Gospel singer Bishop Marvin Sapp has again addressed the controversy surrounding a viral clip of him asking for donations last summer. Sapp corrected an “absolutely false” narrative he said people are perpetuating, described “vitriol” he has experienced because of the controversy, and admitted he could have been less “assertive” when he asked for money.
“People have created a narrative that was absolutely not true,” said Sapp in an appearance on “The Rickey Smiley Morning Show” Monday, March 31. That narrative, said the bishop, was that he held people hostage at his church until they gave $40,000.
“That is absolutely false,” said Sapp.
PAW’s Presiding Bishop Defends Marvin Sapp
Marvin Sapp is an award-winning gospel artist, pastor, and suffragan bishop-senior advisor to the presiding bishop of Global United Fellowship. Last week, a clip went viral showing Sapp leading a worship service last July at a Pentecostal Assemblies of the World, Inc. (PAW) convention in Baltimore.
During that service, Sapp asked 1,000 people in person and 1,000 people online to give $20 each, telling worshipers they had an “obligation” to God since they had benefited from his Word that evening. While Sapp was exhorting people to give, he repeatedly told ushers to close the doors and said that the whole group would “leave together.”
“This is an easy miracle,” said Sapp. “We should be able to raise $40,000 tonight just from ya’ll giving.”
People, including Christian hip hop artist Lecrae, reacted negatively to the clip, with some viewing the bishop as pressuring people to give money. Sapp defended his actions in a March 26 statement on Facebook, saying he told the ushers to close the doors for security reasons and that he had a responsibility to the conference’s budget. The bishop also cited 1 Chronicles 29 in his defense.
The presiding bishop of PAW, Bishop Theodore L. Brooks, Sr., put out a statement Saturday, March 29, defending Sapp, saying “a short clip from our convention has now gone viral and unduly misrepresented not only Bishop Marvin Sapp, but the P.A.W., and churches worldwide.”
Brooks reiterated Sapp’s statements that Sapp was asking for the doors to be closed for security purposes and that the funds were being raised to support PAW’s ministry. “No doors were locked, and no one was held in the room against their will,” said Brooks. “We do not force or coerce anyone into supporting the operations of our organization, and we never will.”
