This presentation analyzes Kendrick Lamar's spiritual transformation between DAMN. and Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers, arguing that Lamar's incorporation of Eckhart Tolle's philosophy signals a conclusive dissatisfaction with the resources Christian theology offered him to deal with generational trauma. The resulting shift away from concepts like sin, salvation, and final judgment, and new prioritization of healing and freedom through Ego-attentiveness and present-moment awareness offers a stark, yet valuable challenge to Christian theology.
Attending to and analyzing Lamar's work in Mr. Morale (2022) and following--including the Drake feud and his Super Bowl LIX performance--aims to provoke reflective and cooperative conversation around Lamar's evolving spiritual perspective, its implications for theological discourse, and the resources American Christianity (and others) might offer (or fail to offer) in dealing with generational legacies of spiritual deformation, violence, neglect, and/or abuse.