Interview: 29th Chapter – As Modern-Day Disciples

29th Chapter recently rocked the stage at Soul in the City’s BIG EVENT in the Carling Academy Brixton. The popular hip-hop group’s vision is to be the continuation of the 28th chapter of the book of Acts in the Bible. In this interview with Christian Today, Dave and James talks about their vision of seeing young people following that path, and proclaiming to be modern-day disciples of Jesus.

Where does the name 29th chapter come from?

Dave: ‘29th Chapter’ is based on the book of Acts. There are actually 28 chapters in that book, and we want to continue on with the story. Our vision is to see every young person to take on that vision for themselves as modern-day disciples of Jesus.

There’s a harvest [in UK] but a real poverty here for much different reasons. It’s important to see this global revival.

Is your main audience usually young people?

James: Our audience is normally young people... we do a lot of youth events at churches. We also have a quite wide audience that appreciates our music. We’ve got old folks coming up to us saying that they like the lyrics to our songs.

How do you feel about seeing all these young people at Soul in the City coming together to worship God?

Dave: It’s important for young people to stand up for what they believe in. Seeing young Christians doing that [here] is really encouraging, because part of our vision is to encourage young people to do that.

|AD|What do you wish to see more in young people today?

James: We recognise that there are a lot of young people with issues and problems. We want to see our young generation change. If you look at the news, the media, and even the music presented [in society], it’s always negative and tries to box young people on how they should live. They should be freed through Jesus.”

What’s your biggest challenge when ministering to young people?

Dave: The biggest challenge is preconceptions. Preconceptions about how churches should be. Preconceptions about what hip-hop music is. Preconceptions about what somebody who listens to hip-hop should be and how they should act. That’s the biggest thing we wish to break. You look into the media and MTV and there’s a very strong message on how young people should act—especially people who are into hip-hop. For us, it’s about breaking those preconceptions and saying, ‘Actually, it’s good to live a moral life and to serve God to the fullest, and we can still have a good time and enjoy the good music as well.’