Spain - Blending Culture with Scripture

Saint Lawrence - If I ruled the World - Nas

Historical and Scriptural Connection

The name Lawrence comes from the Latin Laurentius, meaning "from Laurentum" or "laurel-crowned." The laurel was a Roman symbol of victory and honor, which aligns with biblical imagery of spiritual triumph (e.g., the "crown of life" in James 1:12).

Nas’s “If I Ruled the World (Imagine That)” is a visionary anthem that imagines a utopia free from oppression, inequality, and systemic injustice. When viewed through a biblical lens, several themes in the song resonate deeply with scriptural principles—though Nas’s vision is secular and rooted in socio-political realities, it echoes spiritual yearnings found throughout the Bible.

Nas’s Vision: Liberation Through Imagination
In If I Ruled the World, Nas imagines a utopia where systemic oppression is dismantled:

Freedom from incarceration: “I’d free all my sons” speaks to mass incarceration and its impact on Black communities.

Economic justice: He envisions wealth redistribution, luxury for the oppressed, and an end to poverty.

Cultural pride and unity: Nas calls for a world where Black, Latino, and Anglo-Saxon people live in harmony, free from racial divisions.

His dream is not just material—it’s spiritual. He wants to “civilize every savage,” not in a colonial sense, but by uplifting those deemed worthless by society.

Saint Lawrence: The True Treasure of the Church
Saint Lawrence, a deacon in 3rd-century Rome, was ordered to hand over the Church’s wealth. Instead, he presented the poor, sick, and marginalized, declaring: “These are the treasures of the Church.” For this act of defiance and truth, he was martyred.

His teachings emphasize:

Radical charity: True wealth lies in serving the poor.

Dignity of the oppressed: The marginalized are not burdens—they are sacred.

Resistance to corrupt power: Lawrence defied imperial authority with moral courage.

 Where Nas and Saint Lawrence Intersect:

JUSTICE over POWER:

Both reject the legitimacy of unjust systems:  Nas critiques political imprisonment; Lawrence defies imperial greed.

Uplifting the poor: Nas dreams of reversing economic disparity; Lawrence sees the poor as holy.

Moral imagination: Nas uses lyrical vision to inspire change; Lawrence uses spiritual conviction to challenge norms.

Final Thought
Nas’s imagined world and Saint Lawrence’s lived theology both ask: What if the last were first? They challenge us to see beyond surface power and recognize the sacredness of those society casts aside. One uses beats and rhymes, the other used martyrdom—but both echo the same call: justice, dignity, and love for the least among us.