Grace and Peace, I am Richard Roldan preferably Ricky. I’m married with 2 children and 2 stepchildren who all live with me. But before being regenerated aka being born again I was pretty much a bad dude. You know the whole thug life, drug dealin gun wheelin lifestyle etc… don’t feel the need to go into details cause that would be a book actually LOL…..no but seriously, I made an official commitment to Christ at the age of 20 since being raised in a Christian home where your pops is a pastor, you really don’t know when that actual regeneration occurred and I don’t think anyone really does, but anyways I stop thuggin cold turkey like the next day, which brought me some trouble but that’s another story. Ever since I have been given a Godly desire to take the gospel and sound doctrine back to da hood aka my culture…..not that my culture is all hood but that is term we lovingly use to describe the inner-city and urban environment.
Basically, I feel called by the Lord to be an Evangelist/Reformer/Pastor to my culture, to bring them the true message of the gospel and teach them sound christian doctrine as found in our creeds and reformed confessions, which we in the Reformed faith, believe are the accurate summaries of the Word of God. I do not have any formal training but I have been studying biblical theology and systematic theology through the same means as bible college and seminary students via books, audio, video, and mentors for the last 19yrs and I also have been teaching for 18yrs but I am open to getting a formal training for the sake of better credentials and hanging a degree up on my wall…lol…..not to downplay formal training or anything, there is much need for it, believe it!
Now what culture do I refer to? By that I do not mean my spanish culture as many people quickly assume being that I’m Puerto Rican or Philarican, I was born in Philly, rather what I mean by my culture is the Hip Hop culture/inner city urban culture to which I was born and raised in. This culture is a sub-INTERNATIONAL culture, I emphasis international because individuals not learned of this culture quickly assume it is only a sub-American culture, which it is but not limited to America. This like any other culture or nation must also be evangelized and discipled as the principles of our Reformed faith mandate, a Reform Ordinance sort of speak, to bring nations and its cultures to Christ receiving this command by our Lord in the Great Commission.
Some of you will not understand this need, and to be quite frank, it makes me no difference being that my concern is for those likened to me in the same culture I was raised in. Christ calls us to engage the culture not attempt to change it but He does call us to to call them to repentance and to shun the sins of the culture. That’s a little about myself and the intentions of my heart.
Urban Reformed Theology 