Gospel music star Kirk Franklin had to be held back by security personnel in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on Sunday night after he was rankled by a street preacher.
A 43-second video clip shared on social media by podcaster and internet personality Larry Reid and others shows Franklin being confronted by the preacher, who identifies himself on Facebook as a digital creator known as Judge James Thomas, or “The Sin Police.”
Franklin was in the City of Brotherly Love to perform during the annual Wawa Welcome America festival, the largest Independence Day celebration in the nation, running from June 19 through July 4. His performance was canceled due to a lightning storm.
In the video clip, Franklin, 56, dressed in a white sleeveless tank top, can be heard telling Thomas, “That’s not what I said.”
Thomas had insisted that Franklin said during the 2022 BET Hip-Hop Awards freestyle performance that “the lion and the lamb will bow down to the goat.” The comments at the time sparked significant backlash in the Christian community, as some interpreted his statement to mean that Jesus would have to bow to the goat demon known as Baphomet.
Franklin responded in a statement at the time, clarifying that he said “G.O.A.T” (greatest of all time), not goat like the animal.
“In hip hop, who is the greatest (G.O.A.T.) has always been a discussion. Metaphorically, I positioned those considered great as lions and lambs and how they will someday bow down to Jesus, who is the greatest of all times. It’s hyperbole, not theology,” he said.
Thomas told Franklin on Sunday that he was gaslighting Christians and needed to repent. Franklin then offered him a hug. But Thomas refused, stating that Franklin is “teaching a different doctrine,” so he could not shake his hand.
“You need to repent. You need to repent. You and your wife are going to Hell,” he told Franklin as the music producer became visibly upset and was held back by security.
Thomas was told to leave the area, and he complied.
Representatives for Franklin did not respond to a request for comment from The Christian Post on Tuesday. The gospel star shared a video on Facebook Monday about the cancellation of his performance and quipped, “I need the weather to repent! LOL!”
Thomas said on social media that he is aware that some people might have an issue with him mentioning Franklin’s wife during the confrontation and pointed to the story of early husband and wife biblical Christians Ananias and Sapphira, who were killed by God for deception.
“Some people I already know are going to have an issue with the fact that I mentioned his wife. Might I remind you of when Peter called out both Ananias AND Sapphira before God killed them both,” Thomas wrote, claiming that Franklin has been engaging in “antichrist behavior” for many years, but didn’t elaborate. “The Bible says two married people are one flesh, so they’re going to be held accountable together.”
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