On Sunday, controversial megachurch pastor Creflo Dollar had a clear reprimand for critics of Snoop Dogg’s recent foray into gospel music.
The gangsta rap legend released a 32-track gospel project called Bible of Love in late March that has garnered rave reviews from secular media outlets and raised eyebrows from some churchgoers.
Pastor Dollar took on the latter group this past weekend.
He said, “I’m gonna say something publicly. I don’t know if I’m really correct in saying this but I want to say something publicly. Recently, a man in California, he’s a rapper, in fact, he’s known as a legend, they call him, I think his nickname is Snoop Dogg. He just released a gospel album to minister to people because his grandmamma ministered to him and he had it on the inside of him. Isn’t it sad that he received rejection and flak and ‘how y’all gon’ support somebody like this after what they did and what they said?’ What’s wrong with us?”
Dollars’ rebuke, couched in a sermon called The Spirit of Grace, is not too far off from the argument Snoop used to defend the album himself. In a recent interview, the rapper said that the church should be a place that welcomes sinners rather than judges them.
After his performance at the 33rd Stellar Awards, the rapper said:
[lborder]If you find someone trying to find their way back home, the natural thing to do is to be warm welcoming, open your arms and say “Brother, we accept you for who you are and what you’re going through. Come as you are. We know you’ve been doing wrong and you want to get right and we want to help you get right.” We’re not gonna’ throw stones on you when you’re trying to get right and walking back into the church house. That’s what’s running people out the church right now as we speak.
[/lborder]Snoop has consistently expressed sincere motivations in making Bible of Love.
The rapper appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live on Monday to promote the album saying, “Yeah. Well you know my whole life I was raised up in the church. I was brought up in the church. The world that we’re living in right now with all this negativity and this violence, I just wanted to make something that represents peace, love and happiness and use my platform.”
Pastor Dollar suggests that congregants stop being the “Holy Ghost” police and congratulate Snoop instead of criticizing him.
