Most Popular

Most Viewed
Most Commented
News
"Most Popular" tools sponsored by:
Recent Articles
Related Articles

Recent Articles By Jesse Hyde

National Features

  • The Pitch
    Time Bomb in a Bottle

    "The idea that you're using sex hormones to make plastic is just totally insane."

    By Nadia Pflaum
  • Houston Press
    Foreclosure Pets

    When homeowners are pushed out, animals get left behind.

    By Paul Knight
  • Broward-Palm Beach New Times
    On Your Honor

    A judge's alleged relationships with defense lawyers and prosecutors raise eyebrows.

    By Bob Norman
  • Village Voice
    A Soldier's Story

    Remembering the day a black mob lynched a white man.

    By Tony Ortega

1. In the beginning, the devil created heavy metal.

2. And it made white men and women worship him, causing them to eat bats, kill cats and carve pentagrams into their flesh. And the devil saw that it was good but that it had no impact whatsoever on black folks.

3. And so he created a new form of music just for them. It had a catchy beat and infectious, hypnotizing rhymes, and the brothers liked it. It made them sag their pants and smoke weed and shoot each other from low-rider Impalas. And they called it hip-hop, and the devil saw that it was good.

If G. Craige Lewis were to write scripture, it would sound something like this. It is his gospel, and tonight he's in southern Dallas preaching it.

The venue is Full Gospel Holy Temple, a black mega-church off of Interstate 20. Outside, the parking lot is filled to near capacity. Church vans and buses full of youth groups from all over Dallas have come this November night to hear Lewis share a message so dangerous, he says, it could get him killed.

At the door, security guards wave metal detectors over kids in cornrows, baggy pants and Rocawear, Jay-Z's clothing line. Ushers guide the visitors down the sloping aisles of the sanctuary and pack them in among the buttoned-down believers. Tonight's sermon is being videotaped, and the cameras will show a full house.

After the choir has finished singing and the plastic buckets containing offerings have been collected, a man steps to the pulpit and introduces Lewis: "He don't care who like it--he just loves to tell the truth."

And with that introduction, Lewis, 36, takes the stage. He is bald and short, no more than 5-foot-6, with a thin mustache and a round, freckled face. He is dressed simply but stylishly in a sports shirt and dark trousers. As Pentecostal preachers go, he is somewhat subdued--he rarely raises his voice. His style is conversational and direct: "Can I just be real with you?" he'll ask. Once he gets going, though, he is a commanding speaker, and he never fails to bring a crowd to its feet.

This is the third time he has come to Full Gospel Holy Temple to tape a sermon, and most of the audience know what they're in for. It's a hard-nosed message, he warns, and he doesn't care what anyone thinks of it.

He chastises women who come to church dressed immodestly. "What you sexy for in church?" he asks. "Who you sexy for?"

He shakes his head and scans the crowd with a scowl.

He mocks the effeminate mannerisms of a popular gospel singer, implying he's gay. And then he sinks into the meat of his message: Hip-hop is the devil's work. It can make you do things you otherwise wouldn't.

"The devil always uses music to promote an anti-Christ agenda," Lewis says. "That's the original weapon he had, so he always goes to music."

As the crowd shouts their amens, he paces the stage floor, returning to a Mac notebook perched on a music stand to cue up his audiovisuals. Images of rap's pioneers flash across two huge screens on either side of the stage: KRS-One, Afrika Bambaataa. "The false prophets of hip-hop," Lewis declares.

He speaks for nearly two hours. When he's finished he calls those with tattoos--emblems, he says, of the occult religion of hip-hop--to approach the altar. They kneel before him, and he prays to God to save their souls before it's too late.

You've probably never heard of G. Craige Lewis. He has never appeared on television or been interviewed by the mainstream press. Even among churchgoers, he is largely unknown--except among black Pentecostals, where he has a national following that grows larger every day. And that's because he is perhaps the only thing that stands between them and hip-hop taking over their churches. At least it seems that way.

