New Aspire Series About African-American Faith Leaders: The Scroll

Posted on February 6, 2013 at 8:00 am

The Scroll is a new series from director Parrish Smith shown on Magic Johnson’s Aspire Network featuring intimate, inspiring interviews with more than 50 African-American clergy.

Some of the faith leaders featured in the documentary are: Bishop T. D. Jakes, Rev. Al Sharpton Jr., Rev. Bernice A. King, Dr. Calvin O. Butts III, Rev. Dr. Jamal Bryant,Bishop Noel Jones, Pastor Floyd H. Flake, Bishop Kenneth Ulmer, Bishop Charles E. Blake, Rev. Dr. Della Reese Lett, Bishop Paul S. Morton, Pastor A.R. Bernard, and Bishop Joseph L. Garlington.

Smith generously took some time to talk to me about the series.

What surprised you most about making “The Scroll?”

How long it took to make it! It was supposed to take one year, but it took three years to get access to the ministers, to get through their staff. We got rejected, we would fax and call and and email and talk to assistants and they would say “who are you?” We got no’s for a long time. After a while, the yeses started to come through but the process took a long time.

What made them reluctant to participate?

Ministers and pastors have bulls eyes on their backs. People have bad intentions and want to exploit them. A lot of people see pastors as crooks. One pastor gets caught in a scandal and all of a sudden all pastors are bad. So many ministers are protective. And there’s the scheduling problem as well. They have traveling ministries and the scheduling is difficult. But the primary problem is they don’t know who you are, and that’s understandable.

Were some of them concerned that revealing too much about themselves would interfere with their ministry?

Not necessarily. We interviewed a few people we did not use because they weren’t being open and forthcoming. But mos of them were.

What makes somebody a great preacher?

A minister told me that “a great sermon is the one you need at that particular time.” A great preacher is subjective. But perhaps he tells a story about how he overcame obstacles. And perhaps you are sitting in the congregation going through something and it hits you at that time and hits other people at that time. A great preacher is someone who can deliver a great message and a timely message from the heart. But it comes from God; it doesn’t come from them. They move themselves out of the way and let it flow through them to the congregation.

What is the importance of music in the church?

Music is a form of ministry, another form of prayer. I know some people who really don’t get much out of church or out of the sermon, but they do from song. Particularly in an African-American church, that tradition of music is historical in our culture. Old gospel spirituals, old hymns, have been with us for a long time. It’s a huge element in church.

Is humor important in ministry?

Yes and no. Humor can help deliver a message. But some people just want a strong, powerful message, very direct. Some people think if it’s humorous, it’s not too strong. I like it. I think it helps to ease what they’re saying. I know ministers who use humor and some who don’t.

What do you think about congregations taking advantage of new technologies to reach people?

If you stay home and watch church, you’re missing the fellowship. If you’re at home watching it online you’re missing the camaraderie that you get in church. But you have to change with the times. You have to evolve and transcend the technology. You can reach people who can’t come to church. They can watch and still get the message.

How can churches reach out to younger people?

Some churches and some denominations are more traditional, like many AME churches. They can lose the younger audience. But if the pastor is young and the service is more upbeat, they can appeal to a younger crowd. I was raised in a church that was very traditional. I got very bored with church. I went to college and didn’t go to church. It wasn’t until I heard Kirk Franklin and more modern gospel that it brought me back to church, a church that wasn’t as structured and traditional, with shorter services. The message was still there but the organ was replaced with more upbeat music. That brought me back.

What do you want people to take away from watching this series?

It’s all about faith and hope. We all go through trials and tribulations in life. Hurricane Sandy, Katrina, the shooting in Connecticut, natural disasters and personal challenges. “The Scroll” is about faith to help us Ministers are often unsung heroes. We are distracted by the small percentage who are in the media for their mistakes instead of focusing on the good that most of them do. Ministers are very smart, they’re great orators, and they give so much. We don’t see them teaching children and going to hospitals and inspiring people every day, all the things that they do. We see them on Sunday but they do so much more. And “The Scroll” is a homage to my father, who was a pastor.

