Christians (and many non-Christians) are familiar with God’s third commandment–we are not to take the Lord’s name in vain. The full (albeit short) text of that prohibition is actually quite emphatic:

"You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain" (Exodus 20:7 and Deuteronomy 5:11, ESV).

There is no "get out of jail free" card with that one–so it behooves us to pay attention to it and, more importantly understand what the injunction actually means. Does it only pertain to using "God," "Jesus Christ," etcetera as exclamations? If we keep ourselves in check when we hit our thumb with a hammer, are we all set?

First, what’s in a name...especially when it pertains to God? The New Interpreter’s Dictionary of the Bible makes several very important comments that answer this question:

In ANE [Ancient Near Eastern] culture, a name was not merely a label on attaches to a person or an object. Rather, a name implies existence, identity, and character. ... Indeed the name of God often meant the very presence of God. ... Since the name of God is associated with the presence, character, and identity of God, it is understood to be as authoritative and as holy as the very presence of God itself.¹

A being is "one" with his or her name...so taking God’s name in vain would be anything that reflects badly on our Lord, whether we flippantly use it as an exclamation, explicitly misrepresent Him in Word, or, as sons of the Most High (Luke 6:35), act in a way that reflects badly on our heavenly Father. Or, as the world often does, we can take or Lord’s name in vain by redefining words or expanding their application:

Religion adopts different strategies to distance people from God, but each of them involves redefining "god." Attributes and functions of deity are ascribed to someone, to many, or to some thing other than the Creator. In the process the meaning of the word "god" is radically altered, and human beings thus "suppress the truth in unrighteousness" (v. 18).²

Why all these thoughts about using God’s name in vain? This past week a Christian watchman on the wall took exception to a line in Shai Linne’s rap song, "Atonement Q+A":

Adoption means God is now my Father/ I got the hottest Poppa and by the Spirit holler 'Abba'³

Can you guess which words Joel (@5ptsalt on Twitter) reacted to?

My objection to the video? Calling God ‘the hottest poppa’. I believe it is irreverent and implies one out of many.⁴

I can’t say I blame Joel for his natural aversion referring to God as "hottest Poppa," but one does not base theology on gut reactions, and in the exchange that followed between Joel in Shai (cut short by Joel’s sudden silence) there is a lot to be learned about cultural understanding, Christian dialogue, and logic. My take is that Shai comes out the winner...and that as much as I might hesitate to verbalize it, God is our hottest Poppa.

I take it back...anyone who takes time to listen to Shai’s song and read through Joel and Shai’s conversation (links in the footnotes below) is the winner–thanks to the God who has given us the ability to communicate and reason. And if I might say something else that might be "risky"...I believe God (His name be blessed!) is using artists like Shai to sanctify rap music.

¹ New Interpreter’s Dictionary of the Bible, Volume 2, pages 588-589.

² Richards, L. (2001). Every name of God in the Bible. Everything in the Bible series (13–14). Nashville, Tenn.: Thomas Nelson.

³ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7RUciHVpCbw & http://lyricaltheology.blogspot.com/2010/08/was-god-blasphemed-on-atonement-q.html

⁴ http://5ptsalt.com/2010/08/20/a-response-to-shai-linne/

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