Contrary to popular belief, Christian rap didn't die with dc Talk, who went platinum in the early '90s with songs like "Word 2 the Father" and "Jesus is Just Alright." Instead it went underground, and for the last 10 years, holy hip-hop, as it is now called, has been gaining steam.

Today there's a Bubba Sparxxx clone in Atlanta, an Eminem knockoff touring the Bible Belt and a Wu-Tang-inspired crew out of Philly, all spitting rhymes for Jesus. There's a holy hip-hop awards show, two festivals (one in Tampa, the other in New York) and a slew of hip-hop preachers, some of whom perform in biblically inspired throwback jerseys. There are even hip-hop churches, a growing trend most recently celebrated by USA Today, Vibe and Vanity Fair.

On the other side of the aisle stands Fort Worth's Lewis, quietly creating a movement of his own. Every weekend he is on the road, bashing hip-hop before congregations of 1,000 to 2,000 people. This year alone, he has traveled as far as Japan, England and the Cayman Islands to share his message. He has been to Detroit eight times in the last year, Los Angeles 12 times and New York three times. He says his self-produced DVDs--The Truth Behind Hip-Hop volumes 1 and 2, and What Every Church Needs to Know About Hip-Hop--sell at a rate of 100 copies a day.

"He's God's mouthpiece," says Lennell Caldwell, a Detroit pastor who recently hosted Lewis. "He's the only one God is using to bring balance back to the church."

When Lewis came to Caldwell's church in November, he concluded his two-day seminar as he always does: by destroying hip-hop-related merchandise brought in by the audience. Caldwell guesses they must have burned $100,000 in product, from CDs to posters to a $2,000 leather jacket embroidered with the names of dead hip-hop artists. To date, congregations Lewis has visited have destroyed nearly 1 million hip-hop CDs, usually on the stage, sometimes with sledgehammers.

Write Your Comment show comments (12)

  1. Bless the Lord in JESUS Name!

    ELder Craige Lewies..,Has Been called to "Cry Aloud and Spare Not."

    This Nation and generation of Children is going to hell in a basket, and the Church has falling asleep..

    This message has been long before hand needed, and Preachers like myself, though hidden and not in the mainstream, Who "Agree Totally" with Elder Lewis message are seen as "outdated,traditionlist, and overly holy"..

    Eld Lewis..was sent to Prayfully, uncover the eyes of those whom the god of this world satan has blinded..Especially through this venue of "hip hop"..

    Our children/ are being mainstreamed to destruction, Education it at an all-time low in our communities, and all through this avenue, that glorizes big guns, long chains, and has Our women viewed as "harlots"..,

    The CHURCH Must "Snap Out" of it's Sleep Walking state"..We Must assist Our Brother in this endeavor to Awaken Souls and bring a Godly Conviciton on the UnGodly..

    We "Can Not Save Anyone", that is the Holy Spirit Jobs,But,We sure can Be the Voice of the Nation, that Calls Out to these Souls., The Church Must get Back to it Original Purpose, and That is Preach the Gospel of Salvation, to those who are lost..
    And there is "No Greateramount of Lost Souls" , then These whom Inhabit and Embrace this hip-hop culture.

    GOD Bless You

    eld mcneil

    Comment by Elder McNeil — February 26, 2007 @ 10:55AM

  2. This is the time of the end. Satan recognises that the time is short much more than the average Christian!

    To mirror the world is not what God requires - we are to stand apart from the world - and the world must recognise Gods people as in the world, but not of the world.

    Know this - Satan uses every avenue that life has to offer to peddle death and misery - but God will also raise up His Faithful Ones to warn His people about the deceptions - Elder Craig i believe is one of them. i am 100% certain Elder Craig is not perfect - what man is - but i beleive he is following the instructions God has given him. We're too used to being on the defensive whenever we are corrected - in effect - telling God, we're OK, we can handle it, we are already following you, so dont tell me anything else thank you very much!

    Well those who seek the Truth will recognise it when God reveals it - and obey.

    As has been said before. It is the work of Gods Holy Spirit to convict. Our part is to proclaim the Good news, and the Truth about Gods Awesome and Righteous Judgement upon a world gone mad with self idolotry.

