The sides of his cheek, nose, and lips press against a sheet of glass. His fingers, some splayed, fasten onto its surface. One lens of his glasses appears to be fogged over by the steam of his breath. This shot of the hip-hop artist Andy Mineo dominates the album cover of his sophomore release, Uncomfortable. It addresses issues some may find uncomfortable and, dare I say it, sacrilegious. Can we die from being too comfortable? Can comfort deaden our faith outlook and practice? Andy calls himself and others to consider how the comfortable areas of our lives may not be as life-giving as we would like to think. He prompts us to abide in the uncomfortable tensions that accompany our interactions with others. He encourages us to wrestle with the gray areas of our beliefs, invites us to confront the messy dynamics shaping our lives and relationships, and asks us to grapple with how our views of God influence how we interact with others. The awareness we can gain from such introspections can lead to an ongoing spiritual awakening that is as challenging and painful as it is joyous and liberating.
Being “corrupted by the comfort we love”
In his single “Uncomfortable”, Andy probes how we can die from the kind of “bliss” that is steeped in overindulgence and self-knowledge. Consumerism endorses the whims of the self. When Andy raps that Jesus “said it’s hard for a rich man to get to heaven”, he conjoins wealth with a mindset that celebrates a selfie outlook and lifestyle. In his song “Love”, Andy invites his audience to “Watch a man real close/What he choose to do with his money that’ll tell you the truth about what he really love”. We can, as Andy notes in “Uncomfortable”, “be corrupted [or nurtured] by the comfort we love” and idolize. The sense of entitlement many of us harbor bleeds into our attitudes toward God. Andy observes that “we feel like we don’t need God/Then we forget him/We tell him that ‘if you don’t make me money/or make me happy/Then I ain’t making time for you/So make it snappy’”. This kind of selfie faith demands that God performs for us and does our bidding. God must make time for us and in turn we dictate when, and if, we spend time with God. Lulled into a state of apathy, we become seduced into inhabiting a selfie belief that fosters spiritual impotency. We can become so “focused on what [we are] getting” that we can lose sight of “becoming who [we] are”; indeed, we become a product of our self, our selves even as we can become a consumer of the self.
“Now I know”?
Sparks of dry humor light up Andy’s writing. To make fun of our dependence on technology a whimsical voice on “Uncomfortable” announces, “Where on earth is my Wi-Fi?” Other songs too adopt this kind of self-effacing humor. In “Now I Know”, Andy remembers his mother telling him that he had enough power in his finger to open automatic doors, only to find out later that he possessed no such strength. At one point he admits that he once “thought the world was all right. It’s funny [he] even thought that Jesus was white” — he learned in another season of his life this was not the case. Still, Andy recognizes that “it is better late than never” to realize that “all that glitz ain’t made of gold”. Appearances can be deceptive and illusions can be disarming, but they can illuminate truths that can liberate us from denying the pain and complex dynamics shaping our relationships, beliefs, and perspectives on life. For Andy, Scripture mirrors these raw, uncomfortable, human tensions.
“Comfort is the fall of kings”
In “David’s Roof”, a luscious jazz-infused song sung in Spanish by Flaco Navaja, Andy centers his composition on the biblical character David, It is not uncommon for David to be praised as a “man after [God’s] own heart” (Acts 13:22). He wrote poems of adoration to God. He shared his struggles with God. Many upheld him as a leader of renown. This same leader walked on “the roof of the king’s house” and caught sight of a woman, Bathsheba, bathing (2 Samuel 11:2). Lust consumed him. Her beauty captivated him. David had several wives. He knew Bathsheba was married, but he used his influence, privilege, and power to command that she be brought to him so he could “lie with her” (2 Samuel 11:4). As a result of this abuse of power Bathsheba became pregnant. Could she have objected to David’s demands? What punishment would she have had to endure if she had fought him off? Did David rape her? Andy does not answer these questions, but the title of his song, “David’s Roof”, stresses that David can move around the king’s roof, take ownership of this space, order those around him to obey his commands, and possess a woman whom he sees from this platform. And God has no say in the matter. The comfortable and the uncomfortable clash in this biblical narrative because David’s actions and abuses of power throw him, and others, into personal and relational turmoil, familial conflict, and regional “wars” that invite chaos, murder, death, deception, and unprecedented pain. The cautionary lesson as sung by Navaja is that “comfort is the fall of kings, the fall of kings” — kings like David.
