Hezekiah Walker....., out of the closet? Rating Options

[simplysaved]

Gays KNOW other gays... ... "in" or "out of the closet".

My aunt sent me the same link yesterday! It's just ridiculous that these men treat women and innocent children like this. The kids didn't asked to be brought up here. Why live the lie? I would think that it's easier to just be out there and let the world know - everyone else who's gay wants you to know it.....

[mickid]

They will stand by him as long as he acknowledges that it is sin and is seeking deliverance from this lifestyle...which at this time, does not seem likely...

We can only pray....

Richard Smallwood, Bobby Jones and the rest have done this?

[missthg]

The real question is - have you been blessed when listening to their music? If so - leave them alone. Are you gonna stop listening and miss a blessing because of someone's lifestyle? Im not saying don't pray for them - but think of how lifted you were when you heard Healing or Anthem of Praise.....JMO

Richard Smallwood, Bobby Jones and the rest have done this?

[MzUzuri]

My thing is why bring other innocent people into it like a wife and kids.

Coverup!! Tryin' to hide what's really going on.

[simplysaved]

Richard Smallwood, Bobby Jones and the rest have done this?

You can PM me for a response to this post if you like...

The real question is - have you been blessed when listening to their music? If so - leave them alone. Are you gonna stop listening and miss a blessing because of someone's lifestyle? Im not saying don't pray for them - but think of how lifted you were when you heard Healing or Anthem of Praise.....JMO

A spiritual gift from God is still a spiritual gift from God--even when we sin....God does not take away our abilities (sometimes) just because we are doing something out of His Divine Will.

Coverup!! Tryin' to hide what's really going on.

That is is the real problem here...that and he IS a pastor and gave his wife an STD...

This post has been edited by simplysaved: Feb 24 2006, 03:17 PM

[simplysaved]

I want to balance out this thread and shift things just a bit....here the most recent interview Gospel City had with Hezekiah Walker...it is an interesting read...
http://www.gospelcity.com/dynamic/artist-a.../interviews/250

February 08, 2006
By Rene Williams

You’d be hard-pressed to find an African-American church that doesn’t have at least one Hezekiah Walker song in their repertoire Songs like I’ll Make It, The Lord Will Make A Way Somehow, I Need You To Survive, Oh Lord We Praise You, Let’s Dance, Power Belongs To God, the Grammy-nominated Lift Him Up and the infamous Ma-Shon-Da have won Hezekiah Walker & The Love Fellowship Choir thousands of fans all over the world Lovers of the group have made them one of the most admired choirs In an industry of shrinking choirs, they’ve been a crucial part of providing the church with new, biblical-based songs to sing from the choir stand.

The group’s charismatic leader, Hezekiah Walker, has been in the industry since the mid-80s and has been a large part of the success of the choir With their latest project 20/85 The Experience, Hez, as he’s affectionately known, seems to just get better with age The Grammy award-winning artist talks about celebrating 20 years in the industry, the changes he’s witnessed and his relationship with Puffy and Lil Kim.

Gospelcity.com: You’re pastor, choir director and recording artist Do you find it difficult balancing those roles?

Hezekiah Walker: Well, it’s a little difficult balancing the roles I play, especially being a pastor I pastor two churches, one is 15 minutes away from Philadelphia in Bensalem, PA and I also pastor in New York City So it’s really difficult pastoring in two cities and putting on the artist’s hat But it’s fun The roles differ – being a musician, choir director and a singer – it’s a big difference there, but I love all of them.

GC: How long have you been pastoring Love Fellowship Tabernacle?

HW: I’ve been pastoring since 1994 We started the church in New York in 1994 and we started the church in PA in 1998.

GC: Wow, that must be tough pastoring two churches…

HW: Yes, it’s tough But you know what gives me the inspiration – the people, when I see them being blessed And the music has attracted people to the church so that’s been really good.

GC: You recently celebrated 20 years in the music industry Congratulations! Did you think you’d be a recording artist and have the type of impact you’ve had on gospel music?

HW: I had no idea We started in 1985 Our mindset was just to sing locally and it became major here in New York City People started to talk about “this new choir” that was out Then record companies began to contact me and record me – not thinking it would become national or international After being in the industry for so long, I never would have thought I would be here after 20 years It’s amazing.

