BC News|March 25, 2014 08:23 EDT
Christian Artists Want Title to Represent Their 'Core Identity' Not Their Art Form; Andy Mineo and April Hernandez Talk 'Religion in Media' at Leverage Event (INTERVIEW)
Breathecast spoke with Reach Records emcee, Andy Mineo, and Hollywood actress, April Lee Hernandez, back stage at Thursday night's Leverage event in Brooklyn to discuss the new popular notion of Christians in the entertainment industry no longer wanting to be called "Christians."
Pastor James Roberson, who produced and hosted the event, has yet to have an official church service in his new The Bridge church, location in Brooklyn N.Y., but his Tuesday prayer meetings have caused enough buzz to help pack out the celebrity endorsed event Thursday evening. Leverage was created to cause a forum in which people can discuss Christ and culture.
Mineo, excited to be a part of the event said, "I think things like Leverage are super important because there are very few people helping Christians walk through what it looks like to be Christian in a mainstream culture."
When asked about his thoughts on Christian entertainers not wanting to be categorized as "Christians" he expressed his support. "I understand where people are coming from when they say they don't want to be identified by their Christianity, when it comes to their art," he said.
"I think people want to be identified as Christians as their core identity," he explained. "But in their artistry or craft they don't want to lead out with that title because it comes with a lot of baggage, stereotypes, presuppositions and I believe it really impedes opportunities for people who don't share your beliefs to engage with the craft and appreciate it."
Mineo, whose new EP Neverland hit No. 1 on the iTunes charts, went on to clarify with an example. "The same way with gangsta rap; if you go to your grandmother and say 'hey we're going to play some gangsta rap' and she's like 'I'm not going to listen to it' but she never listened to the guy before, she just has all these presuppositions on what gangsta's are, what they're about. You never even give the guy a chance," he discussed.
Mineo believes Christians are to persuade non-believers into accepting the message. He noted, "in the opposite direction you go to the dudes in the street and you say 'Yo I got Christian rap' they say all my friendships with Christians is that the judge me or it's corny so now I don't want to give the craft an opportunity."
The young rapper from Syracuse N.Y. said, "the tough part is, Christians think, often, that if you don't identify yourself or lead out with that, that you're ashamed of being a Christian. And that's not true." He defended the concept and said, "That just means you don't want to be titled that when you are entering into a sphere."
Mineo concluded with, "Your craft should be the thing people check for, not necessarily your position on religious issues."
Star of the blockbuster film Freedom Writers, Hernandez also chimed in on the subject. "For myself I was acting way before I came to Christ, so I've always just been an actor who happens to be a women of faith," she said.
Hernandez has been keeping busy juggling her acting career with her new faith based television show "101 Huntley Street." She said the artist's decision to want to lose the title Christian is most likely because they do not want to be limited to a specific brand.
"I think sometimes it labels you and if you want to reach a certain type of crowd, culture, audience; if you have that one label then it sort of puts you in a box" she said. "So I guess they want to step out that box but it can be dangerous because if you step out too far from the box it's easy to forget where you began."
Pastor Roberson also touched on the subject during the panel interview portion of the event in which he questioned Hernandez, Mineo, and rapper MC Jin. Mineo labeled himself a "Missionary to Hip Hop Culture," during the public discussion and he expounded even more on the topic stating he does not think it is fair for Christian parents to put the pressure on entertainers to raise their kids.
Hernandez said "I love the red carpet but I love Jesus more." Rapper Jin revealed his identity once became his battle rapping skills. "It took God stripping my identity in battle rapping, that gave me true freedom," he said. The three talents had the room filled with young adults and teens capitivated with their every word.
For more information on The Bridge Church visit their site
