reading

WHY

CAN’T I

SING

ABOUT

LOVE?

The Truth ABOUT THE “ChURCH” AGAINST “sECULAR” MUSIC

Unless otherwise indicated, definitions are taken from Webster.com

Cover and Layout Design by C.A. SLY Designs, Atlanta GA

Editing by Jennifer M Ray, Atlanta GA

Why Can’t I Sing About Love? The Truth About The “Church” Against “Secular” Music

ISBN 978-0-615-29206-9

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means – electronic, mechanical, digital, photocopy, recording, or any other – except for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior permission of the publisher.

Printed in the United States of America.

Dedication

This book is dedicated to Sam Cooke, Aretha Franklin, and Al Green. These are artists that inspired me to be me, regardless of how hard the fight. They went through much more than I ever have just trying to do what was felt in their hearts. Thank you.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

First, to my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ … without you I am nothing. You’re the reason why I sing. I humbly take on whatever you want me to do or say.

To my wife Kortni, I thank you for always being there no matter what. I love you very much.

To my son Jakai, I look forward to watching you grow up! To my twins that passed away, I will see you in heaven.

To my immediate family Dad, Mom, Jasmine and Christy…you guys were always my sounding board and I appreciate you so much!

Lastly, to my manager, friend, and twin Tanya James, you’ve been there from the beginning. We’ve watched each other grow and you have always worked for me like I was paying you a million dollars! And I will one day ! Thank You.

CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

FOREWORD

PREFACE

IINTRODUCTION

SON OF A PREACHERMAN: CHILDHOOD

SON OF A PREACHERMAN: TEENAGE YEARS

SON OF A PREACHERMAN: COLLEGE YEARS

CHAPTER 1

SECULAR VS. GOSPEL

CHAPTER 2

WHAT PEOPLE SAY. WHAT GOD SAYS.

CHAPTER 3

RELATIONSHIP VS. RELIGION

CHAPTER 4

REJECTION BEGETS REJECTION

CHAPTER 5

PLATFORM

FINAL WORDS

FOREWORD

by: Bishop Paul S Morton

Finally, someone who is not afraid to talk about it! I must confess, before P.J. explained to me his passion, I was one who was kind of stuck, too. His mother and I have always taught our children to chase after their dreams. As long as it lined up with God’s will, we would whole-heartily support them. Well, little did we know that P.J. would come with this ‘way out of the box’ thinking - singing love songs - especially having two parents who were preachers! When he came to me and told me what was in his heart, I was shocked. Since we have always had an open relationship whereas we could talk, I listened to what he had to say.

When he began to explain if God is Love and Love is God so why can’t we talk about it, my eyes became opened as I believe yours will. We can get so caught up in religion until we miss relationship. One thing I always stress is balance. It’s something a lot of people do not have.

Relationships honored by God should always include romance. When I am affectionately holding my wife, I don’t put on, “Jesus Keep Me Near the Cross”. No! Give me some sweet, romantic love songs without the guilt.

So many in the Body of Christ have been struggling with this for so long but finally, “Good News”! P.J., in this awesome book, is about to set you free. How do I know? Well, the Bible says, “Know the truth and the truth shall make you free.” You will no longer have to feel guilty about clean, wholesome romantic music. God is Love and Love is God!

P.J. writes about the things we were afraid to talk about as believers. With his sincere and pure passion for this subject, you will get the answers to the question, “Why Can’t I Sing About Love?”

When you finish this book you are going to feel so free to be balanced and to enjoy ‘Love’. I am so proud of my son who was willing to get out of the religious box and tell the truth – the whole truth and nothing but the truth! This is a book you can read and carry around with you always and when you run into skeptics and doubters, just say, “Here! Read this.”

PREFACE

I truly believe that church tradition is too often confused with being The Word of God, when in fact, it’s a man made doctrine. Our churches have continued to pass down things that are not essentially biblical. This happens sometimes, at no fault to the people teaching it or believing it. If something is said enough times, you will start to believe it, especially when it’s coming from someone that you respect. I’ve heard many explanations about secular and gospel music. Most of the explanations were usually regurgitations of what they had heard in their own personal lives. People hardly ever consider researching what they’ve heard. I’m guilty of this myself. However, at a certain point, I got frustrated with what I felt inside being in opposition to what I’d heard from others. For this reason, I had to research for myself.

The subject of secular music has been overlooked so much that it has destroyed relationships, pushed people away from the church, even away from Jesus. As an artist, singer, producer, songwriter and most of all, a Christian, who has dealt with this for a long time, I felt it my duty to bring some clarity to this subject matter of secular music.

This book is for the saved or non-saved person, who is a writer, performer musician, artist, producer or just a fan of secular music. Maybe you’re not a fan because you feel it is wrong to enjoy secular music. If you want to know how God feels about this, then this book is for you.

In this book I will discuss:

• Secular vs. gospel music

• What God says about the comments and

questions usually made regarding secular music

• Relationship compared to religion and their effects

• How we reject our own

• The importance of having a platform in the world

INTRODUCTION