    This work in not confined to the Pastors and Elders - it is the work of EVERY person who calls themself a Christian (Christlike people).

    May God continue to Bless you Elder Craig as you labour for Him.

    H Phillips (someone who grew up on soul and hip hop, but who wants to follow the Lamb wheresoever He goes)

    Comment by H — March 11, 2007 @ 06:40AM

  3. The people who go against G. Craige I read through the whole article not once addressed the issue of how Hip Hop itself the real hip hop has no desire to serve the true GOD. It's foolishness that drives them to do and say the things they say out of contempt for themselves not getting what they want out of it. It's a man of GOD that speaks to them and out of all that they hear, "Man we gotta stop hip hop? No i'm not doing that." It's foolishness. They say they're doing what JESUS did but I don't see any of them really doing it. They spread the gospel? I saw Cross movement at a church function I attended and not one kid who was there went to talk to them beyond hey can I have your autograph. During the services cross movement wouldn't even get into the praising of the one true GOD. Nobody even cares about the little things behind the scenes, just because somebody says something don't mean it's spoken out of hate. I've heard the brotha speak and all of it spoken is what a father, or brother would say to those related to him. Get Hip hop out of the church and allow the HOLY SPIRIT to work, GOD never used nothin like hip hop to spread the message he only used the HOLY SPIRIT. Period. JESUS bless you all.

