Christian hip-hop artist, Propaganda (Jason Petty) has hit the top 10 Billboard Gospel charts with his unique style of Christian hip hop and spoken word. In his just-released video for the series: I Am Second: Second Edition, Propaganda gives a rallying cry that echoes Jesus’ words throughout His life.
In the video, Propaganda talks about a turning point in his life after Eric Garner died on July 17, 2014 when a police officer put him in a chokehold while arresting him.
In the moment for me, that really turned sort of the death of idealism was the death of Eric Garner. Just the trauma of witnessing men that look and talk just like me–like witnessing them die. Like we saw it, you know. And then to watch like no charges being brought on there.
Propaganda says he has no animus toward law enforcement, per se.
My father worked in the probation department. My little brother is a highway patrol officer, you know what I’m saying. So I have no animus against the concept of law enforcement.
But something deep within him cried out for justice and change.
I think there was a deep sort of wailing that came out of me: Why does this not hit my brother or my sister at a soul level that it hits me? like why don’t you see an image bearer?
Propaganda challenges us to see that we’re all connected…that there are no lines between us. He says that we need to realize that…
My survival, my meal is intimately tied to yours. We’re literally in this together. Believe it or not, my 9 to 5’s, my actions are connected to their actions. And they actions are connected to mine. And if we’re gonna get through this, we’re gonna get through this together.
What a world we would live in if when all they could say about Christians is like ‘fools don’t care; they just take care of folks.’ Like what if that’s what they said about us is that we had a reckless abandon to serve our neighbors?
Like what if like that was all we was known for? They’d say, ‘I tell you what, man, I don’t know about they Bibles; I don’t know about all this. But I tell you what: I was hungry, fed me.’
Propaganda references the healing of the blind man in John 9:1-12. The man had been blind from birth, and Jesus used spit and mud to open his eyes. Afterward, the Pharisees demanded answers about this mysterious healer.
I think of the blind man. Reads like, ‘Look! I don’t know what y’all call this dude. I don’t know why you mad at this. You know I don’t know nothing about it. All I know is when I woke up this morning, I was blind. And I know now I can see. That’s all I know, that’s all I know.’
In typical Propaganda style, he challenges us to pursue love with reckless abandon — just like Jesus did.
Be willing to risk name and reputation for the sake of pursuing with reckless abandon…love.
Cause that’s what we saw Jesus do.
If you’ve never listened to Propaganda, you need to check him out today.
 has hit the top 10 Billboard Gospel charts with his unique style of Christian hip hop and spoken word. In his just released video for the series: I Am Second: Second Edition, Propaganda gives a rallying cry that echoes Jesus' words throughout His life.){kind=link}