Andraé Crouch, “The Greatest Hymn Writer of Our Age,” Dies at 72
Andraé Crouch, the incomparable songwriter, gospel singer and preacher, died in Los Angeles on January 9, 2015 of a…
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“Ex-Gay” Gospel Star Donnie McClurkin and the Decline of Public Theology
Last week there was a flurry of controversy over the public disinviting of gospel star Donnie Mclurkin to a DC celebration of in advance of the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington. The mayor’s…
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Without Bev Shea, No Billy Graham
Shea helped the worshiping faithful understand the purchasing power of Christian consumers as an extension of their piety; as form of devotional practice that encompassed the ordinary pleasures of music entertainment.
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Faith and Football: What the Gospel Church Can Learn from the NFL
Who knew it would turn out that the NFL has a thing or two to teach the gospel church about love, acceptance, and the struggle to overcome in a world of injustice?
Read MoreHerman Cain Sings For the Press
Jesus may be looking beyond the candidate’s faults, but we’re not.
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The Gospel Church and the Ruining of Gay Lives: An Interview with Anthony Heilbut
Most insiders to this world are privy to the open secret of gospel’s deep reliance on the contributions and influence of gay men and women. But Heilbut opens wide the closet doors and peers in with the bright light of righteous outrage for the plight of the children in an increasingly homophobic religious culture, while also bringing a deeply felt sensitivity for the stories of the children and their musical sensibility. As he writes: “It is impossible to understand the story of black America without foregrounding the experiences of the gay men of gospel.”
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Repurposing the Gospel Aura: Eminem’s Chrysler Ad Borrows Some Spirit
So, about that Chrysler “Imported from Detroit” Super Bowl ad with Eminem. Not too long after I first saw the spot on the internet, I started thinking about how the pop-culture ubiquity of the black gospel choir belies its complicated cultural capital.
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Gay Black Church: An Interview with Bishop Yvette Flunder
African-American people were taught Christianity in the context of oppression. When people are disempowered, they are often empowered at someone else’s expense, whether it’s women or children or gay people. How do we get through that?
Read MoreMuslims Wearing Things, Tea Party Chastised on Nazi Talk, and Politicking in Church
RD’s weekly review doesn’t flinch when Kareem Abdul-Jabbar shows up in a Stetson.
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Closing with Gospel in Morocco
Although I have become more cynical about the power of simply listening to music in the decade since I found the CD, I still had high hopes for the festival. As a festival for music, it was beautiful, but as a venue for intercultural understanding, I believe it missed the mark more than it hit it.
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