Young people leaving institutionalized religion may not be turning towards nihlism as some fear. Instead they are seeking and finding spirituality and meaning in the music and message of hip-hop and rap.
Monica Miller's recent piece on The Huffington Post highlights the power of hip-hop in the spiritual lives of young people. She calls special attention to Kanye West and Jay-Z's recent single 'No Church in the Wild' that some people are calling an 'existential rejection of organized religion.' Miller agrees: "That it most certainly is... Like many young people today, West is critiquing organized religion. That doesn't mean however that neither he nor they have given up on hope and meaning."
Hip-hop gives voice to the trials of life that young people are experiencing, and through lyrics and beats, offers validation of their struggles and a vehicle for communal solidarity and spiritual redememption. While the message and music of hip-hop transcends any one religion, it might, as one panelist suggests, be a vehicle for the Spirit to still be at work in the world.
HuffPost Live host/producers Alicia Menendez and Marc Lamont Hill are joined by a panel that includes writer Agyei Tyehimba, HuffPost Live producer Catherine Day, journalist Jeffrey Johnson, author Monica Miller and seminary professor Rev. Ralph Watkins.
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