daPrettyman said:

I think Tony is mixing up ideas here. The thread is about gospel singers not living a Godly life, not the crossover appeal of a song.

However, having said that - Gary Chapman was allegedly involved with drugs, and it really took a toll on their marriage. They tried and tried to work through it, but it was falling apart at the seams. Her "affair" with Vince Gill was only her moving on probably. Doesn't make it right, or her not an adulterer if she was still married, but it is what it is, right? I am a long time fan of Amy Grant, and was really vexed when I heard about her divorcing. Her and Gary made such a great songwriting team, and seemed to have a pretty decent marriage as well.

Even the Bible allows for divorce in some cases. It happens. Look at how the Christian community treated Michael English, when he confessed to having had an extramarital affair with Marabeth Jordan, a gospel singer who sang with First Call, a group he was touring with at the time. In true vicious fashion, the industry cut all sales, marketing, and promotions of M.E.'s records. It was years before he got back in the "good graces" of TBN or whoever was holding a grudge. Amy seemed to have a bit of a more lenient pass on things, which is weird to me. I would have thought it had been the opposite: scrutinize Grant for being a whore, and let English off in a move of the good ol' boys club.

It's the one thing that angers me about the industry. Not that people aren't living the life everything thinks they should (none of us are perfect, and aren't supposed to be). It's that when we sin, we hope for support from our own, yet our own are the first to knock us down and exclude us from everything but breathing air. It happened to Sandi Patty as well years ago when she divorced her husband. Of course the anti-Christian types will immediately point a finger and say "HA! See, you're not perfect!" Well, we were never trying to be perfect, so HA back.

I fear for Kelly Price's well being. When you say something like she's said, despite the truth in it and the honesty displayed, you open yourself wide up to the enemy for an attack. I hope she was humble in her words, and not prideful. Pride comes before a fall. When you make bold statements like that, you better be ready for battle. Let's just hope that, should that happen and she's caught in something she spoke out against, that the Christian community won't disparage and dis-communicate her either.

Ottensen said:

ernestsewell said:

It was the 1980's for you!

TonyVanDam said:

But you said due to her crossover-pop appeal (notice the jacket that Amy is wearing as part of "the image"). I asked, how is an animal print jacket secular, opposed to Christian-oriented for an artist?

daPrettyman said:

All of THAT^ personal drama happen in the mid 1990's. And poor Gary Chapman (despite his own past drug problems) tried a lot harder to save his marriage with Amy. But it was well known behind the scene that their marriage was doom to fail. Vince Gill was just one more way to speed things up.

ernestsewell said:

Tradition Gospel & Christian artists (and I say that loosely!) were known to dress up on their album covers the same way that they would for church on Sundays. Amy Grant was just one of the first CCM artists to go casual instead, which counted as going secular.

And animal print jacket was definitely secular in the 1980's. That kind of wardrobe would also fit in with the pop metal crowd.

RnBAmbassador said:

I don't know any either. The closest is my sister and I think people need to stop throwing that term around like it is no big deal. It is huge to me if someone calls themselves that.

ernestsewell said:

Wrong! I was making a point that gospel & CCM is a part of the music industry. It's all about making money. Music business is still business. And all of those gospel artists that Kelly Price is criticizing (without mention names) are all about getting pay. The way they lived their lives outside of church isn't a factor, sad to say.

James Cleveland...need I say more???
[Edited 2/8/10 4:03am]
[Edited 2/8/10 4:05am]

TonyVanDam said:

If it's not substantiated, do we really need to spread that, though?

Girl4both said:

Because he was gay? Or because he had an affair with an under-aged person?

Ottensen said:

Yes. Why? Because here in the org, we keep it real. That's how we roll.

And beside (get back on the subject) there are plenty of sexual hypocrites in the Sunday-keeping churches. Some of those same church leaders AND gospel/CCM artists that goes behind the podium teaching anti-gay doctrines are also likely to be the ones messing with LGBTs on the D.L., including some LGBTs within their own church choir.

Those are the kind of people that do NOT lived a sanctified life like they say they do, as Kelly Price would say.

daPrettyman said:

Both. In addition that James Cleveland had a few male groupie at every church that he visited in his career.

TonyVanDam said:

Well, every person has skeletons in the closet. The crazy thing about James was that he died around the time all of the stories about him came out. Didn't some guy try to sue him? I can't remember.

daPrettyman said:

James Cleveland was also HIV-positive. That was the reason why his former lover wanted to sue. And BTW, it was James' own daughter that was the first to outed him.

TonyVanDam said:

I didn't know his daughter outed him. DAMN!

TonyVanDam said:

Flawed reasoning at its' best, but I'm not surprised...Keep it real, you say? That's laughable. How is it real if it's unsubstantiated information?


Tyler's alleged homosexuality has not been confirmed, even if it was and I've never seen or heard him going behind a podium and teaching anti-gay doctrine. I have only witnessed Perry sharing messages of forgiveness and acceptance.

McClurkin has always been open about his struggles with his sexuality, but as a Christian has chosen to reject homosexuality in accordance with what he has found in The Word and believe is The Truth. While I don't agree with it for everyone, I don't see where the hypocrisy lies in his situation.

These two are poor choices to single out as hypocrites, I think they're pretty honest about whatever shortcomings they feel they have a human beings, Christian or otherwise.

this is a scandalous thread I'm learning stuff that I didn't even know,lol.

SoulAlive said:

Like what?!

Ottensen said:

I'm actually addressing the both of them in an upcoming lecture I am giving at a private college this month. It is my belief, that by Tyler making scrilla off of doing his drag shtick, and the rampant anti-lgbt stance the black culture holds on to, yes, he does need to be called out for making his millions and not addressing the issue. I'm not gonna out the dude...however, he and oprah delved into molestation and oprah is always talking about the "dl' phenom yet our two biggest black media figures are mum on how gays are treated by the black church and black community...all the time tapping their toes to obviously queer gospel singers. With HIV so rampant in the black community, it's an epidemic that needs to be addressed!

sosgemini said:

That's fair. I have seen sermons by pastors I've considered favorites that have made me do a total double take, because they have belittled those in the LGBT community behind the pulpit...and in megachurches that have thousands of attendees. I can't believe for the life of me that one (or a few) of their parishioners would not be gay. I always think about the message that sends to the community and how it makes people feel to be disparaged like that, driving people into unsafe behaviors that threaten health and lives. It contributes to the problem rather than the solution, and I actually wish someone would have the guts to address it publicly.