Grammy Award-nominated R&B singer Tank rushed to Grammy Award-winning singer Beyoncé’s defense after a bishop called her “Church Girl” record “sacrilege.”
Tank, whose real name is Durrell Babbs, addressed the Upper Room Church of God in Christ Bishop Patrick L. Wooden Sr.’s sentiments via an Instagram video on Aug. 12. Bishop Wooden Sr. previously criticized Beyoncé for her new track “Church Girl,”–which appears on her latest album “Rennaissance,” saying it was “sacrilege” and “desecration.”
“Who are you, pastor, to question the salvation of Beyoncé? Who gives you the authority to question what Beyoncé believes? What she has confessed with her mouth and what she believes in her heart because of a song on top of a Clark Sisters record?”
He also referenced the scripture John 8:7.
“Assuming that this woman has sold her soul to the devil. Immediately, condemning her to hell. Where did you find this position? Who gave you God’s position? I’m just trying to make you understand that whatever world you are living in seems to be above us. It’s not a real one.”
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“Church Girl” is an uptempo dance and hip-hop-style song that samples “Center Of Thy Will” (1981) by the legendary gospel duo The Clark Sisters. Its racy lyrics prompted Bishop Wooden Sr. to express how offended he felt about Beyoncé sampling a church song for a secular track.
“Beyonce just released sacrilege…someone sold their soul to the devil,” he preached. “To sample the song of a real church lady, Twinkie Clark…I don’t know whether she knew what she was going to do with the song or not, but she knows [she’s] not saved. I pray to God that a stiff denunciation of what she did with that song is put out. It shows that we’re not speaking up.”
He added that “nobody respects the church.”
Beyoncé has not publicly commented on the bishop’s comments nor Tank’s social media response.
