Earlier this year, rapper Calvin Broaddas, aka Snoop Dogg released the album, “The Bible of Love.” This was his attempt at producing a Gospel album. After listening to it, I have come to the conclusion he succeeded mightily.

First of all, a lot of what is called “Christian” or “Gospel” music is neither. It may be Biblically-based but it doesn’t rest on the Finished Work of the Cross.

“Whoa, dude!” you say, “What do you mean by that?”

Simple. When you’re begging for the spirit of God to show up. When you ask God to have mercy on you, a sinner. When you ask God to extend Grace to you. I could go on but He has done all of these things. God poured out his mercy and Grace to us and has spiritually taken up residence inside us.

But back to the subject — People are mad because they say an unrepentant sinner such as Snoop has no business making a Gospel album.

Really? Who judges Snoop? I know I don’t. And, I’m going to take a step out and say that Snoop was praising God even before he made this album.

Whaaaaaat?

God gave Snoop his talent and he shares it with the world. That’s what God gives us our talents and abilities for — to share them. It’s when we sit on them that I believe God is saddened. Listen, God is not so narcissistic that everything has to be an ode to Him. God was God and was satisfied with being God even before He made any of us. So God doesn’t “need” our worship as religion defines it but gets it by the expression of our gifts and talents.

That said, there’s a plethora of Christian artists who participated in the production of this musical collection. The Clark Sisters. John P. Kee. Tye Tribbett. Rance Allen. Surely one or more of them might have an issue with Snoop’s thuggery or cannabis consumption.

I used to judge people to be hypocrites when they produce music or other media that was “lewd” by the standards of religion, then turn around and “give God glory” when receiving an award. I realized that I was the hypocrite for judging them.

Watch this, by expressing their talents, they are giving God glory. It doesn’t matter what the genre — as long as it doesn’t explicitly reject God!

The Bible says “let everything that have breath, praise the Lord.” Because everything living is His creation, breathing praises God!

Religious folks will say that Snoop is unqualified to preach the Gospel. By that standard, who is qualified? Who does the qualifying? The same people who think it requires a ThD and the same people who proclaim women can’t preach.

The reality is that Mark 16:15 gives every believer the responsibility of preaching the Gospel. This means that every believer is qualified. Contrary to popular belief, God is concerned more with our belief than our behavior. So Snoop smokes weed? Where in Scripture is that even identified as a sin? It’s funny that some of the same people who criticize Snoop’s smoking are morbidly obese — and it has nothing to do with the size of their bones.

Another point, who gets to decide who is actually a believer? John 13:34-35 says that love is the hallmark of discipleship, not behavior. Some of the people who don’t cuss, smoke, or chew, and don’t run around with those who do exhibit nothing that looks like love.

So where is the love for Snoop Dogg? Instead of reminding him of how loved he is by the Father and blessing him for taking the Gospel places religion cannot, he is condemned and chided for having the audacity to “blaspheme God” by making a Gospel album. Matter of fact, most of the people who level accusations against him — which, by the way, is a tactic of the devil — have never even bothered to listen to his album or any interviews with him

Right now, there are thugs and gangsters that are grooving to this mix.