Thursday Night Live to Feature Flame Q&A and Performance

by Kristen Farley

Stinger’s will host renowned rap artist Flame on Sept. 6 at 7 p.m. This Q&A will focus on Christianity and the arts, concluding with a performance by Flame.

With a total of nine albums released, Flame has partnered with other Christian artists such as LeCrae, Thi’sl, Mike REAL and NF. Over the course of his career, Flame has earned a Grammy Award nomination, four Stellar Award nominations and seven Dove Award nominations.

Flame plans to pursue a Masters of Divinity and a PhD in theological studies in his free time from his active music ministry. His global ministry has branched out into many countries, as Cedarville’s own Dr. Dan DeWitt can attest to.

DeWitt, associate professor of applied theology and apologetics and director of the Center for Biblical Apologetics and Public Christianity, came to know Flame as a professor at Southern Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky. DeWitt was unaware of what student Marcus Grey (aka Flame) did outside of the classroom.

“When we did prayer requests, he would say, ‘Pray for me. I’m flying all over the world,’” DeWitt said. “Finally, after a few weeks, I finally figured out that this guy is something other than a normal student. In that semester, he was nominated for a grammy for his album, ‘Our World Redeemed.’”

Later becoming friends and partners in evangelism, Flame even created an album to accompany DeWitt’s book, both sharing the title “Jesus or Nothing.”

Flame’s albums have been known to pack a profound theological punch, weaving in a clear gospel message and even complex theological terms.

“In his songs, he’s not mainly talking about life, or mainly talking about his feelings,” DeWitt said. “He really wants the main thing to be the Bible.”

Dr. Anthony Moore, biblical researcher and multicultural recruiter for Cedarville, said he is also excited for Flame’s visit.

“We deal in words. We are a religion that is based in the Word, and the Word made flesh, Jesus,” Moore said. “The importance of being able to be faithful, as one preacher put it, we represent the Scriptures, the Scriptures represent Christ, and Christ represents the Father. To find someone who is actually thinking carefully about those words, trying to put them to song, to think about worldview. It’s just a win.”

Kristen Farley is a junior early education major and an Arts and Entertainment writer for Cedars. She enjoys accents, books, coffee, and life in general.