Under the Fig Tree: Helping others better understand Christianity with hip-hop artist FLAME

Under the Fig Tree

Join hosts Rev. Micah Glenn and Dr. Ben Haupt as they talk with Lutheran hip-hop artist FLAME, Marcus Gray, who earned a Master of Arts from Concordia Seminary in 2018. Listen in as FLAME shares his journey to the Seminary, his conversion to Lutheranism from Calvinism and why he thinks future church workers should remember their own human experiences and the “regular concerns” of others before coming to the Seminary. He also explains why he wants to get involved in new music projects exploring Confession, Absolution and vocation. The doctrine of vocation, he says, is “one of the greatest contributions out of Lutheran thought.” He said he has seen a lot of Christians try to monitor their motives and do things for the right reasons in hopes of glorifying God more. But that seems to cultivate insecurity and lead them away from Christianity because it’s “too complex.”

“I want to talk about vocation because I think it helps people understand that in all of the varying areas that you find yourself in, God says, ‘Amen. Do good in those to the best of your ability for the sake of those around you, not so you can get cool points from Me or earn extra credit in My eyes,’” FLAME says. “Jesus said, ‘It is finished on the cross,’ so what He has done for us has been secured. … I want people to understand Christianity and reimagine God and reimagine what it means to be a believer.”

Under the Fig Tree is a video and audio podcast of Concordia Seminary, St. Louis. New video and audio episodes are added weekly each Monday. Under the Fig Tree can be found on YouTube and most podcast platforms including Spotify, Apple Podcasts and Google Podcasts, and Scholar (https://scholar.csl.edu/). Those interested in vocational ministry are invited to learn more about Concordia Seminary at csl.edu or by contacting the admissions team at [e-mail] or 800-822-9545.