:: The EPIC :: gettheepic.com

	HERE'S A GREAT WAY TO MEMORIZE ENTIRE CHAPTERS OF THE BIBLE THROUGH HIP HOP!

	Introducing a new and innovative resource from GodStyle Productions that will help you read, meditate on and memorize scripture passages using the art of rap. It's called The Epic. The Epic is an artistic translation of the gospel of John in RAP! YA CURIOUS? Be sure to check out Experience The Epic to listen to some examples!

	WHAT IS THE EPIC? [Back to top] The Epic portrays the gospel of John in a contemporary hip-hop format that appeals to students. It's a simple and unique approach to introducing Christ to students who are searching for answers or struggling with their faith. The goal of The Epic is to engage young people in processing the Scriptures in a fresh new way that helps them understand and apply God’s Word in their lives.
	It is not a study Bible, but rather an 'experiential paraphrase' that draws you back to the Bible.
		“The Epic recaptures the passion and potency of the Word of God in a language that teens use today.”
	"We’ve combined the greatest story ever told with the strongest medium of communication to kids today to produce THE EPIC!"
	Capturing the rhythms and idiom of the original ancient Greek- writing style and translating it into today’s rhythmatic expression of hip hop presents a perfect way to capture the flow of thought, the emotional wallop of words, and the forcefulness of the letters found in the gospel.
	A New Language Rap has become a major global contender in teen culture. In the past 30 years, hip-hop has gone from ghetto streets to the corporate suites, selling everything from music and clothes to brand name products like Coca-Cola and Pepsi. Even in the hallowed halls of academia, hip-hop culture has earned a stronghold. Harvard, Yale and UCLA offer credited courses in hip-hop. Once shunned by the elder gatekeepers of America's mainstream, hip-hop has now become the mainstream for the entire planet. Current studies indicate that major companies trying to advertise to the total youth to young adult population look to trends in the urban community. That’s where the indicators are of what’s going to lead culture in the near future. Many suburban kids shed their preppy look to embrace urban cool. You see it in the clothes, the musical styles, the dance, language and so forth. Rap music’s #1 consumer has been the young white suburban male purchasing 60% to 65% of the art form consecutively for the past 8 years. Because of its strong emotional qualities and it’s ability to convey thought directly and innovatively hip-hop has become the radical poetry of postmodernism; ranging from kids on street corners to school lunch rooms to Hip Hop Operas like MTV’s award winning production Carmen Brown, a modern take from the classic Opera Carmen.
	An Endless Story Jesus said, "Therefore every scribe who has become a disciple of the kingdom of heaven is like a head of a household, who brings out of his treasure things new and old." (Matthew 13:52 NASB) The Gospel is not only the greatest story ever told, but it is truely a never ending story that proves the relevance of a passionate 'right-now' God who is serious about an eternal relationship with his creation. As we share the truth of the gospel, our goal is to bring fresh significance to this timeless message by presenting it in the new light of present history. To take the old and make it new is exactly what Jesus was all about. He gave new meaning to the law and suddenly the dead law became alive and threatening & terrifying! In a recent survey done by the Gallup Organization for the American Bible Society, some revealing profiles emerged about Bible preferences and understandings. Most American households have at least one Bible (93 percent). By far the most popular version in American homes is the King James Version (54 percent.) The most important concern for choosing a Bible among those surveyed is that it "should be easy to understand" (88 percent). Although there is an abundance of Bibles in our homes, many teens lack a consistent time when it comes to studying the Bible.
	"While traveling the states and sharing exciting biblical truths to young people, I began to realize that students weren't feeling the vitality and directness that I sensed as I read and studied the gospel story. I knew that the early readers of the New Testament were captured and engaged by these writings, and I want to see today’s generation become impacted in the same way.”	Special message from Fred Lynch
	A Roman Road With the force of hip hop making a world wide impact, it becomes a perfect vehicle to translate truth to a generation in a style that they natrually embrace. It may even be that God has preserved this radical style of communication for these last days to share His Word in a way that restores the power of storytelling through rhythm and poetry (or RAP for short). The original books of the Bible were not written in formal language. The New Testament read by the early Christians was not an unapproachable, canonized document; it was simply a collection of honest writings. All of the New Testament was written for people in language that was both informal and forceful. Those early readers were captured and engaged by these writings. No commentaries were required to make the authors' meanings clear. The people understood what was written. All the people who read the letters of the New Testament were dramatically transformed by what they read—not just the educated elite, but the commoner as well. They were engrossed and challenged and acted on what they heard in such a way that the course of history was changed forever. Similarly, The Epic will facilitate a rhythmic and engaging experience of encountering God's Word. That power, forcefulness, and directness of the language is what GodStyle Productions has attempted to recapture in The Epic.
	A Fresh Perspective It will give you a fresh perspective on the Bible. You'll begin to see passages and books as whole units of thought. You'll experience the excitement and feeling of the Bible as it felt to its first readers. Teens will follow the train of thought much more easily. The Bible will seem more alive and understandable. And as you encounter passages you've read hundreds of times before, it will be like reading them for the first time.