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Jumping the Broom

Posted on May 4, 2011 at 6:00 pm

Lowest Recommended Age:	High School
MPAA Rating:	Rated PG-13 for some sexual content
Profanity:	Some mild language
Alcohol/ Drugs:	Drinking
Violence/ Scariness:	Tense family confrontations, slap
Diversity Issues:	Race and class issues
Date Released to Theaters:	May 6, 2011
Date Released to DVD:	August 8, 2011
Amazon.com ASIN:	B003Y5H58S

Sabrina (Paula Patton) is from a wealthy, upper-class family with a mansion on Martha’s Vineyard. Jason (Laz Alonso) is from a blue-collar family in Brooklyn. They fall in love, he proposes, and there’s just one obstacle to their happily ever after ending — bringing those two families together for the wedding. When Shakespeare said that the course of true love never did run smooth, it might very well have been the culture clash that accompanies any joining of two families he was thinking of.

We meet Sabrina as she realizes she is about to take the walk of shame. It is the morning after what she thought of as a promising relationship but he thought of as a one-night stand. She decides to make a major change. If God will send her a true love, she will honor herself and that relationship by not having sex until they are married. And then she literally runs into Jason. They have to make a decision about their future together very quickly when she is transferred to China. He proposes, she accepts, and their perfect little bubble of love is intruded on by just about everyone. It’s hard to say which is worse, the family members who are trying to hide their feelings or the ones who are over-sharing.

Sabrina’s parents (Angela Bassett and Broadway star Brian Stokes Mitchell) are barely speaking to each other. She thinks he is having an affair and is hurt and angry. Jason’s mother (Loretta Devine) feels neglected and intimidated. As often happens at weddings, the happy couple reflects the strains of their family conflicts and has some of their own, as the “ever after” part of the deal sparks some panic. And, as often happens at weddings, a lot of the attendees are looking for love or a reasonable facsimile thereof.

Patton and Alonso are in every way the heart of the film. Patton is as effervescent and refreshing as a chilled glass of champagne and Alonso is endearingly open-hearted and gallant. While the script requires them to behave so inconsistently and immaturely at times that even by wedding craziness standards it is hard to reconcile, they are performers of such immeasurable grace and charm that we keep rooting for them. The script also throws a seasons worth of soapy complications their way, but director Salim Akil is skillful in balancing the drama and melodrama along with some romance and comedy as well. The situations and dialogue may be overdone but the characters always feel real, their poor behavior coming believably from fear and pain and not just the need for another confrontation. He stays well on the safe side of caricature but is not afraid to weigh into tough questions of race, class, faith, money, and identity — and to allow every side some dignity and grace.

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Bishop T.D. Jakes’ New Movie ‘Not Easily Broken’

Posted on September 17, 2008 at 8:00 am

I was privileged to attend the very first showing of the upcoming film “Not Easily Broken,” based on the book by the Bishop T. D. Jakes and starring three of my favorite performers, Morris Chestnut, Taraji P. Henson, and Jennifer Lewis. It is the story of a young couple struggling to keep their connection to each other and to God in the early years of marriage. And it is the first of what Bishop Jakes hopes will be a series of films with compelling stories told with heart and without crassness, profanity, or violence. It was made for a very small budget as a labor of love and they are trying to get the word out now so that the opening week’s box office will be big enough to persuade Hollywood to make some more.
There was a half-hour delay in getting the film started, which was fine with me because Bishop Jakes picked up a microphone to talk to us. It was a great pleasure to see his extraordinary ability to bring an audience together. It took him just a couple of seconds to turn to Washington’s largest movie theater into a congregation and to make us feel involved and connected. After the film, he, director Bill Dukes, and producer-star Morris Chestnut spoke about the project and answered some questions.
I can’t post a review until the film opens in January, but I can say that I very much appreciate their effort to create meaningful stories with good values that are unapologetically positive about spirituality and to create roles with some depth for these talented actors. It made me think again of how few movies there are that begin where most movies end — with a wedding — and talk about what marriage and happily-ever-after really mean. I’ll have another post on that topic soon.