A Letter to My Friend

This is a letter to my friend

Dear Shai Linne

Though I said it when we met, now I send it with a pen

Our friendship to me is more precious than a gem

So let me mention and begin

With what a blessing you have been

7 weeks after I had come to the King

What a wonderful thing, you lovingly took me under your wing

Stressing: "What does God's Revelation say?"

And ain't it fitting that we met on Reformation Day

2001, we were two rowdy ones,

Studied Truth about the Son, weighing 2,000 tons

You discipled me - through all the chapters of Romans

On how Christ appeased the Father's wrath through Atonement

Justification, sanctification, learning precious words

In every verse, and helped me get connected to a Church

I was baptized then soon I ate communion

You were my best friend, my roommate and groomsman

Both redeemed from the underground rhyme scene,

Now with our minds clean we devised rhyme schemes

To shine Christ's light brighter than high beams

To the eyes of the blind we provided them Visine

Regeneration was the major theme,

Of my first album, you helped shape the Great Awakening

2003, not many fans know,

You left Rock Soul to join me and Josh (Wann) on Lamp Mode

We did hundreds of concerts together

We'd rejoice with one voice cuz God's Word's our treasure

Through the Gospel truths, rooted in the Reformation

The Lord used you greatly in my soul's restoration

But not once in our 20 years of ministry

Was there an issue of racism or of bigotry

A New Reformation should be based on ethnicity?

Well, I'm here to say publicly that I disagree

Faithful are the wounds of a friend

Painful are the wounds, but they'll mend

By Grace for the truth, I'll contend

Because unity is only based on truth in the end

Faithful are the wounds of a friend

Jesus rose from the tomb to ascend

To give the Spirit of truth to defend

So at times we must rebuke and reprove with the pen

2020, I shared with you more poignantly

I was grieved by your article, "George Floyd and Me"

You interpreted his death based on appearances,

Seen through the lens of the past and shared experience

Was it based on race? Your the first to state your case

But it's to your disgrace & shame when you make your claim in haste

That's 18:13 and 17 from Proverbs

Not sure that this is justice that's based on God's Word

As I began to refute Critical Race Theory,

you'd text me how you disagreed, but still loved me dearly

But if you disagreed with CRT's destruction

It shows you must sympathize with some of their assumptions

Then a couple weeks before the release of your book

You requested to include me, but I was grieved when I looked

Many parts are not honest, you're bearing false witness

"please remove my name, I can't be involved in this

I wondered if my thought lines were all mine and not kind then

Then Voddie called you out for the same things in Fault Lines

This confirmed that I wasn't nasty, uncompassionate

And that my concerns - actually were accurate

"Shai, please edit it before publishing" (No)

You claimed my concerns were cuz I'm Republican

I spoke as your best friend, and not as your yes men,

But with great honestness, you're binding saint's consciences

So bottom line, bro, your book, I can't recommend it

We closed in prayer, I hugged you, but you were quite offended

Your response didn't show Christ's humility

In fact you said that perhaps I was showing white fragility

Matter fact, this ain't a battle rap

But a plea to stop asserting that your white brothers have a cataract

Please join me in repenting from wokeness

Together let's make the preaching of Christ our focus

Faithful are the wounds of a friend

Painful are the wounds, but they'll mend

By Grace for the truth, I'll contend

Because unity is only based on truth in the end

Faithful are the wounds of a friend

Jesus rose from the tomb to ascend

To give the Spirit of truth to defend

So at times we must rebuke and reprove with the pen

You wrote many gospel truths in "New Reformation"

But didn't expose wokeness as a huge desecration

Is it pastoral to write on ethnic unity,

But not refute CRT that's infecting our community?

Before getting to the bright themes of the Gospel

The first half gives the sense that white people are hostile

Is it a fact that's right that you made a great sacrifice

To worship our Master Christ in Churches that are white?

Actually, "white" Christians have bended over backwards

facts, sir, you been adored by Reformed Pastors!

And Shai- not all your books' words are valid

Like how you racialized the occurrence of Curtis Allen

When some complained that he rapped at John Piper's church

To infer that this was racism is quite berserk

Cuz Mad Black Churches didn't want rap, either

Remember G. Craige Lewis, who's a Black preacher

Most of your examples of Ethnic sins

Are how Whites are against Blacks and oppressing them

My close friend hear me, Bro, sincerely

Most concerning (tho) is your "Low End Theory" (Chapter 6)

(Which says) that since Reformed folks were mostly socially elite

When it came to injustice, they're more prone to this deceit

They didn't notice there's a need - or they'd deceitfully ignore

Because they lacked the insight of the low-end people who are poor

But what about all the Calvinistic Abolitionists?

Perhaps this is a class-gnosticism that you're giving us

But were they more prone to nasty sins

Than rival tribes kidnapping and selling other Africans?

Your Low end theory is not a biblical equation

Drop the straw man that I speak political persuasions

Claim we follow secular conservatives

But ain't it secular liberals from whom you're learning this?

Our real concern is what does the Word say

It's either Light or Darkness - there is no 3rd way

The Low End Theory reeks of intersectionality

And you ain't the only one to suffer partiality

Years back we're invited to a college in Kentucky

To minister the gospel, then they called me abruptly

"Sorry, we'll go with Shai: the Soli Deo Gloria fella

(Why?) we prefer a person of color"

The blessing that you've been to the body is bountiful

But as a shepherd of souls, you must be held accountable

A little bit of leaven it leavens the whole lump

You got some vestiges of leaven left from the old stump

Wokeness? You're too gospel to embrace it fully

But some old man ways remain, I state it boldly

I believe the Lord's sanctifying grace will make us holy

Then together - we'll both behold the Lord's face in glory

Faithful are the wounds of a friend

Painful are the wounds, but they'll mend

By Grace for the truth, I'll contend

Because unity is only based on truth in the end

Faithful are the wounds of a friend

Jesus rose from the tomb to ascend

To give the Spirit of truth to defend

So at times we must rebuke and reprove with the pen