	EXPERIENCE THE EPIC [Back to top]
	God's truth was given to be experienced through our lives and relationships. The Epic seeks to aid that process by inviting students to engage the scripture in a graphical and audible way. The Epic recaptures the Word of God in the words teens use today. It will give a fresh perspective on the Bible, helping teens experience the same excitement as was felt by its first readers. Even if teens have read passages hundreds of times before, the words will come alive as if they are hearing them for the first time. It is not a study Bible, but rather an "experiential paraphrase." The original books of the Bible were not written in formal language. There were no verses, or chapters, to slow down the facinating process of hearing the truth. Similarly, The Epic will facilitate a rhythmic and engaging experience of hearing the Word. The Epic recaptures the Word in a language that teens use today.


	FAQ'S [Back to top]
	Frequently Asked Questions about the Epic ? - Why Another New Bible? ? - Is the Epic an Ebonics Bible? ? - With the writing format being in rap, how much of the Epic is driven by slang? ? - Since Rap is so trendy, will the Epic become out of date to soon? ? - What’s so different about the Epic? ? - How close of a translation is the Epic to the Bible? ? - What will I get from the Epic that I don’t already get from the Bible? ? - How can I support the ministry of The Epic? Why Another New Bible? [Back to faq's] Language changes. New words are formed. Old words take on new meaning. There is a need in every generation to keep the language of the gospel message current, fresh, and understandable—the way it was for its very first readers. That is what The Epic seeks to accomplish for contemporary readers and hearers . The gospel was originally written in koiné Greek. That was the language of the common people. Today we might call it ‘ghetto’ Greek. Why was the most important message of all time written in such a base language? So it could be transferred to the people easy and accurately. In fact, there was no misunderstanding due to ‘canonically correct’ traditional writing styles. As a result, the gospel spread like wild fire. Because of it’s poetic flow, many people like to read and memorize the King James Version of the Bible. Others want to read a version that gives a close word-for-word correspondence between the original languages and English. The Epic is designed to be “experienced.” It brings the spirit of the original manuscripts to life with the rhythm of the voices, the flavor of the idiomatic expressions, the subtle connotations of meaning to contemporary culture that are often lost in formal English translations. Is the Epic an Ebonics Bible? [Back to faq's] A translation such as the Black Bible Chronicle is a type of commentary on Bible stories via street slang. In other words it's not a direct 'transliteration' of thought. For example in Genesis 1 the B.B.C. reads: "Now when the Almighty was first down with His program, He made the heavens and the earth. The earth was a fashion misfit, being so uncool and dark, but the Spirit of the Almighty came down real tough, so that He simply said, 'Lighten up!' And that light was right on time." Now if you went back to the original translations, you immediately see contrast like 'fashion misfit' vs. 'earth w/o form and void' or 'came down real tough' vs. 'God's Spirit moved'. What the Epic seeks is a closer transliteration of thought. For example, The Epic reads: John Chapter 1 (The Epic) 1. In the beginning was the Word, the manifest logic God of heard - unblurred shining from the inner sanctum of the Third. John Chapter 1:1 (KJV) 1. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. Instead of sacrificing the continuity of thought from the original text for street credit, we bend the powerful descriptive language of the street to tell the honest tale of the scripture. How much of the Epic is driven by slang? [Back to faq's] We are seeking to develop a new style of artistic literature with The Epic. Therefore, it isn't a 'slang driven' work. In fact, the colloquialisms that we use are more wide spread to Mainstream America as opposed to using sub-cultural slang words that marginalize. Of course, with time slang-words and even socially descriptive words change. This is the reason why we are going to great lengths to develop the Epic in a way that recaptures the passion and potency of the unchanging truth of God’s Word in a language that teens use today. When looking at classical works of art even in the world of mainstream Hip Hop, you find songs that were able to capture great thought and become timeless. Songs like Rappers Delight by Sugar Hill gang (1979); The Message by Grand Master Flash (1982); I ain't no joke by Rakim (1986) Nothing but a 'G' thang by Snoop Dog (1998) all have a sense of the climate of their day, but transcend time with their words and still make sense to kids today, and will speak to future generations. The Epic is an enduring work of artistic literature that speaks truth to both realities: the unchanging human condition and the constantly changing cultural conditions of our world today. Rap is so trendy; will the Epic become out of date? [Back to faq's] The writers of the Epic are in the world of a massive growing culture that has taken the world by storm (Hip Hop). Consider the difference of having a missionary translate a verse as opposed to having a missionary train a native who has grown up in the 'emerging' culture translate a verse. Emerging is the key word that releases us from some of the dated slang that could easily get used