DynamicSavior said:

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"I don't care, raped or not, I don't buy that whole "ex-Christian pray out the gay" bullshit. "

You don't care that he was raped. Well I guess that pretty much closes this topic. All of Donnie's issue are coming from that rape and all you care about is that he get on the gay agenda.

Is Donnie McClurkin Still Gay?
By Keith Boykin
September 30, 2005 08:05 AM
in spirituality

We have reached the final day in our series on homophobic black ministers. Today Jasmyne Cannick and I profile Donnie McClurkin. During the past five days, we have profiled T.D. Jakes, Eddie Long, Willie Wilson, Noel Jones, Gregory Daniels, Paul Morton, Charles Blake and Creflo Dollar. All these black pastors are known for their homophobia.

Today, on the final day of our series, we take a different course. Today we profile a gospel musician who is also a minister. But this time we're not asking if the subject of our profile is gay. He's already acknowledged his homosexual past. Given Donnie McClurkin's familiarity with homosexuality, we want to know why he is still preaching homophobia from his pulpit. If you have any information to help us understand, please send an email by clicking here.

Here now is part five, our joint profile of Donnie McClurkin.



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Donnie McClurkin

Donnie McClurkin first came across our radar several years ago. The 46-year-old unmarried gospel singer and preacher, best known for his hit songs "Stand" and "We Fall Down," popularized the phrase, "A saint is just a sinner who fell down."

Back in 2002, we reported that McClurkin's church, Perfecting Faith Church in New York, drew nearly a thousand people every Sunday, including his friend, Starr Jones of ABC-TV's "The View." The collection plate at the church reportedly brought in $100,000 a month. There's no doubt McClurkin has carved out a successful career as a gospel music artist and as a minister. Next Friday, a new film called "The Gospel" will feature McClurkin when it opens in theaters.

Believe it or not, we like Donnie McClurkin as a musician. We enjoy his music. We may even like his acting. But what makes McClurkin a controversial figure is his preaching. It began with McClurkin's 2001 book, Eternal Victim/Eternal Victor, where he explained his 20-year experience with homosexuality, which he said started after he was raped by an uncle.
"Love is pulling you one way and lust is pulling you another and your relationship with Jesus is tearing you," McClurkin told the media. He says that God delivered him from homosexuality, and since that time, he has been counseling adolescent boys that homosexuality is merely a lifestyle choice that can be overcome.

We'd like to see the proof. No reputable scientific study has ever demonstrated that homosexuality is a choice or that it can be "overcome." As we've said before, homosexuality, like heterosexuality, is a sexual orientation. People don't choose their sexual orientations. They are who they are. They may choose whether to act on their sexual orientations, but they have little or no choice about the sexual orientation itself.

Donnie McClurkin had a very rough childhood. That alone is a tragedy. But what makes his otherwise inspiring story so troubling is that he is now violating young people in much the same way that he was violated. By teaching young people that they can pray their way out of who they are, he is essentially creating a generation of newly confused adolescents.

Gay teenagers are already more likely to be abused in school or to attempt suicide than their straight counterparts. We've already reported on young gays and lesbians who have been beaten to death by their parents (3-year-old Ronnie Parris) and their neighbors (15-year-old Sakia Gunn). Do these young people really need to have their ministers beating them up too? We think not.

A Bush supporter, McClurkin performed for the President at the Republican National Convention last year. "There is a moral aspect that was overwhelmingly a part of Bush's appeal," said McClurkin, who also appeared in Michigan with Bush during the campaign. Shortly after, he was quoted on the Christian Broadcasting Network's (Pat Robertson’s organization) web site saying: "I'm not in the mood to play with those who are trying to kill our children." So now gays are trying to kill children. That’s completely absurd and there’s no proof to validate that statement.

In May of this year, McClurkin finally responded to criticism from the gay community, including criticism that appeared 3 years ago on keithboykin.com. In an interview with Religion & Ethics Newsweekly, McClurkin downplayed the controversy and described it as the product of "a few of the radical activists in the gay community trying to spin things into something that it really isn't."

So what is and what isn't? Listen to what Donnie McClurkin himself says about his sexuality. "There was a big 20-year gap of sexual ambiguity where after the rape my desires were toward men, and I had to fight those things because I knew that it wasn't what we were taught in church was right. And the older I got, the more that became a problem, because those were the first two sexual relationships that I had. Eight years old and 13 years old. So that's what I was molded into. And I fought that. When I tell you from eight to 28, that was my fight -- in the church. And you were in an environment where there were hidden, you know, vultures I call them, that are hidden behind frocks and behind collars and behind -- you know, reverends and the deacons, and it becomes a preying ground, a place where the prey is hunted, and that was what it was like."

McClurkin basically describes a world in which homosexuality is common in the church community. Something we have been trying to point out from day one in our campaign. The black church is the most homophobic and the most homotolerant institution in the black community.