    Comment by Steven — April 5, 2007 @ 01:05AM

  4. I grew up in the church. I was taught to wait until mairage to have sex and was brought up in the teachings of God found in the Bible. I never completely believed the word of God thogh I agreed with its teachings. The older I got the more doubts and questions I had, which it seemed I was unable to get the answer from anyone that would convince me that Jesus was truely God and the Bible was truely the living word of God. I remember as a child listening to the hip-hop music. "I wanna sex you up" by color me bad and "I wanna get freaky with you" by silk which is a r&b group along with many other secular song. At this time in my life I was no older than 7 or 6 years old. I remember listening to the songs with my babysitters children and her friends children. They were about 10 to 13. My babysitter often left them in charge to whatch us. We would turn off the lights and pick someone, one girl to one boy, and grind on each other. There where other times when me and my sisters would play games with the neighborhood boys such as th "kissing card" where you'd take a playing card put it on your lips and suck it to your mouth and then pass it to the next person.(It was always boy girl boy girl) If the card dropped you had to kiss that person. And a "french kiss" at that. We also played spin the bottle and truth or dare. This hip hop and r&b and any secular music for that matter inticed us as children to be curious about sex and to want to have sex. My dad always told us we couldn't listen to it (hip hop and r&b) My mom agreed. (they were divorced when I was about 3 or 4) But it seemed we always found a way to listen to it when they weren't around or in our head set or walkmens they bought us. Our argument was, but dad,it's just music and I can listen to it and not do what it says, but indeed, now I see how it persuaded me As I got older I became more and more rebellious. I wanted to have a boyfriend. I wanted to have sex. At age 14 I began to have sex, though I had been masterbating since I was about 6 or 7. All of this is self gratification. So to the Christion who thinks its okay to masterbate, know, accept, and believe that it is not. It is self gratification, pleasing your sexual desires, pleaseing your self and not pleasing God. But back to my story, I then began to sneak out to see my boyfriend. Got caught became even more rebellios and ran away. I wanted to have my own way I wanted to please myself and not accept authority. This music had planted the very seed of rebellion, death and destruction into me. It also told me to rob or steal from people "do what you gotta do" as they say (this also is applicable to when they told me to sell my body), shake your butt, get high, get drunk, stand up for yourself (not God), kill the person who is trying to hurt you or stealfrom you or go against you, sell your body "it's a living", trust your self (not God), do what you wanna do (not what God wants you to do) have sex, beat up anybody who is disagreeing with you or embarising you, it taught me how to manipulate people to get my way, as well as how to intimadate people, it taught me how to curse peopl as well as talk filthy language, it taugh me false love, it lead me to believe the way you show a man you love him is through having sex, I could go on, but I realy hat to remeber all these things that I was believing in, because of the influence of this music. There is one main thing that must also be said that the Lord is putting on my mind, it taught me how to defy all order and not to listen to authority (parents, elders, teachers, ect...) I totally 100% agree with Craige. Before I even had heard of him, I got looked up. I was 22 years old. The Lord had placed a book in there that I read and by the grace of God it opened my eyes and heart to things I already knew,some things I didn't know, and I had been crying out to God and asking himself to reveal himself 2 me which he did with many signs that I did not completely accept until this experience. This time I asked the Lord to change me to make me his diciple. I made a commitment to him. I decided when I got out I wouldn't do anymore drugs and I would live according to his will and not mine. I asked him for the stregnth to achieve this, and by his grace and thanks to him for this and his mercifull heart, I have not used since. But when I got out of jail, (Iwas in there 13 days and after I asked God to make me his disciplethe devil became angry and made many attacks on me while I was in there, mainly using fear or thingsto scare me) the first thing the Lord layed on my heart was "GET RID OF THAT MUSIC" Even the stuff I thought was talking about love like Alicia Keys CD's, Jill Scott and many other artists I thought were okay, but put it in me to get rid of all of that music. I used to collect CD's and had spent thousands of dollars on them, but they meant nothing to me anymore as does money it can not move me. My sisters got mad and said"Icould have had those I still listen to them,"but I replied, "I will not give you this music. If you want it you must get it on your own." I will take no part in spreading this evil music not to family of friends or even to my enemy. There is no holy hip hop. It sounds good butachocalate cake sounds good when your hungry, and we all know that it is not good for you. I pray that all those who love the Lord turn from this music and realise you can make music to the Lord that is upbeat and enjoyable to the ear with out giving hip hop any credit for hip hop is the devils work and he has decieved many by this music and we have listened to it and danced to it and let it the church. It will not stand in the presence of God. And God is not pleased with anyone who does this music knowin that the hip hop people talk about everything that is detestable to God. Yhey have become inablers to the devils worship and I pray to God Almighty that he breaks this strong hold over the church and sets those who truely love free that he takes the blinder off that the devil has put on. I commend Graige on his courage in the faith and his willingness to allow God to use hime though his enemies are many those seeking to destroy him because of the truth but God shall defend him and lift him up to a high place where death cannot touch him. Blessing from God to brother Craige, encouragement , undying faith, truth, peace, undying hope, love wisdom, and all that he has to give you in abundance. I was blessed by his sermon and enlightened by the words that came from God through him. I did not know how bad this music was though I knew it was ungodly, because God revealed that to me, but know I see more than I did befor thanks to God for his work in brother craige!

    Comment by Gavriel — June 3, 2007 @ 11:18PM

  5. G Craig Lewis Thank God you bring that message in this world.I will pray for you.

    Comment by Mirielle Joseph — July 6, 2007 @ 09:55AM

  6. Quote-------------
    But Lewis doesn't care about kids who want nothing to do with the church. "The Bible never told us to 'reach' anybody,"-------------- he says. "It's not in there. It tells us to be a light unto the world. But if you're not living a light life, you got to trick them to come to church with some kind of gimmick."


    come on he hasn't even read the bible that is a blatant lie there are many verses but heres and obvious one for you

    Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in[a] the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

    Matthew 28:16-20

    and the whole reason for using hip hop is right here>>>>>

    Though I am free and belong to no man, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God's law but am under Christ's law), so as to win those not having the law. To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings.

    1 Corinthians 9:19-23


    think about it and for lewis "Why do you notice the speck that is in your brothers eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?" Matthew 7:3, Jesus' words, not mine but if you read the bible you would know that

    Comment by Jesse — July 20, 2007 @ 04:34PM

  7. on the part where u write the curse out,why would u just put it out there for someone to read that,he let anybody know if they wanted to read it they know what 2 do that was sneaky of u,who do you work for?