to get a point across. Another example from the B.B.C.: He wanted them to know what was up. “You know, there’s a little something for everybody,” Jesus told ‘em. “Brothers who are down in the way they feel, they ain’t got nothing to worry ‘bout ‘cuz the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to them. Even those who feel like they’ve lost, can be on the one again ‘cuz there will be arms ‘round ‘em to make ‘em feel better. And you know those brothers who seem weak and on the bottom of the tadpole, the world is theirs. No kidding. And those folks who always do right, got a kind word to say, a good deed or two to do, it’s coming back to ‘em in spades. If a brother shows kindness and mercy, it’s coming back to him more than he can count. This is old 70's-80's slang. No one uses 'on the one' anymore, but the fathers of those who say 'holding it down'. Both colloquialisms are generally describing a sense of wholeness, ones just a generation behind. However, with actual rappers transliterating actual scripture the way they would say it within their 'emerging' culture, you capture a more potent and credible way to transfer truth. What’s so different about the Epic? [Back to faq's] It isn't meant to replace your current Bible version of choice. Rather, it is designed as an interactive Bible paraphrase that can give you a fresh perspective on a familiar phrase or passage. It's written in the kind of language that you would use to write a letter to a friend. There are no formal terms, so it's a smooth easy read. The Epic reads out like one of your favorite novels. How close of a translation is the Epic to the Bible? [Back to faq's] The Epic is actually a paraphrase version of the Gospel that transliterates by thought and tone. The Epic works by attempting to recapture the tone while keeping a sense of firsthand experience for contemporary readers. This is achieved through a meticulous process of analyzing each written verse of the Epic and comparing it to an average of 3-5 versions of scripture. This is why you will see ‘old’ words from the King James Version and ‘new’ words from the Contemporary English Version side by side in a synoptically postmodern flow that drives the point through style without sacrificing the substance of Holy Scripture. Translation Philosophy/Format: Thought-for-thought. Converts the original languages into the tone and the rhythms of modern-day Hip Hop while retaining the idioms and meaning of the original languages. What will I get from the Epic? [Back to faq's] Through the use of Rhythm and Rhyme you will encounter a deeper visual comprehension of the gospel. You'll begin to see passages as whole units of thought. You'll experience the excitement and feeling of the gospel as it sounded to its first readers. You'll be able to grasp the meaning of scripture much more easily and thereby apply it to your life. The gospel will seem more alive and understandable. And as you encounter passages you've read hundreds of times before, it will be like reading them for the first time. How can I support the ministry of The Epic? [Back to faq's] GodStyle Productions is a non-profit production center under the ministry of Fred Lynch. Our vision is to change youth culture by connecting, developing, and commissioning Disciples of Christ. The urban community has become a leader in setting cultural trends for the world through music, fashion and philosophy. The reconciliation ministry of GodStyle Productions strategically taps into the community of these ‘world influencers’ to make disciples who will influence their world. Through developing resources like The Epic, GodStyle Productions’ is accomplishing this vision! This is a ministry, and we do operate by the prayers and financial support of ministry partners. If you are interested in joining hands with GodStyle Productions to connect trendsetters, design information and communicate life-changing truth to young people, please contact us. Let’s rebuild the broken walls together! Visit us at: www.godstyle.com flynch@gmail.com 505-514-9955
	Vision Statement: GodStyle Productions exists to CHANGE YOUTH CULTURE WORLDWIDE by Connecting, Developing and Commissioning Disciples of Christ.
	How can I SPREAD THE WORD about The Epic? [Back to top] The goal of "spreading The EPIC" is really about getting the knowledge of The Word of God out by encouraging youth to talk about it and share it with their friends while "vibing" to the Holy Hip Hop rhythms contained within. We want the word of God to cover youth culture and bring kids out; For the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea...(Habakkuk 2:14) Please share this resource with your sea of friends, because after all, you carry the most powerful tool to make the difference... WORD OF MOUTH! Your Godly influence is needed; your words count; you are very important! To order the book and CD, click here. Coming soon: The EPIC Banners, Wallpaper & E-Messages · We are developing ways to share the excitement of The Epic through graphic backgrounds, flash files, artwork and e-message resources. The EPIC Mixtapes · Some of the Hottest in Hip-Hop beats all together with The EPIC Lyrics on CD! The EPIC Flash Instrumentals · You can rap the Word of God and have the visual effect on screen too!
	Contact Us [Back to top] Development Fred Lynch Writers Fred Lynch..................flynch@gmail.com Kirk Miller....................ree_ab@hotmail.com Editor Stacie Brown.......scribefreelance@aol.com Music Production Fred Lynch & Kevin Carter for GodStyle Productions Ministry Coordinator & Scheduling Fred Lynch...............flynch@gmail.com 505-514-9955