Keepin’ it real
Andy hopes his album will “comfort the disturbed and disturb the comfortable”. In a recent interview, he shared with me that his recordings confront “racism, systematic injustice… prejudices… sexism, and invisible structures in our society”, all of which, Andy contends, “God would oppose”. In a bold move, Andy “apologize[s]” to those who have been hurt by Christians who picket various establishments and carry signs “saying ‘God hates fags’”. In response, Andy “promise[s] Jesus wouldn’t act like that”. Just as the Bible exposes how our words can maim others, and just as Scripture does not ignore the prevalence of injustice, “Uncomfortable” does not deny the significant role that Euro-Americans played in the development and perpetuation of slavery in America and in so doing debunks the myth that we live in a post-racial society. And so Andy raps, “My own people owned people, but they don’t own that/They say, ‘Racism Dead, Man, Our President is Black’/Two Terms in the White House that don’t mean Jack/If we still believe our present isn’t affected by our past”. The God of justice interfaces with stories that probe questions of faith, unravels unresolved relationships, and delights in the possibility of love — a love that does not settle for a selfish, self-absorbed, comfortable love. Andy also stresses in “Uncomfortable” that if we settle for a comfortable love, we will have to “make sure [that we will] never love nobody, be selfish, and never sacrifice”. Rather than position himself as one who is beyond being gripped by the allure of being comfortable, Andy raps, “I think I got too comfortable… I know I got/I think I got/I think I got too comfortable… a little too comfortable”. The repetition of the term “comfortable” reinforces the insidious ways in which comfort can diminish our faith and even our sense of well-being. In his singles “Love” and “Ghost” Andy calls us to ponder the messy and joyous dynamics underscoring our experiences of love.
Teenage faith; teenage Christianity
In my interview with him Andy revealed that he recently discussed with his mentor the “murky areas of faith” and discovered that such explorations signal the season “when [one’s] faith is growing or maturing”. They observed that many “of us start [out believing] in a black and white faith”. We cling to the idea that “there is right and there is wrong, there is good and bad, there is do and there is don’t do”. While Andy contends that “some of those principles stay true” for many, he also acknowledges that “as [many of us grow] deeper in our faith”, some gray and murky areas begin to surface. We “discover that people’s lives are not one-dimensional”. Their stories, their lives, are complex, “murky”, even messy. This murky messiness disrupts the teenage faith sensibilities of many: sensibilities that find solace in binary, linear, one-dimensional views of God, biblical characters, ourselves, and others. Such a perspective leaves little room for God to speak into the beliefs to which we cling. And so, in our bid to ward off the gray areas of faith that we encounter, and in our desire to be reassured by our seemingly uncomplicated convictions, we cling to a particular stance that corroborates our views. The uncomfortable facets of a biblical character’s story or the anomalies surrounding the lives of those whom we encounter can disrupt our view of ourselves and muddy our faith outlook. If we are open, we may need to consider how our lives are not as straightforward or one-dimensional as we thought. We may also need to confront the fact that we don’t always have it all together. In this, I am reminded of Daniel White Hodge’s observation in The Soul of Hip Hop: Rims, Timbs and a Cultural Theology, where he maintains that:
Jesus was, in fact, conceived in controversy, which connects him to a larger theme that runs throughout the Bible: that of the “mess” [of humanity]. Heroes of the faith such as Jacob, David, Ruth and Paul never really fit the mold of what a “holy person” should be. Does the fact that Jesus has this messiness around him and in his lineage make him any less divine or pious? Certainly not. Yet many pastors struggle with the notion that Jesus was anything but “perfect.” (p. 137)
Andy maintains that when we find it difficult to engage with the uncomfortable experiences of our life and those of others, and as our ideals take a battering, we can “clamour to find certainty because the gray murky areas are difficult to handle”.
“Two-steppin’ in the name of love”
Andy admits that “it takes a lot of willingness to embrace the discomfort and embrace the tension [that come with living in this world] in order to mature.” It is through growing in his relationships with other people and with God that Andy is discovering the importance of spending time listening to people’s stories and delving into the messy and “murky” narratives from his own life and those of others. He confesses that he is going through an uncomfortable season in his life.
