Award winning gospel singer Donnie McClurkin recently spoke at the COGIC 102 Holy Convocation International Youth Department Service and dedicated his sermon to bashing gays. McClurkin, known as an “ex-gay,” spoke about gay youth and Tonex, an openly gay gospel singer. I have seen the video and must say that I am honestly disgusted for several reasons. I loved Donnie McClurkin – I loved his music and he is a very talented man. But after this sermon, I have lost all respect for him. I know many of you are asking why. “He is saying what he believes to be the truth,” says one of my friends. My response: there is a difference between stating what you believe and gay bashing, which is what he did. I have written an open letter to Donnie McClurkin, which you can find below:

Dear Mr. Donnie McCurkin:

You don’t know me, but I do know you. I have listened to your music for many years and some of your sermons. Some of your songs have gotten me through difficult times in my life and not too long ago, I had your duet “The Prayer” with Yolanda Adams on repeat, one of my all time favorite songs. I recently watched the video of your sermon at the COGIC convention and every ounce of respect I had for you as a man, no, as a man of God, disappeared. If you are reading this, you might brush this off as I am sure you have heard many people condemn your bashing of gay men and women. No, I am not upset that you, an “ex-gay”, as you call it, do not agree with homosexual behavior. But your sermon was disgusting and appalling. Before I continue, let me make this clear: I am a devote Christian and have been for all the 19 years I have been alive. I was born into a strict African Christian home and as I write this, a Bible sits open next to me.

I’m sure you know this already but John chapter eight says “let he who is without sin cast the first stone”. Mr. McClurkin, you didn’t cast a stone, you climbed to the top of a mountain and caused an avalanche. Your theatrics are not fooling anyone, Mr. Mc…no, I refuse to call you that, Donnie. Even if you are an “ex-gay”, you still once had sex with a man and since you believe that is a sin, you have casted a stone. I will not air out the dirt your ex-lover has on you because that is not why I am here. But do not bash others for things that you have done and for being what you are. Yes, I believe you are homosexual. I am sorry to burst your religious gay-hating bubble but Donnie, there is no such thing as “used to be gay” or “ex-gay”. You and many other people, including my parents, believe that being gay is a choice. This is far from the truth. You are a smart man, Donnie, so let me ask you something. Why would a man or a woman wake up one morning and choose to be something that will cause them discrimination and to be hated and have their rights taken away from them. Why would someone choose to be subjected to beatings and to be looked down upon as nothing by some more than a disease? Matthew Shepard lost his life because he was gay, so why would he choose to be something that cost him his life? I’m sure you’re familiar with the slave trade and the discrimination that happened to blacks during the time of Martin Luther King Jr. Now I ask you, if these people had an option between being white or black, which would they choose? To be African American and risk death (Emmett Till) or be Caucasian and be looked upon as superior? They did not have a choice but to be subjected to discrimination. Don’t you think they would have changed it if they could? A very good friend of mine was the object of physical abuse during his high school years. He suffered broken ribs amongst many other things. He longer has feeling in a lot of his extremities because of the abuse and he recently was just able to sleep on a bed: he slept on the floor for years because the damage was that bad. I asked him how did he know he was gay and he replied saying that for as long as he can remember, he was always gay. One of his only memories as a small child is noticing a guy and calling him “cute”. At the age is about six, how would this child “choose” to say this, or be gay? And in case you are wondering, he grew up in a Catholic home with both parents and in a town where being homosexual was frowned upon, so it’s not as if he was subjected to homosexuality before. Homosexuals do not choose their sexual preference – it is who they are but more than that, they are human and no one should be subjected to any type of hate, especially by a man who calls himself a minister and a man of God. You compare your gay sexual urges and your homosexuality to sugar stating: ”I don’t eat sugar, but it doesn’t mean that I don’t want sugar”. Donnie, you admit to still having gay sexual urges and desires. That means you are gay. One isn’t gay simply because they engage in sexual activity with the same sex, they are gay because of how they feel, their urges, their emotions, and who they are.

As I stated earlier, as a man of God, you should know better. You have become a hypocritical poster child for those who believe that homosexuals will burn in hell fire and those who claim they have “prayed the gay away”. All you are doing from that alter is spreading hate and turning many away from the Christian lifestyle. I will never be ashamed to be a Christian but it is people like you who cause me to shake my head is annoyance and shame; I am embarrassed to share the same religion with you. Stop using God as an excuse for your vile bigotry! Stop spreading hate from the pulpit and doing the devil’s dirty work for him. You are overcompensating for homophobia and as you continue to spread this hatred, you will only continue to lose your mind, your ministry, and your place in heaven. The Bible talks about the unconditional love of Jesus Christ and it also says to spread love and not hate. It says to assist those who haven’t found God on their journey and bring them to Him. Jesus sent his son to die so we can live. He gave his life because he loved us. Are you still living in the Old Testament? Because if so, then we all are burning in hell fire. Yes, even you. I guess I gave you too much credit, Donnie, because clearly you do not see that your antics are only pushing people away from religion. You are an example of why people despise Christians and see Christianity as a another organized religious cult. People like you are the reason why children hide from who they truly are and hurt themselves. This is what hatred causes. What happened to Matthew Shepard is a result of hatred, something you are spreading. Young kids are being subjected to this abuse and worse of all, it is by someone who claims to be a Christian. You are not helping anyone, you are only destroying souls. Have you seen your inner circle, Donnie? You speak about the “broken and feminine” boys but have you looked around you? And since we are talking about things that go against the Bible and the Christian beliefs and values, does it not say that sex is for married couples? But Donnie, do you not have a child that was born out of wedlock? To each their own. There will be a time when you will have to stand in from of the Lord and he will ask if you helped those in their time of need. You will think back to this moment when you called gays “vampires” and “evil” and He will say to you, “Depart from me, I know you not”. I agree with you when you say that “the only way you can find real hope is in Jesus” and when you also said that “hypocrisy exposes…love covers” so I hope you take this time to reevaluate what you are doing, make a change, and ask God for forgiveness.

And one last thing, Donnie. Do you know the history of the place you stand as you make your claims? Do you know that COGIC has been involved in numerous lawsuits and criminal investigations, and even investigations on clergy sexual abuse? But of course, all of these things are ok, right? But it isn’t ok to love? I hope you made the money you were looking to get out of this sermon. But remember, when the world ends, those bills, your bank account, and everything else will mean nothing.

I refuse to support you in anything you do from now on, Donnie McClurkin. You are an embarrassment and I can not believe such a man could have such hatred in his heart, not only for others, but for himself; for this is where it stems from: self-hatred. I hope this letter reaches your ears. Take this moment and breathe, Donnie. No, literally! Stop, breathe, pick up the Bible, and read it!

Your Brother-in-Christ,

~Kenni Nwajagu

P.S. Also, can we leave the theatrics to people who were born for theater? Coming from Africa, I have seen real “speaking in tongues” and everything else. Church is not a show. It is not a time to entertain. You do not speak tongues on beat or in melody or to a song like you and your crew like to do. That, the excess shouting, the fake crying, and the rest of the theatrics. Stop using church as your playtime. Thank you.

Written By: Kenni Nwajagu
Contributing Editor for Gossip On This
http://twitter.com/Kenni329
kenni@gossiponthis.com