New York, USA - First came the hip-hop Mass, then a hip-hop prayer book, and now a group of hip-hop Christians are hoping to spread the word across the United States with a new CD that puts their service to music.
New York Episcopal priest the Rev. Timothy Holder, who goes by the rap name "Poppa T," created the HipHopEMass two years ago after an armed hostage situation at his South Bronx church made him focus on the neighborhood's younger generations.
Using rap music and the hip-hop vernacular, he got the attention of some teenagers and young adults, going on to hold about 75 hip-hop inspired services around the country over the past two years, attracting from 12 to several thousand people.
But he hopes a CD produced by his rap flock will be used as the basis for more services.
"If you don't have an altar in the street, you have nothing," Holder, a white, middle-aged priest of nine years standing, told Reuters.
"Don't get me wrong. We are not replacing or substituting the Bible. We are bringing the story of the Bible to a younger generation and making it immediate and upfront."
The CD, titled "And the Word Was Hip Hop: HipHopEMass," features about 13 songs including "I Am Hip Hop," "God Is In The House," and "One Mic, One Life, One Love."
Holder is among a growing number of religious leaders to use holy hip-hop to reach younger generations, melding religion with the language, dress and dance moves of the culture that was born on the streets of the Bronx about 30 years ago.
Holder, who moved from Alabama to New York and the Bronx's Trinity Episcopal Church about five years ago, readily admits he was no hip-hop fan until two years ago.
"I used to think hip-hop was hateful," he said. "But hip-hip really is a culture. It is about social change and justice. We're here to promote the love and strength you find in hip-hip, not the hate, misogyny and crime."
The success of his HipHopEMass services prompted him to pull together "The Hip Hop Prayer Book," with morning and evening prayers, psalms, Bible stories -- in hip-hop language.
For example instead of the 23rd Psalm "The Lord is my shepherd," his flock says: "The Lord is all that, I need for nothing, he allows me to chill."
The CD, being released this week, has links to pages in "The Hip Hop Prayer Book" as well as moments from the service set to music and some new songs.
"I don't rap or rhyme but I can read from "The Hip Hop Prayer Book" and people can relate to that," said Holder.