A newlywed, Andy married his beloved, Cristina, just over a year ago. Andy credits his gorgeous wife — a woman who carries herself with dignity and possesses a keen intellect, a down-to-earth wisdom, and a passion for God — for her ability to help him make sound decisions when managing his creative and ministry initiatives. He is, like many newlyweds, immersed in the beauty and passion of a sweet and tender love. At the same time, Andy admits he has had to confront his selfishness as he builds a relationship with Cristina. I am sure there are countless ways in which Andy is a blessing to his wife. Still, his transparent confessions invite his listeners to embrace their own shortcomings, but also to be open to the possibility that their relationship with God can transform how they relate to both God and others. As Andy raps in “Love”, “Fallin’ in love is easy, buildin’ it takes patience”. Here, Andy is “talkin’ ’bout the real stuff [of love]/That kind that make you vulnerable and reveal stuff/That kinda dealin’ with your pastor, get healed stuff/Fellas say they real tough, but nothin’ braver than love”. And so, despite his busy schedule, Andy and his wife try not to spend more than one Sunday per month away from church. That the Mineos cultivate a faith life in the midst of a Jesus-centered community speaks volumes of their desire to live in the gray, uncomfortable, and joyous areas of faith within the context of church. Andy merges this commitment with building relationships with and learning from those who may not identify the church or organized religion as home. In this, Andy and Cristina follow the way of Jesus, for, through his life, ministry, and teachings, Jesus gives us permission to be fully human before God. He shows us through words and actions that God will not be overwhelmed by our concerns, fears, pain, and shortcomings.
To be, or not to be, a Christian hip-hop artist?
Andy Mineo is a hip-hop artist. He embraces his Christian faith but wants to be known as a hip-hop artist whose music can sit alongside, learn from, and be in dialogue with that of other rappers whom some Christians may deem as inappropriate and unsavory. As I listen to Andy’s album I am reminded that Jesus did not require those he encountered to change their outlook and lifestyle before they interacted with him. He confronted those who challenged his practices and engaged with those who questioned his teachings — followers and agitators alike (John 4:27; John 8:1–11; Luke 19:1–10; Mark 10:14*). Jesus made his followers uncomfortable because through his actions and words he presented them with the opportunity to consider how their beliefs, convictions, biases, and preferences misinformed how they related to God and others. Similarly, Andy Mineo delves into the messy dynamics shaping his own life and those of the people he meets.
“What we got if we don’t got love”
Do we cultivate a faith whereby we demand that God performs at our bidding, on our terms, and follows our agenda? Does a lack of humility and transparency with ourselves, one another, and God render us spiritually impotent? Can our black-and-white faith prepare us for the struggles and traumas we may encounter? Can it sustain us when easy answers cannot erase our pain, our suffering? In Uncomfortable, we meet a Jesus who is not in denial of our “murky”, messy, humanity. Thankfully, Jesus is not overwhelmed by the uncomfortable. His faith allows us to pursue spiritual maturity even as we wrestle with our teenage faith sensibilities. Insecurities, deceptions, fears, doubts, and questions can all be experienced during all stages of our faith journey. Perhaps the very definition of a mature faith is knowing that God welcomes our messy emotions and our stories.
In all, Andy Mineo teaches us that being uncomfortable can be liberating. Humility frees us from denying our complex yet beautiful humanity. It exposes self-glorification as a mindset, and lays bare the practices that hinder spiritual growth and undermine dependency on God. At the same time, it sheds light on our need for God and his love. When we are willing to be uncomfortable we can encounter a God whose love, wisdom, and power transform being uncomfortable into a faith outlook and practice that is as life-giving as it is enriching and troubling. Andy Mineo also reminds us that God will not turn his back on us when we expose our flaws and human frailty to him. With the help of God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit, we can become comfortable with the uncomfortable ethos that “[a]ll who exalt themselves will be humbled, and all who humble themselves will be exalted” (Matthew 23:12). We don’t have to hide from Jesus. We learn to comfort others by accepting being comforted by God. This is a sentiment that Andy embraces in his “thank you” to those who helped make Uncomfortable possible when he says in his album notes, “Lastly, thank you, Lord. ‘Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God’” (2 Corinthians 1:3–4, English Standard Version). Amen.
Andy Mineo is currently on tour promoting Uncomfortable. Concert dates and tickets can be purchased via www.andymineo.com.
* Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV).
Dr. Claudia May is the author of Jesus is Enough: Love, Hope, and Comfort in the Storms of Life (http://ow.ly/TAKJz). She is a specialist in African American and Caribbean literature, popular culture, and Reconciliation Studies, and a spiritual director (see http://www.claudiamay.org/). Dr. May is an Associate Professor of Reconciliation Studies at Bethel University, St. Paul, MN. She is a passionate follower of Jesus, a woman of prayer, and a lover of biblical stories and wisdom. You can follow her on twitter @ClaudiaMayPhD
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