I was sitting in the basement of an African-American urban church, listening to young people talk about the “N” word.

Historically, the “N” word has been the worst term you could use to describe an African American. These days, it has become popular within hip-hop and urban culture. There is even a video out called “The ‘N’ Word,” in which scholars, politicians, hip-hop artists and youth discuss whether the word should be used.

On this particular Friday evening, about 40 African-American youth sat in a large circle. I and a few other adults, referred to as “elders,” sat around the outside. Although the discussion was deep and powerful, I struggled with the fact that many of the young people were exploring the “N” word without any experience of it as a weapon of oppression and segregation.

To them, it is a hip-hop word. In their generation, it is a term of endearment for a close friend or a label of judgment against an African American. Comedians such as Chris Rock and Dave Chappelle, who are also popular with white Americans, use the word so much that you’d think it’s not only acceptable but that it’s a key term if you’re really “down” with urban and hip-hop culture.

No Historical Link
Except for a few, these students seemed not to connect the word to slavery, segregation or America’s historic effort to cast African-Americans as less than human. As the young people talked, I watched the faces of the African-Americans in the room older than 50. They clearly looked disturbed.

I could identify with both groups. Because I was born in 1969, I remember the stories passed down to me from parents and grandparents about the “N” word as a term of racial oppression. Yet I must admit wrestling with the word — from using it to address my friends in high school and college to becoming angry when hearing it used to express racist feelings.

There’s a trend among suburban and white youth who love hip-hop to feel they can use the word in the right context. Interestingly, the African-American youth in the church basement all agreed that under no circumstance is it OK for someone who isn’t African-American to use the “N” word. We, the elders in the room, went further and raised the question whether the word should be used by anyone at any time.

Cultural Context
That evening, I learned the importance of the urban church as a place where youth not only learn about Christ but also learn about who they are in Christ — through understanding culture and history. I’m African-American, Native-American, and Irish. I was raised in the church and grew up in hip-hop culture. I became a Christian at 17 years old. By staying connected to all of who I am — culturally, ethnically and spiritually — I have a context in which to understand what’s behind the “N” word.

What was happening in that church basement should be happening in urban churches everywhere, especially in the inner city. The problems in the inner city are caused not only by lives separated from God but by lives separated from history and culture. For instance, youth growing up in hip-hop and other urban cultures aren’t aware of hip hop’s connection to the civil rights movement, jazz, the black church or Negro spirituals.

We must also present aspects of culture and history to show the need for reconciliation between people. And, of course, teaching the Bible — itself a God-breathed, Christ-centered historical and multicultural book — is key to that.

We, as ministers to youth, must see equipping a generation of reconcilers as a main part of our ministry. We must create more opportunities in the church for youth to share their hearts on the issues of today, while being surrounded by elders who remind them of the importance of connecting those issues to culture, ethnicity, history and Christ.

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Efrem Smith is the senior pastor of The Sanctuary Covenant Church (sanctuarycovenant.org) and the founder of Unity Storehouse Ministries (unitystorehouse.com).  He is the author of ‘Raising Up Young Heroes’ and ‘The Hip Hop Church‘ (with Phil Jackson). He also hosts the radio show “Time for Reconciliation.”