The Line in the Sand: I Side with Eminem and So Would Jesus

My whole life I was made to believe I was sick when I wasn’t
‘Til I grew up, now I blew up, it makes you sick to ya stomach
Doesn’t it?

Eminem

Last night during the Hip Hop Awards, Eminem gave an explosive freestyle rap, blasting Trump, and drawing a line in the sand to his fans. Either you’re on the side of his, or you’re on the side of Trump. He showed courage and the ultimate middle finger to any of his supporters that are continuing to support this president. He stands to lose money or he stands to gain, however, in that historical moment, he didn’t care. Humans are more important.

You see, Eminem didn’t draw the line first. The line has been drawn by conservative Christianity for years. Either you’re their version of a believer, or you’re out, lost, sick, wayward, and backslidden. The line has been drawn by Donald Trump now for over a year. Either you stand with the media, or Donald Trump. Either you stand with the NFL, or Donald Trump. Either you stand with the white supremacists in Charlottesville, or you stand with the people protesting against racism. We can all pretend this line isn’t as deep as the Grand Canyon, but we’d all be naive. There is clearly a line, and you are on one side or the other.

You may think Eminem is a hypocrite because of his vulgarities in his rap music. You may say he has no right to criticize Trump because his rap music is full of filthy words. Do you know what his filthy words are about? I’ve been listening to Eminem for almost 20 years now. He is a lyrical genius that expresses the rage we all feel inside, deep in our bones and with every cell in our body. Some are too blind to appreciate his artistry to even try and understand what he is brilliantly bringing forth to the youth. They’ve tried to silence him, and censor him. Republicans tried to take him off the air for his offensive lyrics in 2001.

So what does Eminem rage against?

Child abuse. Domestic Violence. Inequality. Poverty. Racism. War. Violence. Hypocrisy. Censorship. Gang Violence. Suicide. Sexual Assault. Rape. Police Brutality. Human Suffering. Drug addiction.

All of his epic lyrics that bring to the light all of these issues are lost on some because he doesn’t speak their language. All they can hear are the swear words. All they hear are the words on the surface. Art is deep. The message is deeper than the literal words. Eminem is no saint. He wouldn’t claim to be.  There are some of his lyrics that I obviously, cannot get behind. However, I see what he is speaking through his lyrical poetry. His truth is his art not actual action in real life. His profane lyrics don’t match his deeds. However, Trump matches his horrible words with actual deeds.

What does Donald Trump rage against?

Equality. Racial Justice. LGBTQ. The Poor. Immigrants. Mexicans. Women. Black Americans. The Disabled. POW heroes. The sick. The “hit” the budget has taken because of the humanitarian crisis in Puerto Rico, raging against victims.

You’re damn right I’m on the side of Eminem. No apologies. No shame. No guilt.

My blaring question is who in their right mind isn’t on the side with me and Eminem? Who in their heart and spirit can even justify being on the side of Donald Trump? People have tried to censor me as well for using my platform to rage against all things that burn me and others. I’m not following the Word of God, they say. Every word in the Bible is God-breathed.

How about this verse in Ezekiel 23:20:

 ^“There she lusted after her lovers,
whose genitals were like those of donkeys
and whose emission was like that of horses.”(NIV)
This came from the mouth of God? Gasp.

But KJV only churches mask this verse with a more clean version to hide the filth in order to deceive further.

“For she doted upon their paramours,
whose flesh is as the flesh of asses,
and whose issue is like the issue of horses.”

Both verses mean the exact same thing. What word is this that is God-breathed? It’s vulgar. It’s pornographic. Yet, people are conditioned to be more offended by swear words than they are actual issues that deserve our collective disgust. Bring your Bible to school though kids. Read your Bibles that include passages about sizes, emissions, murder, and genocide. Read those passages advocating rape and slavery. Turn off Eminem, he’s a soldier of hell, right?

Something is amiss, America. Something is so wrong with all of this. Some of us see it and we are blasting whatever fire we have inside at the cold, stark, truth. We are showing bravery, courage, and willingness to lose it all. We have to. How can we not speak against this evil force in office?

They’ve drawn their line. Evangelicals drew it again with their Nashville Statement. Anyone who is affirming to LGBTQ cannot call themselves Christian. Well, I’m not that kind of Christian. I will happily describe myself as a Jesusist if that rocks their world. Because the Jesus I know, love, and follow, raged against all of the same things as Eminem. They tried to shut him up too. The religious and political leaders of the day tried to censor his message too by killing him. His message lives on though. Love will be spoken and has been resurrected. Love will survive and will overcome the other side. Instead of drawing a line, he said in Matthew 12:30:

“He that is not with me is against me.”