Recently brother Kirk Franklin was guess on the popular Breakfast Club and while being interviewed he made a apology to the homosexual community on behalf of the “church” that has caused a backlash in the Christian community.
With all of the confusion and conflicts already generated by the homosexual activism community and the poorly inform in the church community, the last thing we need is a poorly informed gospel recording artists attempting to apologize for the “church”.
Granted, Brother Franklin has been unfairly attacked about his comments by members of the Christian community, who failed to acknowledge the many good things he also said during the interview, or to take into consideration his testimony that clearly plays a role in his drive to have “compassion” for the homosexual community.
While I too take issue with some of Brother Franklin’s comments about the church, and the clear pass he seems to have given to the homosexual community, I am not sure that Kirk is as guilty as he is misinformed about what is really going on. Nor am I certain that his comments are not on at least some level motivated by money. Just how much his visit to the Breakfast Club and his comments there is motivated by his new CD? Who knows?
But there are several homosexuals who have accused Franklin of playing to the profit game to promote his music, and understandably so. His comments would have been better received had he made them four years prior rather than just before his new release.
I have only met and spoken to Kirk Franklin twice many years ago, once at Brooklyn Wingate Park, back stage at an outdoor gospel Concert, when I was singing with the WRKS KISS FM's Kiss Inspirations Choir.
While we were talking, he happened to looked out back at a Muslim who was performing his daily prayer ritual and he was fascinated by his dedication. I quickly informed Brother Kirk that ritual was hardly impressive, and that ritual without sound truth was a useless waste of time. And that bodily exercise profited little but godliness was profitable in all. And I encouraged him not to allow himself to be impressed by ritual but to be impressed by sound doctrine and to pursue the richness of God’s Word that would cause all other religions to pale in obscurity. He agreed, but we were interrupted by Yolanda Adams before I could share with him what I knew about Islam.
My only other meeting with Kirk was outside at the World Trade Center where he and I as part of the WRKS Kiss choir performed his popular new hit “Stomp”. While we did not get to talk religion back stage, he was in a most comedic mood and kept us all laughing. (If anyone has photos or video from that performance in front of the World Trade Center, I would appreciate a copy).
Although I know people change over the years, I can only see a greater maturity in him since then, but having said that, I still disagree with some of his comments during the interview.
He started the interview by saying:
“I am a fan of the show, I listen to the show all the time.”
Now anyone who has listened to a few of the Breakfast Club shows, know full well how problematic that comment is for a Christian.
He also commented about:
“The mistakes that Christians have made that we create the super holy type of stigma that cause people to already assume that we wouldn’t even come to a beautiful spot like this and have a dialogue with real people.”
I can understand the benefit of having access to this secular platform to share the gospel, but to call it a “beautiful spot” is inappropriate for a Christian.
Franklin did shares important information during the interview, he gives his testimony of how and why he became a committed believer, and the abuse he was exposed to as the result of not having his father and mother around, and his exposure to pornography and the struggle that followed even into his married life. He is to be commended for this.
When Charlamagne comments about how difficult it was to resist women being God’s fault, Kirk gives a very good response.
Kirk was also correct about the dogma of religion that contributes to relationship problems.
When DJ Envy brings up the church hypocrisy, Kirk said that he was very hurt at the way “we” have reflected ourselves in the culture.
“I am really hurt that we have not done the best job at presenting God to the people. It looks more like a hustle. A lot of that is true”.
He then goes to blame “the church” for its sins as if the Body of Christ is represented by the poor character churches that claim to be serving God. But he does not make a sufficient effort to clarify that it is not God’s fault that foolish people misrepresent Him and His word.
What is worst, Kirk never bothers to give any support to the concept of holiness and God’s requirement that Christians walk in it. He seems to forget that His God Jesus, walked in it as our example. Rather, he focuses on the lack of holiness as the standard to get across; the “were not perfect” message. This is sadly the case with far too many celebrity Christians.
Interestingly, later in the interview, Kirk expresses his dislike of the “Preachers of LA” reality show because they display the very “were not perfect” message that he himself claimed that he wanted to keep before the people. But on this occasion he strangely says the people don’t need to see all that, they need hope. It comes across as contradictory, even if he claims it is not.
While I agree with his objection to the “Preachers of LA”, his objection to that show should enforce his understanding of how important it is for Christians to strive to represent Jesus as the Bible says we should. Instead, Franklin seems to be more concerned with making sinners feel good about themselves in their failing state.
At the 21 minute point is where Angela Yee, brings up the homosexual issue that Kirk begins his long apology for the church in. Kirk unfortunately used the “church used the homosexuals talents” comment, and even objected to our use of the appropriate “Adam and Steve” analogy that we use to demonstrate that God did not create humans as homosexuals. It becomes clear to me that brother Kirk is being influenced by some wrong sources on the homosexual issue.
At the 23:26 point, when DJ Envy asks what the Bible says about Homosexuality, Kirk then clearly goes out of his way to avoid saying that the Bible clearly condemns homosexuality as a sin, answering “the same thing it says about heterosexuality”. And when he does get up the nerve to acknowledge the Bible does condemn homosexuality, he does so in the context that it is “not a manual to attach homosexuals”, (as if that is what informed Christians have claimed). He even goes so far as to frown and say “no,no,no,no,no” when Charlamagne mentions the Levites abomination passage. And he then embarrassingly counters that "eating shell fish was also an abomination", showing his lack of understanding about the homosexual issues addressed in Leviticus. This is a common error which I have addressed.