GC: You’ve seen a lot in the last 20 years Do you think the changes in gospel music have been good or bad?

HW: I think the changes have been good I think there have been some bad changes too, but overall, I think the good changes have outweighed the bad changes I think one of the good changes is that we have a bigger audience now and yet the message has stayed the same That’s what makes it good When I started in the 80s, no one was listening to gospel music but church people, but now you’ve got everyone listening to gospel music The changes have been good.

GC: Since you’ve been in the industry, do you think the role of gospel music has changed?

HW: Well, that’s the part that I think has been bad I think some people have come along and changed the role of gospel music But it’s our job to keep it where it’s supposed to be in accordance with scripture I realize that most people have changed the role of gospel music because most people don’t know the Bible like they should know the Bible I think it’s important that myself and others who have been in the game a long time who know scripture educate other people that are coming into the industry There should be a scripture base – what we should do and the role that we play.

GC: It seems that you’re also talking about a lifestyle of Christianity as well….

HW: Yes, it’s so important to live the life we sing about If you talk with most gospel artists, most gospel artists say that their main goal and mindset is to reach the lost, to reach those who are unchurched What I’ve found in connecting with the unchurched – I’ve been around the major players in the R&B world – I think what the gospel artists don’t understand is that they want to see something different in our lives They want us to be who we are and they want to see that we’re living what we sing about If you ever talk to any rap artists –I had the privilege of talking to Nas – they say the reason why they rap is because they live it From what I’ve heard, many rap artists don’t see the gospel artists living what they sing For a long period of time, Puff Daddy was a frequent visitor to our church and sitting under our ministry We’ve also had Lil Kim and Foxy Brown come to our church I’ve counseled with many of them The main thing that they would say is that they love church, but they have yet to be around some gospel artists that live what they sing One of the problems that Puffy had is that he saw some gospel artists trying to be like him And he was saying, “I’m trying to be like them!”

GC: The thing about your ministry is that your songs are truly “church” And even though the industry has moved towards an urban sound, you’ve been able to incorporate that urban sound and still keep it church...

HW: Yes, that was my biggest prayer I didn’t want to be dated or looked upon as “old school”….although I am old school I prayed to the Lord to show me how to bring this new music in yet to also keep my base; my base is church The Lord has proven Himself to do that So I’ve been able to keep the music fresh so that the young people can be attracted to it, but at the same time, they know it’s church.

GC: That seems like a difficult line to walk…

HW: It’s a very difficult line to walk That’s because in the gospel industry most of the gospel artists have been robbed and raped No one has more talent than the gospel acts; we have extraordinary talent but we haven’t been paid for it We haven’t reaped the benefits of our talents our and labor So when we get there, we have difficulty walking that line People are constantly coming at our gospel artists with temptations I’m afraid for artists like Kirk Franklin, Yolanda Adams and Donnie McClurkin I pray for them all the time because of their status I know the way I’m being pulled at and I can’t imagine the way they are being pulled at But thank God, they have been able to maintain and represent Jesus Christ They keep the music fresh and hot and they keep the world looking at what we’re doing But at the same time, they’ve been able to keep it clear that they’re out there for Jesus That’s what I appreciate about them.

GC: So you believe that a spiritual foundation is important to have before entering the industry?

HW: Oh, yes I was just talking about this the other day There needs to be some type of forum for those coming into the industry so they know they’ve got to have some type of biblical foundation There needs to be a spiritual foundation because if artists aren’t careful, the music industry will swallow them up So it’s important to have a spiritual base and a biblical base so when artists get out there, they’ll know what to do

GC: You’re known as the Hip Hop Pastor You briefly talked about Puffy and Lil Kim How did those relationships develop?

HW: They started here in New York City Actually, that title, the Hip Hop Pastor, came from Puffy and Lil Kim They only said that because I was able to reach them and talk to them The Lord had fixed it so I was able to minister to Puffy during the time when Biggie [Smalls] was killed He went through a bad stage of depression and someone told him, “You should talk to Hezekiah Walker” He reached out to me and I prayed with him over the phone He was crying and said, “Pastor, would you mind coming up to my studios and meeting with me?” When I got there, we prayed and talked Later on, he introduced me to some of his other industry friends and I began to counsel with them and pray with them as well So I invited them all to church They were so blown away; at that point, Puffy hadn’t been in church in over 10 years And Kim said that she hadn’t been to church since she was a child. They understood that we came to church for one reason and that was to worship I preached and the Lord touched them They really felt the power of God From that point on, we connected It was then I was dubbed The Pastor of Hip Hop They said, “You’re the one that’s here and you look like us and dress like us, but yet you’ve got another message Your message is Jesus Christ.”