    Comment by beloved — August 20, 2007 @ 12:30PM

  8. I heard a quote from the noted philosopher Fletcher which said, "let me write the nation's songs and I wont care who writes its laws". I think it is sad because the preaching in America is so watered down, fleshy and materialistic that no wonder we need worldly music to draw kids to church. If we started preaching the true gospel, Jesus would still draw them.

    On another note, we've been at this secularizing of the church for a while now. Where is this big revival of young people. I saw some statistics out of I believe Ron Luce's organization that says this is the highest number of unevangelized young people we have ever had in the history of this country. Bringing secular music into the church has not worked. There simply is no proof outside of some isolated instances and I'm not sure the kind of christian that is made when so drawn.

    In the words of Kurt Carr "after all these years, the blood still has miraculous power"
    In the words of the old hymn, "what can wash away my sins, nothing but the blood of Jesus; what can make me whole again, nothing but the blood of Jesus".

    Comment by Cedric A. Miller — September 11, 2007 @ 09:42AM

  9. I think that G.Craig Lewis is so0o0o right in what he says. First off, he has evidence to back up everything he says !! I admire his so much ! He is soo true. What i want to say 2 Minister. G. Craig Lewis is that : Whenever you are living for God, the the Devil will always put ostacles in your way (The people who are against you) !! continue preaching the truth, and living for God.
    Much luv !!!!

    Comment by Stringbean !! — September 20, 2007 @ 06:04PM

  10. I think that Elder Craig Lewis is doing the will of God. I am glad that someone is willing to stand up for the truth, nor matter the cost. This generation is dying too quickly to AIDS, violence, drugs, and all of those things that are glorified in the music of most of these rappers in hip hop. No one in hip-hop is willing to give up million of dollars in music sales and endorsements in order to save the life of a child. They try to ease their consciences by playing safe-sex commercials on television. But what about telling them that the living GOD speaks against sex before marriage? Because they are not willing to give up what they love in order to save the lives of others. WHat really surprises me about Hip Hop stars is the fact that they would thank GOD for their success. Are you serious? Thank him for what? Shooting someone in the back in a drug deal gone bad? Be for real. It really saddens me to see that people will rather choose to make a buck at the expense of someone else's soul. Elder Lewis gets so much criticism because he is hitting to close to home. No one wants their sins to be exposed. The one thing that gives me joy is that all of this will be over soon. Jesus will coming back soon. He won't be looking for the famous and the wealthy. He is looking for those who have surrendered their lives to Him and lived their lives according to His plans and His will. All others will be sent to Hell. HEAVEN or HELL. The only choices.

    Comment by blessed — November 13, 2007 @ 11:42PM

  11. Yeah Go G.Craige go... I support this message 100%.. and believe that it was a message from God.. & we as believers need to stand up for the truth, and continue to help this Great man in his ministry, because everything he preaches about hip-hop, if you do your research, you'll find everything excatly the same, and also for the state of the church, with the greed and deception of the pastors. The Devil's blinding and deceiving people, and G.Craige has been sent as a prophet to help save lives. It's time we all gathered in Groups and formed anti hip-hop groups, and also formed other positive groups such as Exministries Groups to promote this message, and spread it. The Church needs to wake up.... & it's time we all stood together..... Until The Final End!

    Comment by sheez — March 27, 2008 @ 09:13PM

  12. I do hope all that smashing leads to reproduction of useful things such as pens. Recycle!
    Thus, don't debate, just do practical things!
    'He that would make his own liberty secure, must guard even his enemy from oppression.' Otherwise he sets a precedent that comes back to himself. Tom Paine.
    I guess Pastor Lewis wants to have guards around him?

    Comment by Justin — April 28, 2008 @ 12:43PM

About Us | Work for Dallas Observer | Esubscribe | Free Dallas Classifieds | National Advertising | Privacy Policy
Problem With the Site? | RSS | Site Map
©2008 Village Voice Media All rights reserved.
dallasobserver.com

Dallas Observer Insiders

  • Local food, music and news blasts
  • Free Stuff

buy, sell, trade (6,753)
musician (1,557)
rentals (12,247)
jobs (9,089)
adult entertainment (8,465)