“Homophobia Is Not The Heart Of Christ. It Is Not The Love Of Jesus.” Kirk Franklin Calls Out Antigay Prejudice In The Church
In a recent interview on a Sirius XM radio show, Kirk Franklin called out homophobia in the church, saying that it has “nothing to do with the Bible.”
While promoting his new podcast, Good Words, the award-winning singer-songwriter spoke out against homophobia in the Black Church in a recent interview with Clay Cane.
Franklin told the radio host, “What is very important to understand is that the pulpit is not a bullying place, and we have to also understand that no group of people are monolithic. No Black person, all Black people do not think the same, do not process the same. Not all LGBTQIA+ people all think and process the same. It’s that you have some LGBTQIA+ people that make decisions like I have some close gay friends who make decisions based on their interpretation of the Bible, and they live out their lives based on whether celibacy, or whatever they choose to do, and they should have the right to do that.”
He then warned against using the Bible to justify homophobia.
“We have to not weaponize the Bible to cover up, a lot of times, our homophobic views that have nothing to do with the Bible,” he said. “A lot of people that maybe profess Christianity, they have views that are not even bibliocentric. It’s their personal views that they do not understand, sometimes maybe the biology of homosexuality, and so they want to find a scripture to try to justify their own homophobic views… You can’t abuse people from a platform, because that ain’t love, that’s not the gospel, to take a microphone and weaponize it to hurt people and to condemn people.”
He added, “So we have to stop majoring in the areas that God says that we minor in. The majors are the areas of our heart that need to change, the lack of compassion and empathy for our brothers and sisters does not reflect what God is, and who he is, and the messages that his son taught to us.”
He concluded by saying, “We have beat up people because of our own personal phobias. And that is not the Heart of Christ, and it is not the Love of Jesus. And I’m saying that when it comes to a Christian, if you are not leading with love, you are creating damage that can be toxic and has eternal implications when it comes to the well-being and the hearts of people.”
When he was asked about Donald Trump and the Christians, especially white evangelicals, who supported him, Franklin said, “Jesus is not aligned with any political party. Never was, never has been. It’s that your political party has nothing to do with the structure of the health of your soul.”
To the question about the comical moment when evangelist Paula White was recorded praying for the “Angels from Africa” to come rescue the US elections in favour of Donald Trump, Franklin quipped, “Angels are spiritual. They’re not geographical. And so, there’re no kente cloth angels. There’re no European angels. There’re just spiritual beings.”
Watch the interview below:
In as much as I commend him on this, I’ve got lots of reservations on this article bcos this same homophobia really originated from the Church.
If you can recall, his counterpart, Donnie McClurkin who publicly acknowledges his struggle with homosexuality in the past, but he has never stood up against homophobia, and he teaches other people that “homosexuality is a choice that they can overcome.”
Dude, rather than embracing his true homosexual identity, he identifies homosexual desire and the attending sexual acts as evidence of sexual brokenness rooted in childhood trauma or generational curses hence, tagging it a mere lifestyle just to be accepted within the International Gospel entertainment industry.
But isn’t the Bible homophobic because men made it so? Which technically means that the Word of God isn’t homophobic, but rather the interpretation of men.
The Bible is homophobic?. I doubt that.
I always believe that Christianity has to do with following Christ and his teachings. And I’ve checked from Matthew to john and there’s no record of condemnation for homosexuality. The topic never came up until when Paul became an apostle.
Last last, just live God and live your life.
We shall understand it better by and by.
No dey lie give yourself, Unkul Kirk.
Christianity is homophobic. The bible is homophobic, misogynistic and vile. There’s no redeeming point or middle ground.
Know this and know peace!
The Bible certainly isn’t homophobic. It is men who have chosen to give their own interpretation to God’s Word. Jesus when asked what the greatest commandment was said very clearly “Love the Lord your God with all your heart” and then He continued and said “Love your neighbour as yourself”. Chikena.