Kirk Franklin Responds to Criticism for Praying With Chris Brown: Why the Backlash is Hypocritical

Kirk Franklin is speaking out after facing online scrutiny over the weekend. And what he has to say points to a larger issue plaguing those in the faith community.

If you somehow missed the chatter, allow us to bring you up to speed. Last week, the “Stomp” singer went viral on social media after footage of him praying over R&B singers Chris Brown, Usher, and Mario began circulating. While it’s not out of the ordinary to see a performer pray before going on stage, many people—particularly Christians—took issue with Franklin being there and deciding to lead them in prayer. This footage came out just after Brown was at the center of controversy, thanks to the congressional honor he received (then later gave back) from U.S. Representative Jasmine Crockett.

Now, in a new interview with Angela Yee over the weekend, Franklin addressed all the discourse. After Yee gave him kudos for consistently collaborating with people who may be “outside of the box,” Franklin offered an explanation for doing so, arguing that if he’s to be the “messenger” for his faith, he sometimes has to meet people where they are and not the other way around.

Related: Kirk Franklin’s Most Controversial Moments as a Gospel Star

“Everybody’s not gonna come to us. So we have to be intentional about going to them, and it may not always be traditional. It may not always look pretty and clean. It may get a little messy,” he explained. “And so, it is in that messy process that you sometimes meet people where they are. And you do your best to make sure that you don’t compromise your message, but understand that as the messenger—we’re gonna sometimes have a little dirt on us.”

Speaking to the backlash with Brown and Usher specifically, the “Love Theory” singer revealed that he and Usher have had a close relationship for almost 30 years. He also shared that believers have a misconception that prayer inside the church is somehow better, as if the “saints” don’t also carry “dirty thoughts” from time to time.

“You ain’t never been to church and still smelled weed on people? Or sometimes even alcohol. I’ve been places, and I’ve smelled alcohol on deacons. There’s this picture in people’s minds that if I’m doing it at church, then it’s right. But if I’m doing it behind stage where people are about to go onstage and dance and maybe a stripper pole, that that’s wrong. Instead of realizing that even in the hospital, there are still sick people.” Kirklin expressed.

He continued: “Even in the church, there’s still sinful people. And so to determine where the prayer goes, I think, that’s just daunting.”

Franklin later said that while he doesn’t like negativity being lobbed at the people he’s with, he’s become used to it over the years. However, there is an important piece of this conversation that can’t be overlooked–the hypocrisy from some people in the faith-based community.

One of the main pillars and core principles of the Christian faith is evangelism, which is defined as “the proclamation of the gospel—Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection for the forgiveness of sins—with the aim of persuading hearers to repentance and faith,” according to the New York School of Urban Ministry. It’s a Biblically backed mandate, based on Jesus’ words, where he told his disciples to go and “make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,  teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.”

So if you’re a believer who only surrounds yourself with other believers, how do you expect to “make disciples of all nations” if you don’t leave the four walls of the church? How can you “persuade” hearers to believe in the “Good News” if you’re limiting yourself to people who already believe as you do? You can’t call yourself a true believer dedicated to fulfilling the mantle of evangelism if you never meet people where they are.

Not everyone feels welcome in church. Some people are averse to the building and all it represents for a variety of reasons. So wouldn’t showing yourself to be the kind of believer who’s kind and patient, and who knows God can meet anyone, anywhere, be the better thing to do? It’s entirely hypocritical to demand that people come into the church if you’re not even willing to step outside of it yourself.

If the goal is truly to spread the Gospel, then the messenger has to be willing to go outside of the places where the message is already being received. And yes, that can mean backstage at a concert, in a studio, at a bar, or even standing next to someone whose lifestyle doesn’t look anything like yours. That’s not compromising your faith; that’s putting it into practice. Because if we’re going to talk about meeting people where they are, perhaps we should actually start doing it.