With his new album “Reconstruction,” Christian rapper Lecrae Moore is celebrating his personal testimony of rediscovery and the power of God’s redemptive work in his life.
After a period of “deconstruction” which he says started back in 2016 after experiencing criticism within evangelical circles for speaking out about racial justice issues and while also dealing with painful experiences throughout his own life, Moore took a step back from the spotlight to search through Scripture — seeking to find answers and healing.
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In 2020, Moore chronicled details of his deconstruction journey in the book, “I Am Restored: How I Lost My Religion But Found My Faith.”
‘Transformative journey’
While reflecting on the transformative journey, Moore says the experience led him to have a stronger faith than ever before while rebuilding on the spiritual foundation of being rooted in Christ and clearly seeing the truth of the gospel being revealed.
With the release of his new album, which marks the 10th studio album for the multi-Grammy award winning artist and his first studio project in three years, Moore invites listeners to take an inside look at the raw journey he’s been on in the process of reconstructing his faith.
“The songs on this album are about the experiences I have been through in my own life and being very honest about my struggles, challenges and hardships that I’ve walked through,” Moore said. “It’s been a journey of healing and celebration — returning to the roots of the gospel, clearing out the clutter, removing the noise and distractions and focusing on Jesus.”
Moore spent a year working on the album and sought wisdom from mentors including his pastor, Lee Jenkins, at Eagles Nest Church in Roswell, Georgia.
He was also inspired by the writings of Charles Spurgeon and the impact of Spurgeon’s “great legacy of faith.”
“I had to do some serious ‘deconstructing’ so I could search through every thing I believed and rediscover the foundational truths of the gospel,” Moore said. “There were a lot of things that I had to wrestle with throughout this journey.
“I got to the point where I was like, ‘Okay, what do I do now? What do I truly believe?’ I had to take a step back to see the truth being revealed with new eyes and a new perspective. As I’m studying the Gospels, I was reading about the Kingdom of God being at hand, and I’m looking at the impact of that. If I’m part of this Kingdom that means demonstrating the fruit of the Kingdom, the fruit of the Spirit. No one else can do that except believers. No one else can demonstrate love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness and self-control in the way that the Spirit enables us to do. Everywhere I go, I’m hoping that the fruit of the Spirit is being exemplified.”
Moore hopes listeners will resonate with his testimony detailed in songs such as “Reconstruction,” “My Story” and “Pray for Me.”
‘Scars’
Moore considers “Headphones” to be the most personal song on the album and was written following the tragic death of his cousin, who overdosed on fentanyl after a brief relapse.
Moore will be embarking on a worldwide “Reconstruction Tour” to promote the album this fall.
“On one end of the spectrum, I look at if I would be as empathetic or useful for people who have come out of dark places if I hadn’t experienced my own deconstruction journey,” Moore said. “I still have scars that I carry, but those scars have made me stronger in a lot of ways and brought me back to Jesus being the foundation of everything. Deconstruction isn’t a bad thing as long as you’re not getting rid of Jesus.”
As he tours to promote the new album, Moore remains committed to reaching the next generation with the lessons he has learned.
Desiring to give back and help students start the school year on the right track, Moore recently partnered with local nonprofit agencies in Atlanta, Georgia and Dallas, Texas to provide students in those cities with backpacks filled with essential school supplies.
Finding answers
For people who are struggling with their faith journey and searching for answers, Moore hopes the lessons he has learned will help them to clearly see that Jesus is worth it all and no one is too far gone to come back to Him.
“Just like when Nehemiah was rebuilding the walls, God sees what can be reconstructed,” Moore said. “This album and my personal journey are about rebuilding, rebirth and revival — celebrating the victory of God and rebuilding what was broken.
“My foundation had always been Christ, but some things had to be rebuilt because some things were torn down. For people struggling with faith or thinking of giving up on the church, I would say: ‘I totally understand why you want to walk out that door, but what if you can stay on that foundation and build new walls? Work on reconstructing something that is healthy and whole, but Jesus has to be the center of it all.”
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