GC: Some feel strongly that the world and Christians shouldn’t mix What would you say to that?

HW: Well, Jesus said, “I didn’t come to condemn the world, but through me the world might be saved.” The only way the world can be saved is that we have to bridge the gap Scripture says go into the highways and the hedges We shouldn’t be afraid to go into the world, but we must be careful that when we go into the world that we don’t become the world That’s that line that we have to be careful of When we become the world, the world can’t be saved through us But if we’re going to go into the world and save the world, we have to remain the church.

Feedback - Rene Williams is a freelance writer for Gospelcity.com, GTM Magazine and Charisma Magazine. She also is the author of the Gospel News Update, a bi-weekly e-zine about what's happening in the Christian music industry, and the D.C. Gospel News Update, a weekly newsletter about gospel events in the Washington, D.C. area.

[kenNHA]

i wonder if his associate with secular artists had an influence on his lifestyle.

[princessdi]

See as all "secular" artists are not gay, I don't think so..............

i wonder if his associate with secular artists had an influence on his lifestyle.

[kenNHA]

i understand that ll secular artist are not gay but that doesnt mean that one or two of them introduced him to the lifestyle...


doesnt take everyone to change someone.... all it takes is one..

[princessdi]

This is true, but history tells me that it is usually and "inside' job.

i understand that ll secular artist are not gay but that doesnt mean that one or two of them introduced him to the lifestyle...
doesnt take everyone to change someone.... all it takes is one..

[MsHoly1]

My brother called me and told me, but I didn't believe it... then I got an email with this info.....

Hezekiah Walker, a minister of the Pentecostal faith and one of the most renowned Black ministers in America, has left his cloth in dramatic fashion. Due to a controversial life of secret homosexuality, Walker has come out of the closet during an extremely bitter divorce from his longtime wife Monique Walker.

According to affiliates close to the family, Monique had long feared there was another side to her husbands sexuality and suspected that her thoughts were confirmed when her husband infected her with a sexually transmitted disease. After confronting Hezekiah about the disease, he fessed up and admitted to carrying on an affair with a man who lives as a transvestite. Sources also said that Walker forced his wife and children from their home so that he could live together with his gay lover.

Walker's Down-Low lifestyle even more unbelievable because he is one of the biggest Pastors that is totally against gay life. The Grammy Winning Pastor is expected to step down from his post officially next month.

SOURCE:

http://www.mediatakeout.com/exclusive8.html


Has anyone heard any different?

A friend told me during a phone call and she said the exact same thing. She got her info from a website also. I'm sorry but, years ago, when I saw him for the first time, I knew he was gay. I ain't surprised.

This post has been edited by MsHoly1: Feb 24 2006, 05:32 PM

[MsHoly1]

My thing is why bring other innocent people into it like a wife and kids.

Exactly! And now she has a sexually transmitted disease because of him.

[Boy Wonder]

A friend told me during a phone call and she said the exact same thing. She got her info from a website also. I'm sorry but, years ago, when I saw him for the first time, I knew he was gay. I ain't surprised.

Neither am I. I'm just surprised that everyone else is so surprised.

This post has been edited by Boy Wonder: Feb 24 2006, 06:57 PM

[MsHoly1]

Neither am I. I'm just surprised that everyone else is so surprised.

I know right!?!

[Prisca]

Perhaps living in the big city and hearing, attending concerts...It's almost expected for the person to be gay if they are 1)Pentecostal 2) musically gifted or 3) oratorically gifted. So I look at it from the opposite end. There is a much longer list than the ones listed here, but I agree with the 'why do we listen? post. Are we then surprised to find gay people talented and charismatic? The question why do they marry is cultural. All young people are expected to marry. In some churches positions are withheld if you are not married. Also, the mothers are expecting grandchildren and their sons and daughters...I noticed noone mentioned those in 'the list' ...to reproduce.

Priscilla