'Beyond the Four Walls: The Rising Ministry and Spirituality of Hip-Hop' Making Waves

By Sami K. Martin, Christian Post Reporter Thursday, May 31, 2012

Walter Hidalgo's "Beyond the Four Walls: The Rising Ministry and Spirituality of Hip-Hop" is making its way to churches everywhere and "helping to create sacred spaces that are providing purpose to our marginalized youth and young adult street populations."

Hidalgo's passion for hip-hop and ministry are combined in the autobiographical work, which is quickly catching fire.

Hidalgo does not consider himself an author or writer but "a person who likes to get his hands and feet dirty, then writes about why I'm dirty to begin with. As a spoken-word artist, by way of the hip-hop culture, self-expression through lyricism has always been a passion of mine, and I continue to embrace and showcase it to the world at large," he told The Christian Post.

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The idea for the book actually came to Hidalgo as he studied at Union Theological Seminary in New York City. "It first started as my graduate school thesis…and then gradually became this work of art that I wanted to share with the entire world." His next work will focus on using hip-hop ministry to "provide psychotherapy treatment, spirituality, and empowerment to youth."

While some may see hip-hop as a strictly secular genre, Hidalgo is working to use it in order to reach a new audience of youth. "Hip-hop is beyond music, misogyny and material wealth," he explained. "But instead a public theological testimony of countless marginalized voices of youth and young adults who are gaining self-identity by way of social services."

"Hip-hop is spiritual because it helps to create safe, sacred and socially critical spaces of worship, dialogue, love and social just parallel [to] the earlier churches of antiquity that were established by Paul the Apostle," Hidalgo noted.

Hidalgo is currently appearing with the book in order to spread its message throughout the nation. He recently served as a keynote speaker at the Clergy Conference at Boston University. It is apparent that Hidalgo's message is catching on and providing new opportunities for youth and ministry.

To order "Beyond the Walls," go to http://www.beyondthefourwalls.info/.