And McClurkin was a part of the community. Then he says he changed. "God started making it plain to me the things to hate. You don't hate the people, but there are certain things that are against God that may be in you that you have got to learn how to hate, even though it's in you." That leads us to wonder, how did these "things" get into you in the first place?

Comparing gays and lesbians to liars, McClurkin explains, "There are certain things like, you know, anybody who has a lying problem; they get to the point where they hate being so, having such a lack of character that they make a change."

In the same interview, McClurkin argues again that homosexuality is simply a lifestyle choice. "There's a group that says, 'God made us this way,' but then there's another group that knows God didn't make them that way," he says. Notice the circularity in his rhetoric. The people who say that God made them gay don't know what they're talking about because the people who say God did not make them gay are right. Well how do they know if someone was born gay or not if they are not gay themselves? It's insulting and presumptuous of others to tell gays and lesbians that they're not smart enough even to know who they are.

As we have said all along, our experience has shown that the people who are the most homophobic also tend to be dealing with their own issues about their sexuality. People who are comfortable with their sexuality usually don't care as much about other people's sexuality. Which leads us to an obvious question. Is Donnie McClurkin still gay? If you have any information on McClurkin or any of the ministers we profile this week, please contact us. We want to know, and we want you to know. Send us an email by
[Edited 1/8/06 20:34pm]

BlackBuddy said:

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"Being raped by someone of the same sex doesn't make you gay just like being raped by someone of the opposite sex doesn't make you gay."

Why can't he speak for himself. Maybe this is how he feels. You just can't tell someone else how to feel. As far as him not being married. Can you imagine the sexual confusion and lack of trust he must have around people? He was introduced to sex as an 8 year old and in a totally warped manner.

It is not going to easy to get over it and have an intimate relationship with a woman or a man.

laurarichardson said:

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"The black church is the most homophobic and the most homotolerant institution in the black community. "

The black church is no more intolerant than any other Christian organization.

laurarichardson said:

The hell they aren't.

I lost repsect for him when he said he voted for Bush because of his stance against homosexuality.


As far as the song, it's the same lines repeated over and over again. And, for the record, there are no saints on earth.

I don't like to gossip about celebrities but when you see Donnie McClurkin, dude is clearly flaming.

Stymie said:

You think the black church is more tolerant?

laurarichardson said:

According to him he's healed and over it and ready for a wife. Total bullshit. He can feel all he wants, but to publicly say to all young men that being gay is of the devil and a choice they can overcome is dangerous, irresponsible, and judgemental for that matter. He should live and let live. If he wants to be celibate, fine. What he is saying just fuels the fire of hate towards the GLBT community by the religious right who control this country and make life a living hell for them. If they believe gays are going to hell anyway, why make them live in hell on earth too? I'm Christian, but some religious people can be so evil

BlackBuddy said:

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No Christian denomination is tolerant. I just don't think the black church doing anything different from other denomination.

Anyway you don't hate the sinner you hate the sin and if you don't really give a crap about religion none of this should really worry you.

BlackBuddy said:

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"fuels the fire of hate towards the GLBT community " He has got personal issues that have little or nothing to do with the GLBT community.

It is great to pray but, he probaly needs therapy as well and I don't think the
church has the ability to make anybody's life a living hell by their beliefts.

Sometimes people make their own hell.

laurarichardson said:

Well, it wouldn't have bothered me much if he didn't suggest that homosexuals are rapists, his rape was the devil trying to make him gay, which suggest that being gay is "evil". What he needs to do is get the right kind of help for that shit, instead of blaming gay people for something that happened to him, when it was ONE person and not all of us. If none of that screams "closet case" then I don't know what else does.

DynamicSavior said:

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I read this again and that is not what I am getting out of the article. I think he is really speaking about the person who raped him. I think he really thinks he was fine and happy before all the attack and once again he does need to get help to deal with what happened to him.

"story so troubling is that he is now violating young people in much the same way that he was violated. By teaching young people that they can pray their way out of who they are, he is essentially creating a generation of newly confused adolescents. "

I find this to be troubling comment. How can this Boykin guy compare one person's opinion with rape.

DynamicSavior said:

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I read this again and that is not what I am getting out of the article. I think he is really speaking about the person who raped him. I think he really thinks he was fine and happy before all the attack and once again he does need to get help to deal with what happened to him.

"story so troubling is that he is now violating young people in much the same way that he was violated. By teaching young people that they can pray their way out of who they are, he is essentially creating a generation of newly confused adolescents. "

I find this to be troubling comment. How can this Boykin guy compare one person's opinion with rape.

Stymie said:

You think the black church is more tolerant?

