Program

Doctor of Ministry

Year Approved

2015

First Advisor

Senapatiratne, Timothy

Abstract

This research project contextualized the gospel of Jesus Christ for unbelieving hip-hoppers. The research showed that hip-hop culture is a distinct culture that is worthy of contextualization by Christian evangelists. The literary review and the biblical implications suggest that it is the Christian’s duty to contextualize the gospel for unbelieving hip-hoppers. This was concluded by presenting God’s incarnational pursuit of sinful humanity in both the Old and New Testaments. God’s self-initiated pursuit served as an example and mandate for believers to pursue unbelieving hip-hoppers. In his quest to contextualizing the gospel, the researcher conducted a phenomenological investigation. The results of this investigation were then analyzed to discover the essence of each hip-hopper’s experience with hip-hop music. Their individual experiences were then analyzed to discover the essence of their shared experiences. The findings revealed that experiences common to hip-hoppers are (1) their ability to relate to hip-hop artists; (2) the opportunity for self-expression; (3) the influence of the music on behavior and mood; and (4) the respect for authenticity on the part of the hip-hop artist. These common experiences served as a catalyst for discovering the deepest needs of hip-hoppers. This resulted in the following incarnational approach for contextualizing the gospel, Leaving and Leading, Listening and Learning and the critical analyzing and assessing of hip-hop Lyrics.

Degree Name

Doctor of Ministry

Document Type

Doctoral thesis

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