Siding with Kirk Franklin
I don’t know what happened, I stopped watching the Dove awards a long time ago. Maybe it was because I didn’t have that channel? Or maybe it was because all the music I liked wasn’t on the Dove awards?
I grew up listening to Kirk Franklin, Mary Mary, BeBe & CeCe Winans, Israel Houghton, Out of Eden, Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey, and the list goes on!
Growing up one of my first worship pastors was an African American. He was the first person to let me join the worship team in the adult service. His family means so much to my husband and I. Again, growing up my doctor was an African American man, kind, gentle, and his daughter was one of my closest friends 5th grade through 8th grade. She is in heaven now, but I am convinced we’d still be friends to this day. So for me, I personally get shocked and very frustrated when I hear specific stories about racial discrimination and especially among Christians.
So when I learned about the Kirk Franklin/DoveAwards/TBN situation, I wanted to do some research. I was hoping it wasn’t true and wanted to believe the best.
Here is what I learned:
Kirk Franklin won an award in 2016 at the Dove Awards. In his acceptance speech he highlighted two current situations of that day: the killing of Philando Castile and Walter Scott by white police officers, and the killing of five Dallas police officers by an African American. Following his speech there was a prayer and a standing ovation.
This experience was edited out of the show when it aired on the Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN). Mr. Franklin spoke to the Dove Awards committee and TBN. The Dove Awards committee apologized and said it wouldn’t happen again. TBN didn’t respond.
This year, in 2019, again!, Kirk Franklin won the same award and in his acceptance speech he highlighted the murder of Atatiana Jefferson in her home by a white office, in front of her eight year old nephew.
Again when this portion of the show was aired on TBN it was edited out.
I don’t know what needs to happen to host an event as grand as the Dove Awards, or all of the hard word that goes unnoticed or appreciated to air it on such a network as TBN.
I don’t know the scores of people who worked countless hours to make those events happen. I mean to be honest I was only an admin for a Women’s conference that drew about 2,000 women in Southern Idaho, while hosting international guests. So compared to the Dove Awards I might as well be saying “I can throw a really good kids birthday party!!!”
But somewhere in the process of event planning isn’t there a debrief with teams and committees? Isn’t there a place to take notes and remember what worked well and what didn’t? Was there not anyone who remembered the 2016 conversation?
It is very very frustrating to learn about this.
Sometimes when something isn’t a personal issue we have the tendency to think it’s not an issue for others. But when we look at the story of the Good Samaritan, we see the priest and the Levite had the same attitude walking by an injured man left for dead, and they didn’t do anything to help. It’s deception to think it’s not our issue.
Listen, if something isn’t our issue, we don’t look into it or see how it’s really affecting us. But when we walk by it does affect us. Our hearts get colder. Before we could claim “we didn’t know” but now we are part of the problem by not making it better because now we know.
When we join conversations and strategies, that we didn’t personally create or need, but that still bring value to our brothers and sisters of any race we are acting more like Christ, and more like the good Samaritan.
When we think it’s somehow okay to exclude specific conversations from the dinner table or in Kirk Franklin’s case, an awards show that so many are watching, we have to stop and recognize who we are acting like. (Luke 10:25-37)
We have to ask ourselves: Am I paying to fix the problem like the good Samaritan? Am I paying with my time to listen and learn? Am I paying with my money to purchase books and buy dinners for my brothers and sisters to hear their story? Am I paying with my emotions and mental strength to begin to grasp what it is like to be someone else or raise their children in this world?
I don’t know if racism will be eliminated before Jesus returns. Sin will always exist until the end and racism is a sin. But that doesn’t mean we don’t ask the Holy Spirit and our friends to help us eliminate it from our language, our structures and processes, our families, and our communities.
I’m thankful for Kirk Franklin. I am thankful that God has covered him and guarded him throughout his life and his music career. I’m not suggesting it’s been easy, but I see that he is still here. I believe God will continue to bless him. In fact I pray that He does.
I think there is a difference between difficult people, difficult lives (because of choices someone made and brought on themselves,) VERSUS someone submitting to the Lord and saying “Yes!” to a difficult calling. It’s the kind of calling that highlights the true meaning of success and doesn’t allow our culture to water it down. True success is obeying God. Some people have callings that don’t bear a kind of fruit that people are used to seeing. So when the fruit of one’s calling is obedience, and not minds changed, miracles, or cool ideas that other churches copy, or people saying their name— we question their ideas and wonder if they are successful.
Think about the prophet Jeremiah in the Bible. He was prophetically preaching about coming destruction, while other false prophets were speaking about peace. (Jeremiah 6 & 7) Sometimes we think or try to show that our silence means we have peace between us and the hurting. But any mom will tell you where there is collective silence something is wrong. Peace is not the absence of volume, it is “freedom from disturbance.” (Webster’s).
As Christians we should be peace makers, which means by the direction of the Holy Spirit we have the responsibility and privilege of removing disturbances. Yes, to be peace-makers, we will get our hands dirty, our hearts will bleed and our eyes will cry. But we don’t silence the hurting, we help them. I’d rather try (and offend people and have to apologize for not doing it right because that is real too) than not try at all. Because where there is someone who will overlook a wounded neighbor, that is someone who is living in fear, and fear and peace do not mix. Fear presses for silence. Fear allows for mute-ness, and silence allows racism and ignorance to simmer in those “peaceful” homes.
So, what about the African American artist who is calling us to unity? Was he successful? In obeying the Lord I believe yes. (1 Sam 15:22) In exposing simmering silence yes. And can we join in his efforts by praying for, believing for, holding hands with, listening to, serving beside, and loving on those who are affected by racism & discrimination? Yes. (Mark 12:31)
In my opinion and based on my limited experience within this conversation these past few years I would have to conclude with these thoughts:
First, learning about racism should make you hurt. When you hear about racism and discrimination, if you don’t feel a pain in your soul something like bruised flesh I dare say you haven’t learned enough.
Second, strategies don’t prove that you have felt the pain. Just like laws don’t prove you’re a good person. We need authentic unity, compassion, and empathy.
And finally, I am thankful for Kirk Franklin and that he has responded to the call of God on his life. I am very thankful for the people (specifically my friends) of color in my community who hurt enough or who have been brave enough to speak up, cry out, and hang on.
I love them. I learn from them. I am thankful for them. I hope we all can.
Let’s grow together!
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