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Maybe there’s a reason fewer young Black people are identifying as Christian.
While Black Americans are still more religious than most other racial groups in the U.S., research shows the number of us who still faithfully attend church and praise Jesus as our Lord and Savior has done nothing but drop over the last two and a half decades. And if older members of the Black community who are still strong in their faiths are shaking their heads wondering why they’re losing the youth, maybe it’s time they looked inward.
They might find that young Black people (and youngsters in every other racial group in the Western world for that matter) are turned off by all of the respectability politics, the moral condemnation, and, of course, the queerphobia. Perhaps they’re also over all of the Christians who claim to be humble servants but also so arrogant they perpetually think they can speak for their God.
One thing is for sure, Lil Nas X isn’t having any of it.
The “Montero” singer recently got a number of Christ-lovers all in their holy feelings when he posted a short snippet of a new song accompanied by the caption, “Y’all mind if I enter my Christian era?”
It turns out that some so-called Christians—the people who are supposed to be tasked with bringing people to their faith—did, indeed, mind.
Notably, singer Tyrese ignored his own past as a sinful adulterer while casting the first stone at Nas X.
“Y’all gone learn to stop playing with God…God is not to be played with,” Tyrese wrote on Instagram. “From shoes with devil signs and devils blood in the [shoe] sole? We can all change I get it but I feel a way about people making a mockery of Jesus.”
Nas X responded by saying it’s “really crazy cuz all I did was post a song about asking god for hope when you feel hopeless and y’all acting like I posted a video of me burning a church down and peeing on a nativity scene.”
Here are the lyrics to the song that got the “Old Town Road” artist accused of “playing with God”:
“Free me from worry and wanting pity/ Free me from all this envy in me/ I don’t want these feelings/ I don’t want these feelings
I call on angels/ I’m trying hard to face my pain/ Give me hope when I feel/ Give me hope when I feel less.”
And somehow that was enough to get Tyrese crying his fake “I heart Jesus” tears, much like he cried over the ex-wife he cheated on. And he wasn’t alone.
Rapper Holy Gabbana also got holier than thou in a ridiculously homophobic response to the “Industry Baby” singer’s post.
“If Nas X wanna be gay cool, do u lil bra,” Gabbana said in what is essentially the equivalent of an “I’m not racist, but…” preface. “Jus don’t title yaself Christian and make others believe it’s okay for us to live in habitual/intentional sin. Ppl deserve TRUTH and I stand on da word of God.”
Yeah, if the only “sin” you’re concerned with as a so-called Christian is homosexuality, it’s not because you “stand” with God, it’s because you stand with bigotry.
Once again, Nas X responded saying it’s “really insane how y’all pretend some of our pastors aren’t getting piped down before the Sunday service. Y’all do not know Jesus personally stop trying to gatekeep him.”
Exactly.
