By Leonard BlairChief Reporter Wednesday, April 24, 2024

Gospel artist Kirk Franklin is drawing the ire of conservative Christians in Jamaica for gyrating and flexing his biceps while ministering in a tank top and shorts at “Fun in the Son,” a popular annual gospel concert sponsored by Best Dressed Chickenbrand of the company Jamaican Broilers Groupwhich is known for their commitment to Judeo-Christian values.

“At Jamaica Broilers Group, we are committed to staying true to the core. Our core values ​​are based on Judeo-Christian principles and form the foundation upon which our business is built and upon which we are encouraged to conduct our lives,” the company states on its website .

“This is how we determine what is expected of us in fulfilling our obligations to our customers, shareholders, employees, contractors and communities. Our policies and procedures reflect these principles and because they are the basis of our culture – they are ours to own, protect and live without compromise.”

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Before the “Fun in the Son” concert, which took place on Saturday at the National Stadium of the Caribbean island, the company that gets involved in the production and distribution of poultry products, animal feed and agricultural items, and has significant operations in the United States, encouraged the public to join them in celebrating 65 years of “God's faithfulness”, with Franklin, Toby Mac, and several local Christian artists. .

“The Best Dressed Chicken celebrates 65 years of God's faithfulness to our company and because of that we want to invite Jamaica to join us for a free, friendly festival,” the company. announced.

“We believe that God has blessed us, so we want to bless others. We are about transforming people's lives for Jesus Christ so that they can positively influence the future of our country. Our hope is that this Gospel Festival will change lives by providing spiritually uplifting, healing, fun activities where people can celebrate their love for God with their families and friends.

Many concertgoers, however, did not get that message from Franklin's performance. Reactions to viral video of Franklin performing at the concert posted on X by The Tropix on Sunday, and was viewed more than 947,000 times on Wednesday, shows that some members of the audience were so confused and offended that they walked out.

“I was at the concert and honestly, he confused me. I listened to the songs as the females sang but he distracted me the whole time. I couldn't connect to the songs after watching him. He danced like I was at an Usher concert, Michael Jackson and Chris Brown,” wrote one woman who described herself as a “God-fearing girl” on X.

“I walked out during his first song! I just didn't like how he behaves on that stage. I thought I was at an Usher concert!” Tasha Brown added in response to another video of Franklin on stage dancing at the concert shared on Facebook by the Jamaica Gleaner.

Kirk Franklin performing in Jamaica ???????? pic.twitter.com/2CSFUC52Wf

— The Tropixs (@Tropixsofficial) 21 April 2024

Others commenting on social media like Craig Anthony Shim made mean jokes about the gospel star's performance.

“He acts like him at Diddy house,” Shim joked on Facebookreferencing the cloud of explosive sexual abuse allegations against music mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs.

Asked about the concerns raised by concertgoers about Franklin's performance at “Fun in the Son” and his apparent departure from the spirit of the company's celebration of “65 years of God's faithfulness,” Jamaica's president and CEO Broilers Group Christopher Levy told The Christian Post. in a statement that the company “expected more” from Franklin.

“When we engage an artist, it is with a certain confidence that the artist will be aware and sensitive to his audience. We expected more from Mr. Franklin,” said Levy, who is also featured on the company website as a “follower of Christ” who “attributes his success to continued faith and trust in the Lord's guidance.”

“We know that each of us is working through our relationship with the Lord, and we prayerfully support his growth,” noted Levy.

In addition to their operations in the Caribbean, Jamaica Broilers Group operates businesses in Georgia, Iowa, Pennsylvania, Arkansas, Florida and South Carolina, which “supports farmers around the world.” A subsidiary of the company, Wincorp, is described as “one of the largest suppliers of fertilized eggs in the United States.”

Franklin's team did not immediately respond to questions from CP about his performance in Jamaica.

At a press conference before his performance on Saturday, the 54-year-old choir director, who previously performed at “Fun in the Son,” noted that it had been a decade since his last show on the island. He explained that he had “a lot of life experiences, and emotion and energy and passion that I'm going to bring to the stage that has been bottled up over the last decade.”

“I just want you to know how humbled and honored I was to be invited back after 10 years. It just made me feel that this beautiful place still has a place for me. And I want to show the level of gratitude that I have as I perform on stage tomorrow night,” Franklin said.

“Ten years is a long time. So I have a lot to say. I have a lot to do,” he said. “I have a lot to express.”

This is not the first time that Franklin has been criticized for what was perceived as improperly representing Christ in a performance. In 2019, a street preacher who identified himself only as Ty from a ministry called Untamed Truth went viral for berating the gospel music star for failing to represent the Gospel during a 3.5 minute performance at the BET Awards show. He also accused Franklin of selling his soul to the devil.

The publicity of the video forced Franklin to have a meeting with the preacher. Tony Evans, senior pastor of Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship and Franklin's “spiritual father,” was also part of that meeting.

Upon his arrival in Jamaica, the Hon. Olivia “Babsy” Grangethe minister of culture, sex, entertainment and sport of Jamaica, who welcomed Franklin to the country, told him, “you are loved in Jamaica.”

A video clip posted from the Jamaica Gleaner on Facebook shows Franklin ending his show with a drop of his microphone followed by a brag from the stage and a few quick waves as the crowd continued to sing the lyrics to his 1997 song “Stomp” with gospel group God's Property.

“Whatever you do,” prophetess Sheena Williams said of Word Empowerment International Ministry in Florida in apparent statement on Facebook to the organizers of the Jamaican Christian concert, “JUST DON'T BRING HIM BACK.”