christ-centered message reaches millions around the globe. However, the 38-year-old hip-hop artist says he's distancing himself from white evangelicalism because of how poorly he believes the movement deals with racial injustice.
Lecrae said in an interview with the podcast Truth's Table that he lost a lot of fans when he became more vocal about racism in America following the 2016 Ferguson Riots.
"I spoke out very frequently throughout 2016 in many different ways and it affected me. I went from a show that may have had 3,000 there to 300 but that was the cost," he said. "But those 300 people were people who I knew loved Lecrae, the black man, the Christian, all of who Lecrae was, not the caricature that had been drawn up for them."
In the interview, Lecrae mentions a conversation he had with Carl Ellis Jr., a leader in the African American Leadership Institute and professor at Reformed Theological Seminary.
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He told Lecrae he doesn't have to identify with evangelicalism and feel like he had to choose between racial justice and his faith.
"That rocked me because I realized there are these categories that I don't have to subscribe to but I can still be faithful to what I believe," Lecrae said.
John Piper responded to Lecrae's departure from evangelicalism in an op-ed and said it filled him with "thankfulness and hope."
"The process is proving that the roots of his union with Christ are deep enough not to be torn up by the trials of these sad days. And I would add to thankfulness, hope. I feel hope," he said.
