I didn’t watch the 2025 BET Awards. But like many people, I didn’t have to. The scenes made their way across social media faster than a pastor dodging accountability. Within minutes, my timeline was flooded with sequins, smoke machines, slow-mo hips, and what I can only describe as Babylon's VIP lounge with a gospel remix.
Somewhere in that mess, GloRilla won a gospel award. Yes, that GloRilla. The same artist who’s made a career off lyrics that sound more like nightclub affirmations than worship. One minute she’s twerking on TikTok, the next she’s winning a gospel category. You can't make this stuff up.
And then there was Kirk Franklin. A legend in gospel music. A man many of us grew up watching praise God in suits, with choirs in full harmony. But last night, he looked like he had just finished rehearsing for Magic Mike: Sanctified Edition. Shirtless. Dancing. Sweating. And all I could think was: Is this praise or performance? Revival or rave?
This wasn’t just an award show. It was a blur. A messy, hyper-produced spectacle pretending to celebrate Black excellence while actually highlighting how deeply confused our cultural compass has become.
GloRilla, But Make It Gospel?
Let’s be real. GloRilla is not a gospel artist nor a Christian. That’s not shade—that’s just truth. She might have done a gospel collab, might have referenced God in a line or two, but gospel music is not just about lyrical cameos. It’s about the lifestyle, the message, and the fruit. You don’t suddenly become a gospel artist because you dipped one toe into the Jordan River for 3 minutes.
Giving her a gospel award is like giving a surgeon's license to someone because they once held a thermometer.
Kirk Franklin’s Abs and the Absence of Standards
Listen, I respect Kirk. He’s done more for gospel than most will ever know. But even OGs can lose the plot. There’s a fine line between relevant and reckless. And last night? He wasn’t walking that line—he was dancing shirtless across it.
It wasn’t just the performance. It was what it represented: the need to entertain over the need to edify. There was no boundary between the sacred and the secular. Just a flashing neon sign that read: "Welcome to the confusion."
Dear Christian Podcasters: Stop Reacting. Start Redirecting.
Every time something like this happens, Christian YouTubers and podcasters flood the internet with reaction videos, hot takes, and thumbnail faces of spiritual disappointment. And while I get it—sometimes you have to speak up—let’s be honest: you’re also giving it more traction.
These awards feed off attention, even the angry kind. Every time you break it down frame-by-frame, all you’re doing is sending more clicks their way. They don’t care why you watched—just that you did.
Instead, why not redirect people to real gospel? Promote music, ministries, and voices that still honor the cross without trying to crucify conviction. Let's be builders, not just critics.
It’s Not Judgment. It’s Discernment.
Some will say, "Stop judging. You're being religious." But here's the truth: Discernment is not judgment. It’s protection.
When the culture celebrates confusion and crowns compromise, the Church must be louder about truth than the world is about hype. We can love people and still call out the madness. We must draw lines. Because if we don’t, we’ll wake up one day and not recognize the faith we claimed to follow.
Final Word: When Culture Becomes Confusion
If this is what we’re calling "Black culture" now, then some of us need to start redefining our roots. I thank God I’m not African American sometimes—not out of pride, but because this version of cultural celebration feels more like spiritual erosion.
BET doesn’t define us. Culture doesn’t validate us. Christ does. And the moment we forget that, we trade gold for glitter.
If you’re tired of the blur, walk away from the noise. Real gospel doesn’t need smoke machines, sex appeal, or shirtless saviors. It just needs truth.
Ephesians 5:11 says it best: "Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them."
Well... consider this blog my small flashlight in the fog.
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