Jelani Greenidge

A Pacific Northwest native, Jelani Greenidge is a dynamic communicator with a drive to inform, inflame, and inspire. When he’s not doing freelance work, he’s also learning on the job as associate pastor of Sunset Covenant Church in Portland, Ore.

Whether in print, in song, or in person, Jelani engages people with a stylized blend of urban intellect, incisive commentary, and practical theology. He tackles a variety of subjects, but his sweet spot is right at the three-way intersection of nerd culture, hip-hop culture, and evangelical culture. He is a speaker, writer, arranger, producer, hip-hop emcee/lyricist, stand-up comic, and the founder of Motif Worship, a resource for keyboard-driven worship leaders.

Plus he dabbles in comedy now.

Jelani resides with his lovely bride Holly in north Portland alongside several resilient plants, an XBOX One, and no pets.

Gospel Identity Crisis, Part 2

In Part 1, we examined the meteoric rise and fall of gospel-singer-turned-pop-diva Tonéx. But is the Tonéx saga an aberration, or a sign of the troubling contradictions inherent in the Christian music industry? In the first installment of this four-part series, we...

Gospel Identity Crisis

When the urban gospel artist formerly known as Tonéx came out as a homosexual, his saga erased the already blurry line between sacred and secular pop music. Here's part one of a special series on the curious evolution of modern Christian music. Fans of the artist born...

The Whole Truth, So Help Us God

First it was Shirley Sherrod, now Juan Williams; both victims of our sound-bite media culture. As Christians, we must look for the whole truth in every situation, because half-truths are worse than outright lies. Not having come up professionally in the world of...

Stop Saying ‘Racism’

Honest dialogue about race and racial issues should move the conversation forward and advance its participants further down the road of understanding. Unfortunately, we've been doing the opposite. That's why our columnist is proposing this radical idea: a moratorium...

The Last Racebender?

Does it matter when a white actor plays an Asian role? M. Night Shyamalan’s The Last Airbender is a case study of the polarizing battle between colorblindness and race consciousness in Hollywood.

It’s About Time

Whether it's the passing of a loved one or the end of a favorite TV show (goodbye Lost and 24), our losses, big and small, have much to teach us if we'll just pay attention. In times like these, times of economic uncertainty and turmoil, the natural response is to...

A (Bleeping) Gospel Choir?

The Daily Show's Jon Stewart is known for political satire that skewers both the right and left, but his recent skit featuring a vulgarity-spewing gospel choir raises lots of troubling questions. The first one: why isn't the church more outraged? I listened and...

‘Lost’ and Found Theology

The popular TV series rises above the rest by compelling us to examine our understanding of God. And with millions of devoted fans, it could be one of our culture's most influential explorations of spirituality and faith. Among all the controversy surrounding the...

Misguided Compassion?

Ten American missionaries are jailed in Haiti for attempting to rescue needy children whose lives were uprooted by the earthquake. The missionaries' plight underscores the potential costs of discipleship, but also the consequences of good intentions gone awry. A group...

Gilbert Arenas’s Unfunny Business

Among other things, the NBA star's troubles offer this sobering reminder: An occasional joke is okay, but don't quit your day job. Washington Wizards basketball star Gilbert Arenas was recently suspended by the NBA because of a practical joke involving several...