I am going to be completely honest here and say that when I first read about this, I was 100% skeptical. The reason that I was skeptical was because I am all too familiar with how some pastors will try to tickle the ears of those in the entertainment industry. My concern was that this apology would be a stamp of approval for everything that Destiny's Child has done in their collective and solo careers. I feel like we are living in an era where "only God can judge" is the broom used to sweep accountability and correction under the rug. Simply voicing an opinion or challenging how one's actions are contrary to the word of God that they profess to believe in is now considered to be equal to being judgmental- so much so that you have to walk on eggshells almost every time you speak up to say that something isn't right. However one thing that made me sit up, take notice, and begin to put my defenses down was this:
"The people accuse Jay and Kanye of being anti- church and anti-Jesus but let me tell you something: the church picked that fight...a community that should have loved first. If we had his eyes we wouldn't be cursing and condemning and judging; we would be praying and prophesying the future that we want to see in the lives of anyone in our community that we feel might not be in alignment."
DING DING DING DING DING!!!!
If you feel that someone is not in alignment biblically, the most ugly and ungodly thing for a pastor to do is to attack them from the pulpit. I've noticed two kinds of evil at play when it comes to how some pastors treat people in the entertainment industry: those who degrade entertainers from the pulpit with little regard for their souls and spiritual well being and those who show favoritism when it comes to entertainers with little regard for their souls and spiritual well being.
Side note: Seriously pastors, stop making entertainers stand up and be acknowledged when they come to your church. That's ridiculous. Treat everyone equally (James 2:1-13). It's just unnecessary to draw that kind of attention to anyone because they are famous and besides, you never know what kind of hurt people walk into the doors of your church with. The last thing they need to do is worry about being seen and then having to put on a fake smile for people while they're hurting. Let...people...live.
Back to condemnation from the pulpit. I remember seeing a very well known and respected pastor speak at probably the largest Christian festival in the world. In front of thousands of people, he poked fun at Michael Jackson (he said that he then looked like Mariah Carey) and that he literally wanted to physically hurt Boy George. This sounds terrible but it's not uncommon to mock entertainers in church. I'm sure the preachers that do it count on it to be some of their best comedic material. The reality is that we are all equally loved in God's eyes and should treat each other as such. I can't count how many times I have heard a sermon and thought "Well if I was actually friends with that particular entertainer and thought this message was one that would bless and encourage them, I couldn't share it with them. Their name is all up in it." These things should NEVER happen but it does because a lot of Christians can't separate people from their sin. We need to stop attacking people and start attacking problems.
People, artists or otherwise, are not going to be open to the right guidance or correction if they are judged and condemned from the door. I think that's a big part of the problem. How can you speak into someone's life about why they may want to reconsider wearing certain types of clothing or not grind up on married men on stage when they claim to be Christians if you publicly ridicule them and disrespect them? We can't throw correction out the door in the name of not judging but we can't throw love out the door in the name of righteousness either, especially when you can't have one without the other. Even the bible says that God corrects those that He loves (Proverbs 3:12).
I don't know Kelly or Michelle but I know what I have heard others say about them. I know what has come out of my own mouth. I know that this apology was long overdue and it needs to be the start of more apologies and healing across the board for those that have been condemned and not gracefully encouraged and equipped on how to be light in the dark places of the industry. I also don't know Pastor Roberts or his relationship with them but it was beautiful how he affirmed them and spoke blessings over their lives. It's clear to me that this was not an apology that gives "the liberty to act crazy" as he stated. That in "loving real hard", he doesn't mean to not challenge because that would not be love at all. But what I gathered from this can be best summed up in leader and author John C. Maxwell's well known quote, "People don't care how much you know until they know how much you care." Until we as the church show that we really care about people, we can miss them with all the "thus saith the Lord" and "know ye nots" and such. Until we accept responsibility for the hurt we have caused so many in the entertainment industry whether it be through ostracizing or attempting to use their fame for selfish gain, then we have no right to try to speak into their lives. It is God's kindness that leads people to repentance (Romans 2:4) and until we show that, the fight that we picked will not end.
What did you think about Pastor Roberts' apology? Do you think it's a step in the right direction?
What did you think about Pastor Roberts' apology? Do you think it's a step in the right direction?
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