He even acknowledges that the Apostle Paul lays out the clear regulation on human sexuality in his writings, but then quickly defends homosexuals by saying if we attack them we have to attack other sins as well. Which is true, but that does not change the condemnation of homosexuality.
At the 34 minute point, Charlamagne tells Kirk that he speaks to them in a language that they can relate to, using the vernacular of the times, DJ Envy say that Kirk talked to them while other preachers talk down to them; and for both, Kirk apologies for the Church.
How sad, He did not have the wisdom to inform them that their language was not what the problem was but their hearts. And he never once attempted to witness to them about their salvation.
Kirk Franklin, apparently means well, but as with other celebrities whose biblical apologetics and ability to correctly exegete key Bible texts, has not caught up with their celebrity, he has done greater harm to the homosexual community than good.
When the flagship homosexual magazine The Advocate reports on the incident and has nothing negative to say about Franklin’s interview, you know he has played to the homosexual community.
As reported by the Grio.com, Franklin said:
“More than anything, I’m trying to peel back those layers [that] keep people away from God and keep people away from experiencing the love of God and knowing God’s love as a father,” .....“I’m trying through this album to erase the dogma and the ideology that gets in the way of the true essence of one of the most simplest things we could ever say to somebody: ‘For God so loved the world that he gave his only son, whoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life.’
What is unfortunate is that the love message of John 3:16 has been so watered down by some, that it has incorrectly come to be understood as a no fault- free pass to sinners.
It would have been more helpful if Brother Kirk had added verses 19 to 21 of that text, which says:
“And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
For every one that doeth evil hates the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.
But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.”
This is just as much a part of the gospel message as John 3:16, and to neglect to make mention of it just for the sake of making sinners feel “accepted”, may endear you to the sinner, but it will also make you accountable to God. As believers, we are not commissioned to preach 5, 10, 50 or even70% of the gospel. Our only privilege is to deliver the whole gospel. Brother Kirk should know this.
It is a shame that in this day and time, when homosexual activists are pushing harder than ever to corrupt our youth, and reinterpret the meaning of morality and reality, that we have popular Christian celebrities who either knowingly or ignorantly are contributing to their agenda to dominate our society with false idea about God, salvation, morality and reality.
While Kirk may feel the need to apologize to the homosexual community for their treatment by poor examples of the Christian church, he should also extend an apology to the mature Churches that have been properly representing Jesus Christ, for his inefficient ability to present a balanced and biblically sound message to the homosexual community.
While Kirk’s decision to title his new recording “Lost My Religion”, and his need to focus on the failing Christian churches activities and actions only contributes to the already growing global disrespect and distrust of Christianity and Christians, thanks to the efforts of homosexual activist and atheist, he is correct, there are far too many so called Christian churches that are misrepresenting Jesus and what the Bible fully teaches, and there should be more said and done by Christian leaders to deal with that misrepresentation of Christianity. But that fact does not exempt Kirk or any other Christian from being required to present the whole truth to the homosexual activists community. Such unbalanced comments will only invite more misrepresentation and confusion about true Christianity.
Kirk said that he has given himself over to the study of the Bible and being apologetically sound, and yet when Rapper Plies publicly invited Kirk to a popular strip club, Franklin replies that Plies must first go with him to a “Baptist church and stay the whole service, and attend a church cookout”, then he might walk by the club, may walk [through] the parking lot [or] walk on the curb near the club.
That’s not much of an answer from one who has studied apologetics and wants to get people pass the “noise” of the church to the real Jesus. I would think that an invitation to a one on one in a private place where they could talk would be a more appropriate reply, but then, what do I know about such things.
I know this, we as a church must step up our game before the Lords return. The world has got to see a united Church standing on sound biblical truth without compromise or apology. That truth incorporates a love that does not have to be watered down or changed to reach the sinner. And we all will be held accountable for how and if we deliver that message.
Our brilliant teachers must make greater efforts to reach our celebrities and teach them what they need to know to be more efficient spokes persons for the message of the gospel. Homosexual activists are doing this, and they are winning the media wars because they are. For the most part, their public speakers are better informed and better prepared to engage in public dialogue, and they are putting most of our Christian ministers and celebrities to shame. My brothers and sisters, this ought not be so.
Brother Kirk is right to use his experience of pain and rejection to reach out to the hurting homosexuals who have been unrightously wounded by ignorant and unloving Christians and false brethren. But he is wrong to do so without wisdom, in a manner that only further empowers homosexual activists.[1]
It will be interesting to see if he will ever get around to confronting those homosexual activists who have infiltrated major church denominations and wrecked their credibility as Christians, or the homosexual activists who have infiltrated our school system and are teaching our children to be homosexual. Will he confront the homosexuals who are lying about the physical, psychological and spiritual dangers of homosexuality, and who boldly mutilate the teachings Bible to make it seem to support their sinful acts? If not, then brother Kirk should also apologize to his brothers and sisters who make up the Christian Church, who are fighting to protect the public from the deceptions of homosexual activism that is clearly seen in just about every area of media, education, government and religion.
What about it Kirk, have you lost enough of your religion to be bold enough to step to the homosexual activists? ……Were waiting.
[1] not to be mistaken for struggling homosexuals seeking to overcome their sinful desires