Tag: Kirk Franklin

Grammy-winning gospel singer, Kirk Franklin, has shared a painful experience that led him to cut ties with his biological mother at the age of 32.

Speaking on the “Funky Friday” podcast, Franklin revealed how the incident unfolded during a family intervention aimed at helping his sister, who had recently been released from prison.

Franklin described how his mother introduced her new husband during the intervention and ultimately chose to leave with him rather than support her children.  

He said the decision led to a heated argument, prompting him to vow never to accept such treatment again.

He said: “For the first time, I’m going to tell this story. This is why I stopped talking to my biological mother. I was 32 years old and my sister got out of prison and I was the only one trying to help her with accommodation and other stuff,” he recalled.

“She was still struggling with drugs. It was more than a 32-year-old could handle. And we needed to do an intervention to help her. And again, this is not my daughter. She’s not my daughter. She’s my sister. She has a mother.

Read Also: Kirk Franklin, Tope Alabi, others to headline ‘The Experience’ 2018

“So, we had a family meeting but my biological mother showed up with her new husband. The intervention was going okay. When it ended, we all hugged and because we hadn’t been around each other for years someone said, ‘This is so beautiful. This is what a family should be doing.’

“And I said this is not about us, this is about my sister who just got released. After I said that, my mother’s new husband yelled, ‘What you need to do, is call your mama sometimes.’ I said, ‘Sir, I don’t know who you are but she’s the mother, I’m the child.’ And he said, ‘Yeah, but you call yourself a Christian.’

“The argument got heated and my mother did something that crushed my heart. She grabbed his hand and said, ‘Come on, baby, let’s go.’ And she walked out of the house with her two kids. And I yelled at my mama, ‘That’s right, go ahead and walk out like you always do.’

“For the fact that she didn’t take that man’s hand and say, ‘Baby, stay away. This is between me and my kids. Kids I did not raise, kids I did not nurture, kids I did not provide for, kids I did not protect.’ She took that man’s hand and walked out with him. And I promised myself that as a little boy I couldn’t protect myself but as a grown man I would never be put in a position where you would treat me like that again.”

Grammy-winning gospel artist, Kirk Franklin, has criticised Western Christianity’s approach to marriage, giving, and s3xuality, calling it “weaponised” and “dysfunctional.”

Franklin argued that the church’s emphasis on marriage and traditional family structures has created a culture of shame and exclusion, particularly for single women.

In an interview on the ‘Funky Friday’ podcast, he noted that the pressure to conform to these expectations can lead individuals to rush into marriages that may not be in line with God’s will.

The singer also pointed out that Apostle Paul’s teachings on marriage as a “necessary distraction” are often overlooked in favor of societal norms.

Franklin emphasised that single individuals can still be used by God and have purpose, challenging the notion that marriage is a prerequisite for spiritual fulfillment.

“I believe that marriage, giving and s3xuality have been weaponised in Western Christianity,” he said.

“Any woman listening to this can attest in our culture: ‘Don’t be no 30, 35 single black woman and go to the family reunion.’ All the older women are going to look at you and be like, ‘Why are you not married?’

Read Also: Kirk Franklin, Tope Alabi, others to headline ‘The Experience’ 2018

“It’s like a prerequisite for identity and value. If you don’t have a man or kids, then something about you is broken. Do you understand how dysfunctional these messages are and how we superficialise these messages?

“[Apostle] Paul said that marriage is a necessary distraction. I have many friends that were in ministries in church, and the churches told them, ‘If you’re going to be in ministry, you can’t be single.’ So what people do is, that they quickly get married thinking that they’re fulfilling God’s will for their lives but they’re fulfilling man’s dogma.

“You can be single and be used by God. You can be single and have purpose. Being married is not a prerequisite for God’s hand in your life. It’s not. But we’ve weaponised it. And they crucify people when those same marriages failed.”