Finding God in hip-hop and liberation theology

Catholics probably won’t hear hip-hop at Mass anytime soon, but
that doesn’t mean the genre doesn’t have a lot to say about God and
the plight of God’s people. Much like liberation theology starts
from the experience of the poor when talking about God, hip-hop,
which originated in the South Bronx in the 1970s, expresses the
struggles for justice and freedom of people living on the margins
of America. That’s the case this week’s guest, Alex Nava, makes in
his new book, Street Scriptures: Between God and Hip-Hop. Zac and
Ashley ask Alex about the history of liberation theology and about
the liberating potential of hip-hop. In Signs of the Times, we give
an update on the crackdown Catholics and other opponents of the
Ortega regime in Nicaragua and discuss the slick “He Gets Us” ads
for Jesus at the Super Bowl. Were they an effective way to
evangelize—or a massive waste of money? Links from the show: Pope
Francis denounces imprisonment of Nicaragua’s Bishop Rolando
Álvarez What the Jesus Super Bowl ads get right (and wrong) about
evangelization Street Scriptures: Between God and Hip-Hop What’s on
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