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During
a recent conversation with a younger
relative of mine, I asked him if he knew
who owned the company of the new
Roc-A-Wear jeans he was sportin’. When I
told him Roc-A-Wear was Jay Z’s clothing
line he seemed unconcerned, unfazed.
I didn’t expect him to demand that his
mother take them back or anything I
simply encouraged him to think about
some of our previous conversations about
different rappers and whether their
lyrical content grieves the heart of God
and if they deserve our money when we
buy clothes. I mention this because
sadly enough, this question is met with
the same nonchalant attitudes when posed
to older teens and adult Christians. I
often wonder
how much of our esteem, our identity is
tied into what name brand of gear we’re
rockin’.
In my work with youth
I’ve often asked, if I took your
wardrobe, would I take your self-esteem?
I see now, that this isn’t a question
only for youth. Many would perhaps deny
it if the answer is yes, but we need to
be honest with ourselves and examine
exactly what has shaped who we are and
how we want people to perceive us.
Scripture says we’re already fearfully
and wonderfully made
(Psalm 139:14),
thus our confidence and our esteem
should not come from “external sources”,
be they people or things.
But back to the gear, what about you,
dear reader? How much Roc-A-Wear, Sean
John, or Vokal is in your ‘drobe? For
those who may not know, these lines
belong to Jigga, Puffy, and Nelly
respectively. Other celebrity gear you
can cop is Outkast clothing, Snoop
Dogg’s gear, G-Unit (50 Cent & Co.),
J-Lo, Fetish by Eve, or Apple Bottoms
(Nelly’s female line). Also, coming soon
to a mall near you will be gear from
Eminem, Ludacris, and Beyonce.
Now of all of these artists, which of
them make music that could cause you to
justify spending your (or your momma
nem’s) hard earned duckets? Or when it
comes to being “in style” and “looking
good” does all your recollection of what
they’ve spit on their records go out the
window? We’re called to be
stewards
of our time, talent and money.
Some of you may say, what about the
passage in
I Corinthians 8:1-9
where Paul talks about food sacrificed
to idols. Valid point, but it concludes
talking about causing weaker brethren to
stumble. I propose that those the Yuinon
aspires to reach, convert and edify are
lost and weak thus the concept of
sanctification is slow to penetrate when
we identify so strongly with and in many
cases
prefer,
the world’s trendy adornments.
Still you say, clothes are clothes, its
fabric, not people, a shirt, pair of
jeans, a hoodie, they’re inanimate
objects therefore spiritually neutral. I
concur, but the names on these rags and
the reason they’re popular and sell for
the overpriced amounts they do, is
because of the artists mentioned above
and
they
are
not
spiritually neutral.
The overwhelming majority of the content
of these artists falls into the
following categories: flossin/materialism,
misogyny, thuggery/violence and
fornication.
…For all that’s in the world- the lust
of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and
the pride of life… I John 2:16
Jay Z’s Rock-A-Wear line reportedly did
$200 million in sales in 2002. It’s no
wonder he had the loot to buy his own
brand of liquor called Armadale (he
apparently got tired of the free
endorsements he and many of his peers
have given to Cristal, Alize, Moet, and
Belvedere)? How much of that $200 mil
was your money?
The truth is, in this world it’s hard to
avoid directly or indirectly supporting
companies or individuals who may not be
Christians or have spiritual morals,
(like Proctor and Gamble, a university,
or an Arab owned gas station near you)
but that reality is not the focus of
this article. It’s clothing, and like
hip-hop, because of hip-hop it has many
people’s minds and identities on lock
and has become an idol.
The whole school uniform debate is
rooted in the unnecessary value and
prestige given to designer clothes and
those who wear them,
creating and or contributing to an
environment already not conducive to
learning. You can still dress “hip-hop”
with lines like Akademiks, Enyce, Polo,
etc. and for all we know they may
espouse the same values as those cats
mentioned above, but at least they
haven’t put out a record and boastfully
glamorized
immorality. I personally wouldn’t rock
Mecca just in case it’s tied to a Muslim
cat somewhere.
Someone bought Maji some gear they
copped while they were in New York.
Thinking he would be glad to see all of
these “hot designer hip hop” clothes.
Much to their surprise Maji’s personal
convictions prompted him to tell them
that he couldn’t rock the gear. “What’s
wrong?” they asked.
“How can I sport someone’s clothes that
opposes the God that I serve?”
Because they couldn’t return the gear,
Maji plans to sow the Yuinon logo over
all the designer names. Some of you may
think that’s a bit much, but perhaps the
Holy Spirit is prompting us to do the
same but we ignore him.
Our dollars are one way we can leverage
our resources and build power, so you do
have choices. Read the companion article
to this on one Christian Clothier called
Redeem Wear (there are dozens out
there). If presented with viable
options, what would you choose? How
about supporting something consistent
with a lifestyle that pleases God?
Food for Thought.
-vessel |
