Hazakim's "Theophanies"

This is awesome!!!! This wonderful Christian hip hop music. It is intended to not just entertain but get Christians to become serious about proclaiming who Jesus is and challenge skeptics, atheists, and the like to consider the truths of the Bible.

Theophanies by Hazakim

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The Truth Behind G. Craig Lewis Part 3

Anthony from Hazakim pointed out many historical inaccurate claims Lewis has publicly stated in his "The Truth Behind Hip Hop" series. Toward the end of his first DVD, Lewis stated that Freddie Stone, who was the lead guitarist of the group Sly and the Family Stone , had said that he and other members were high on heroine when they wrote music. This is what Lewis said:



Today Pastor Frederick Stewart (Freddie Stone) has been now saved upwards of 28 years and is now Pastor of Evangelist Temple Church of God in Christ in Vallejo, California. On top of that he is my Pastor and in public and private has made no secret of the life of drugs that God delivered him from. He has said that he never shot up heroine. That means that Lewis is wrong. Pastor Stewart has no reason to not admit it if it were true. He admits to everything else. He boasts not himself but in what God has done for him and through him. If Lewis was right Pastor Stewart would use it as one more proof of what God has delivered him from. Pastor Stewart has not said anything of the kind of things Lewis said that he had said.

Lewis also said that he was instrumental in the conversion of Kevin Thornton. Kevin was a member of the group Color Me Badd. Here is Lewis talking about it:



Then I heard Kevin's testimony. It's a beautiful testimony about what God delivered him from but nothing about Lewis or Lewis casting 49 demons out of him. This is how Kevin answered the question about why and how he became a gospel artist.


I have found some corroborating evidence on the internet. Read this article here. It even has an audio clip of a demon supposedly talking through Thornton. This post references to another post that says the clip was provided by Bob Larson. Bob Larson is not really a credible source. He is spoken of well by Lewis but is debunked by the Christian Research Institute (CRI). Here is an article they published in the CRI Journal. Because of his teachings, they and many ministers do not take Larson's tales as factual. Neither I, CRI, nor orthodox historic Christianity denies the existence of demons or demon possession but I just don't think Larson is being truthful. I will write more on him in another article. Added to the fact that Larson claims to have performed the exorcism on Thornton and Lewis make the same claim without either mentioning the presence of the other I've got to wonder if either one is telling the truth. The picture on the right is of the group Color Me Badd and Kevin is the black man. I cannot find anyplace where Kevin Thornton confesses to have needing an exorcism.

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The Truth about G Craige Lewis Part 2

As promised in the last part of this article, I want to spend part 2 discussing the response to G. Craige Lewis' ministry against hip hop. I particularly want to use the response from the gospel Hip Hop group known as Hazakim. I like these brothers. Their work that I have heard is very spiritual, intelligent, clever, apologetical in nature, theologically sound. I gained even more respect for them after reading a response to Mr. Lewis' claims about Hip Hop and Gospel Hip Hop by Anthony. The response is so well written and reasoned I was so grateful to God for inspiring him and his brother the way God has done. I thought that Anthony was gracious and right on target. Anthony also quoted a lot of scripture skillfully and rightly. I can't say the same of Lewis. He pointed out that Lewis is correct in pointing out that mainstream Hip Hop does corrupt some people. It does glamorize sin. However it is a sin to slanderize people in the church for being hip hop artists who also live God-glorifying lives that are trying to use the Hip Hop music style to win souls. This is seen doing with great zeal. He refers to the past sins of McClurkin and Franklin that have long been repented of to God. They publicly repented. If God has forgiven them, why should anyone still be chastising them for it? Lewis is saying that God cannot use Hip Hop to reach people when everyone who looks at the issue can see that He can and does us Hip Hop to talk to some people. Hip Hop as a tool. It's an art style and has become a life style. The life style we see shown on videos and depicted in the mainstream music is definitely god-less, wicked, and evil. The life style cannot be reconciled with the Biblical Christianity we are supposed to be living by.
Here is an example of the kind of music Hazakim releases and tell me if Lewis' message does more to build the kingdom of God on earth.

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The Truth about G Craige Lewis Part 1

No doubt that many people in the church today have heard about a minister named G Craige Lewis (his picture is at the right). He recently (past 2 or 3 years) have been teaching about the horrors and evils about Hip Hop Music and Culture. How its crept into the church and that we must take responsibility and do what Gods has called us to do. I agree I mean like the rest of society, mainstream Hip Hop is godless. But he goes as far as saying that all rap/hip hop music is from the devil and cannot be used to glorify God or bring people to Jesus our lord and savior. He has put out his teaching on DVDs available through his ministry: EX Ministries. He seems to be targeting my generation - Generation X, but many of us are now in our thirties and are not following Hip Hop like we were in our 20's and teens. He has said that he came up with "EX" because he wants to change generation X. He has 4 DVDs. The first one is available from Google video (I'm streaming it below). He has many good points. No doubt about it the devil is using hip hop to lie, steal, and destroy lives. But to label it all evil and bad mouth people is a too much.This guy's presentation had much sensation and shock value. He talked about the worse the industry offers and about casting out demons and conversing with them. Unfortunately there was very little documentation and proof of his claims. To be honest listening to him reminded me of Kenneth Copeland and other Word-of-Faith ministries. There was very little teaching of theology in the first recording. There was a lot of denunciation of hip hop artists even gospel artists - so many in fact that it makes me wonder if he really knows the walk of the people he slandered. His argument is basically So-and-so did a song or an album with _____ (insert famous secular hip hop artist here), therefore so-and-so backslid or was never saved in the first place.
His second presentation is also on the internet on GodTube. It is called "Truth Behind Hip Hop 2: Exodus Back to Egypt. I liked this one better than "The Truth Behind Hip Hop I" because you get hear more about what he believes about God and the Bible actually says. I hate to say it but it seems very Word-of-Faith like. He said that God stepped back and gave control over the earth to humanity and for God to intervene in the earth He "needs our bodies". Sound familiar? It should to anyone who has heard the heresies coming from hell today. This so biblically untrue. God needs nothing or no one. He chooses to use whatever he wants to use to fulfill his own purpose. God is sovereign and complete all by himself! I have not reviewed the whole of material readily available yet, but I intend to do so.

G Craige Lewis said:


The Bible says (Here and in many other passages):

34 At the end of that time, I, Nebuchadnezzar, raised my eyes toward heaven, and my sanity was restored. Then I praised the Most High; I honored and glorified him who lives forever.
His dominion is an eternal dominion;
his kingdom endures from generation to generation.

35 All the peoples of the earth
are regarded as nothing.
He does as he pleases
with the powers of heaven
and the peoples of the earth.
No one can hold back his hand
or say to him: "What have you done?"

Daniel 4:34,35

I'd say that it is a lie just as bad the sexually explicit, women defiling, violent lies that populate secular media today! Don't be deceived, God don't like it. Here is G. Craig Lewis saying exactly that God needs us. It needs to be pointed out that the majority of Hip Hop music and culture is destroying our very existence and future by drawing people away from Christ, but there are those in the industry who seek to do better and draw people to Christ. They have a real God-given, God glorifying ministry. Lumping them all together is wrong. Calling dirty what God has called clean is wrong. Here is a great article about how EX Ministries message affect the church: 7 Reasons Why Craig Lewis and Ex Ministries Has Duped the Church into Believing Him.

Many articulate Christians have stepped up to refute this guy. In part 2, I will take a good look at one of their responses. Hazakim.

Here is The Truth Behind Hip Hop.

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