The Marvin Sapp Controversy — Ministry Or Manipulation [Op-Ed]
Marvin Sapp Locked The Doors In The Name Of The Lord — Is This Ministry Or Manipulation [Op-Ed]
Y’all should know by now I am a quintessential church girly.
I’ve written before about how much I “luh “God and as such, I love spending time in God’s house. From the procession of fashionable mothers in their elaborately bedazzled hats, to the choir leading the service in lively praise and worship, all the way through a thrilling sermon concluding with a benediction and fellowship in the church parking lot. I love every minute of being in church.
Almost every minute.
No matter what church I attend, big or small, there’s one program staple that always makes me feel a bit uncomfortable and that’s when the time inevitably comes for the tithes and offering. Then service stops being so uplifting and becomes suddenly serious. The pastor (or a designated deacon) usually stands before the pulpit and all but outright criticizes the congregation for how bad they are at giving, how they’re not giving enough, or how they’re being disobedient to God’s word. Or else it gets really awkward while a church leader basically begs for help in keeping the sanctuary lights on. And I find myself wanting to disappear into the pew, skip this whole portion, and get back to the good stuff.
I imagine the church-goers listening to Bishop Marvin Sapp preach last summer may have felt the same way. A video clip has recently resurfaced and gone viral showing the Grammy-nominated singer telling ushers to “close the doors” while calling for donations toward a $40,000 goal.
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In July 2024, Sapp was a guest preacher at the 109th Pentecostal Assemblies of the World Convention held in Baltimore, MD. After delivering an inspiring message on the 30th Psalm and singing an impromptu rendition of his Stellar Award-winning song, “Never Would’ve Made It,” he closed service not with an altar call, but an offering call.
“How many of y’all received something from the Lord tonight?” Sapp asked the congregation. “Because of your acknowledgement of what God did in word, there is an obligation that is attached.”
That obligation, he explained, was everyone under the sound of his voice to give up $20. With 1,000 people gathered there and at least 1,000 more watching online, if they each gave $20, they could raise $40,000. He asked the leadership standing in the pulpit behind him to give $100 each.
“Y’all don’t like me,” Sapp joked after making his monetary request, then telling the ushers repeatedly to “close them doors!”
“Giving is worship. This is easy, saints. This is an easy miracle,” he said, instructing the ushers to bring the collection baskets to the front so he could see people drop the money in, adding, “After you come up here, you can walk out the doors.”
Now, I’m no licensed or ordained minister but I know this: You cannot pay God for a miracle. There is no price or discount code, no Cashapp or Paypal that you can send to heaven that will guarantee a blessing from God. And yet, Marvin Sapp is not the first to use this tactic to pressure their congregation into giving each and every Sunday. It’s a song and dance that’s very familiar to anyone who grew up in or regularly attends a Black church.
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Black church goers are also very familiar with the risk that comes from giving financially to a church leader.There are too many examples of pastors preying on the elderly or the desperate members of their congregation to milk money out of their pockets. Creflo Dollar, The Bling Bishop of Brooklyn, Michael Baldwin and his “miracle mansion” scheme, and numerous other pastors have been accused and sometimes convicted of defrauding their congregations, or else using funds that were meant for the upkeep of the church for their own selfish consumerism.
This was probably top of mind for those who saw Sapp yelling “close them doors” when the clip swept the internet this month. People took to social media to express outrage, shock, humor, and disappointment in the singer and his financial request. Sapp has since appeared on The Ricky Smiley Morning Show (another Black community staple!) and apologized, assuring people that no one was locked in the convention and that he never personally took a dime from any of the money raised that day. Sapp acknowledged that his tone may have been “a little more assertive than I should have been. I can apologize for that.”
The Bible warns multiple times against using dishonest means to raise money or allow money to corrupt people with power, stating that the love of money being the root of evil. In the Bible when a sacred temple was being misused to financially exploit people making sacrifices, that’s when Jesus started flipping a table in a state of rage and disbelief at how corrupt the leadership had become. Some modern believers stop attending church altogether due financial pressure, either out of embarrassment that they are not able to give as much or as frequently, or out of suspicion that their funds are being misused for ungodly purposes.
Yet, the Bible is clear that we do have an obligation to tithe and as Christians, we should be generous in our daily lives. And it’s true that the churches we attend, while tax exempt, do require money for upkeep so we can come back every Sunday in our good hats. But under so much pressure and with so much evidence of corruption, as Christians, what are we supposed to do with our money?
I know this: God is good all the time, even when humans are… not that great. We put our trust in God and we show thanks for what He’s done in our lives through sacrifice, as Sapp himself said in his sermon. But money is not the only way we can give back to our God. We can give of our time, our services and skills, our labor.
And yes, if you’re able, we can and should give financially. But not to make any preacher happy or not because someone has physically stopped you from leaving until you empty your pockets. But because you believe in your church and its leadership, and their ability to bring God’s message and kingdom to earth. You should never feel guilted, pressured or shamed into giving away your money to anyone but definitely not in the house of God. God’s conviction does not come with fear, intimidation or hostility. God loves a cheerful giver. Guilt and giving cannot and should not coexist.
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Marvin Sapp Locked The Doors In The Name Of The Lord — Is This Ministry Or Manipulation [Op-Ed] was originally published on elev8.com