BlackBuddy said:

I think Stymie's saying "the black church" is more intolerant. Please, correct me if I'm wrong. I think it all depens on who you ask. I have a couple of friends who've left their traditionally black churches for this very reason - too much fire and brimstone talk.

RipHer2Shreds said:

Exactly.

laurarichardson said:

It's a psychological violation as opposed to a physical one

BlackBuddy said:

I think Stymie's saying "the black church" is more intolerant. Please, correct me if I'm wrong. I think it all depens on who you ask. I have a couple of friends who've left their traditionally black churches for this very reason - too much fire and brimstone talk.

RipHer2Shreds said:

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It depends on what church you go to. Not on you ask.Some of you guys don't even go to church or were raised Catholic. You got an idea about all denominations when your not even out and involved with any of them.

The black churchs are not doing anymore of a fire and brimstone sermon than other denominations.

At the end of the day. It is not about your church. It is about your relationship with God.

laurarichardson said:

Why is it not about who you ask? Opinions come from one person. If somebody were to say, "My church tells me I'm going to hell for being gay," that comment doesn't mean anything? You need an official edict from the church saying, "We tell people they're going to hell for being gay." I'm trying to understand what you mean by saying it doesn't depend on who you ask, when clearly it does.

I know some are prone to twist words in these occasions, so let it be known that I am not giving my opinion on any church. I know that my church does not do this, but I also know that some do.

I lost repsect for him when he said he voted for Bush because of his stance against homosexuality.


As far as the song, it's the same lines repeated over and over again. And, for the record, there are no saints on earth.

I don't like to gossip about celebrities but when you see Donnie McClurkin, dude is clearly flaming.

RipHer2Shreds said:

When bush was running for President, there was a colalition of Black pastors/preachers in his corner because he was against homosexuality. also, when gay people want to talk about their civil rights, there is another coalition of black pastors/preachers who don't want gay people comparing teir struggle to the civil rights movement.

I don't know how many black churches I have to go to in order to satisfy Ms. Richardson, but being bisexual, I have had at least seven different denominations give the fire and brimstone speech. Two of my sisters, both of different denominations offered to pray 'it' off of me. Hell, my aunt died two years ago and the preacher turn her eulogy into a sermon about the evils of homosexuality.

If anyone wants to find out about what goes on in the black community as far as gay people are concerned, they should ask someone in the black and gay community. The way the black church feels about homosexuality is the reason some brothers are on the down low.

RipHer2Shreds said:

When bush was running for President, there was a colalition of Black pastors/preachers in his corner because he was against homosexuality. also, when gay people want to talk about their civil rights, there is another coalition of black pastors/preachers who don't want gay people comparing teir struggle to the civil rights movement.

I don't know how many black churches I have to go to in order to satisfy Ms. Richardson, but being bisexual, I have had at least seven different denominations give the fire and brimstone speech. Two of my sisters, both of different denominations offered to pray 'it' off of me. Hell, my aunt died two years ago and the preacher turn her eulogy into a sermon about the evils of homosexuality.

If anyone wants to find out about what goes on in the black community as far as gay people are concerned, they should ask someone in the black and gay community. The way the black church feels about homosexuality is the reason some brothers are on the down low.

So much of what we support as consumers claims to be authentic: Hip-hop, country, rock, soul, whatever. People are always talking about how they're the real thing.

Here, McClurkin has shared his testimony and his struggles. If you reread the passage about being victimized at the hands of people in authority, you see he very clearly identifies a problem within the Church. Abuse is abuse.

Agree or disagree with his conclusions, the authenticity of McClurkin's views cannot be doubted. He's speaking from experience. He's speaking as an entertainer and preacher about an ongoing phenomenon within the Church, especially the black church. As a preacher and gospel entertainer whose context is the Bible, his position on it is biblical, casting homosexual behavior as a negative.

What's so shocking about that? The fact that he would say it?

ThreadBare said:

Nothing shocks me about what he said. It just strikes me as very ill-informed and not characteristic of someone who has been through wat a lot of gay men are going through. He speaks of things like they are fact: homesexuality is a choice, and there is no gray area for him.

By his account, my rape as a kid should make me heterosexual.

He also mentions his problem with folks trying to kill our children or something like that, yet he has no problem supporting a man who is clearly responsible for thedeaths of thousands of people. Going by what Mr. McClurkin seems to be saying, that's okay. Just don't be gay. He doesn't seem to be coming from a place of love, he seems to be coming from a place of guilt and has distorted God's message of love.

Moving to the South has exposed me to a number of people who seem, in so many ways, to be really cool. Then, around election time, I discovered that a number of them were Bush supporters. Staunch ones. I couldn't -- still can't -- understand that.

DM is entitled to his political leanings. I would imagine that his efforts to counsel boys in his circumstance is motivated by love. Again, people seem to be disagreeing more with his message than with his authenticity/credibility and motivations.