Perry empathizes with people who struggle with sexual sins because she still has temptations. “But either Christ is Lord or he’s not. Either he will judge me or he won’t,” she said. “Either the grave is empty or it isn’t. And if it is, surely he can give you power to resist every temptation. Surely he is that strong, and I…have experienced that he is.”
Using Spiritual Gifts Wisely
When asked about her spiritual gifts, Jackie Hill Perry said, “Everything I do revolves around words.” Her poetry led to preaching, which made her realize why many biblical prophets were poets. “I think God can use people with creative gifts to speak hard words because it’s more palpable,” she said.
But Perry tries to avoid being “vague and abstract,” she said, because “people are dying.” Liars are very explicit about their messages, so Christians must be too. Perry is okay with people taking offense at her words “because I really do believe that God is better…and I fear God more than I fear [critics].”
RELATED: Jackie Hill Perry Warns That Beyoncé’s Music Has a Demonic Influence
As her influence grew, however, Perry realized she must speak with care. Lecrae said he could relate because “processing out loud [is] why I be getting in trouble all the time.”
When God changed Perry’s heart, she said, he also “sanctified my temperament.” She described the journey of discovering how her temperament and spiritual gifts work together. Although she doesn’t have the “evangelical energy” of some ministers, Perry loves to nurture people and go deep by discipling them. She said she learned from her own conversion experience to avoid an “air of legalism” that neglects God’s grace and love.
Perry & Lecrae Discuss the Christian Industry
During their conversation, Lecrae and Perry talked about being mistreated and tokenized by the “Christian industry,” experiences that led to some trust issues. Sometimes people love only “what you bring to the table,” Perry said.
The lack of Black faces in evangelical circles turned Lecrae into an “echo chamber for a lot of folks,” he said, instead of a respected voice. Perry said she experienced that too, feeling welcomed until she started talking about justice issues.
“Ah, you’re a woke warrior now,” she said she heard. “We absolutely adored you when you were telling all of our kids to stop being gay, but now you over here saying that Black people matter.” Perry said, “So it tells you how double-minded some of these spaces actually are…They want a preacher that preaches to their own views, but not all of the views [are scriptural].”
RELATED: Lecrae Addresses Whether He Is ‘Woke’: ‘In 2023, I Hate That Word’
Perry, who has a diverse theological background, said she now ascribes to “whatever is true to Scripture.” She’s working to be faithful, planting seeds that God might send someone else to cultivate. Ministry fruit won’t always be obvious here on earth, she said, but “when we get to heaven…then the Lord might actually show us the comprehensive nature by which he used us.”
