Since the launch of his Den of Kings platform earlier this year, Kirk Franklin has been utilizing it as a gathering place for Black men to engage in honest and vulnerable conversations.
All of his guests are celebrities, which makes for an unexpected cast of people and conversation , which is what happened on a recent episode that Franklin hosted.
The latest episode’s roundtable, released on World Mental Health Day, consisted of KevOnStage, Jonathan Majors, NLE Choppa, Dr. Jay Barnett, and, of course, Ray J.
Given Franklin’s roots in religion, the Bible came up, and a statement by NLE sparked a bit of a debate because he believes the Bible praises God, the Father, more than Jesus Christ, the Son.
“If we are men made in the likeness, Jesus is our brother,” he said as a pensive KevOnStage looks on. “Why would I drop down and praise my brother instead of praising my father? And that goes back to honoring your parents.”
The first to interject is Majors, who asks NLE if he has read the Bible. After confirming that he has read it and also listened to it, Majors offers him more advice on interpreting it correctly.
“I would say, read it again.” Majors said.
NLE let out an awkward chuckle before the conversation moved on, as it appeared he and Majors understood the text differently.
But it wasn’t exactly over as NLE addressed it again on social media by once again challenging the son and father narrative by posting passages from the Bible, and writing, “READ IT AGAIN.”
He also shares a photo of an impassioned Majors mid-conversation, captioned, “The eyes. They never lie, Chico,” alongside a smirking emoji.
However, all those posts have since been deleted, so it’s unclear if his disagreement with Majors was solved offline.
NLE’s renewed spirituality was on full display during our 2024 cover story with the Memphis, Tennessee, rapper, who says he always had an unrealized connection to God.
“You got a connection with Him in the womb, whether you know it or not,” he told us. “Even when I didn’t know I had a connection with Him, I had one.”
Another viral moment from the same Den of Kings came when KevOnStage was having an emotional moment and Ray J was the first to console him.
See social media’s reaction to the episode below.
