There are palm trees, manicured lawns, and palatial homes with sparkling luxury vehicles parked out front. The men are dipped in designer suits, immaculately groomed and arm-in-arm with equally glamorous and accessorized girlfriends, wives and fiancees.
At first glance, it’s a typical opening shot of any TV reality show on any given network…except that this one is about men of the pulpit—Preachers of L.A.
The series, which debuted last week to strong ratings on the Oxygen network, follows the personal and professional lives of six high-profile church leaders. All of them have large, loyal followings in different California churches, but vary greatly in their attitudes and approaches to spreading the Word.
Bishop Ron Gibson, married his high school sweetheart LaVette, is a former gang member who returns to the streets to convert people from “pushing dope to preaching hope” and encourage them to accept Christ.
Pastor Wayne Chaney, a senior pastor of his grandfather’s church, is all about demonstrating how spiritual people can also be affectionate and sexual as he talks about his ‘fine’ wife Myesha and their two kids. Jay Haizlip, a pompadoured skaterboarding fanatic and former drug abuser, juggles church duties with his wife of 26 years, Christy.
Bishop Noel Jones flaunts his bachelor status and laments it in the same breath: “Of course women throw themselves at you in this business, it’s the whole rock star thing….I preach to 300,000 in Africa, 80,000 in GA and then go home alone.”
The most flamboyant members of the group seem to clash the most: Bishop Clarence McClendon, on one hand, opens with discussions of stalkers and security detail and refers to his ministry as a “worldwide enterprise,” while Deitrick Haddon, a charismatic contemporary gospel performer, stepped down from his ministry duties at his father’s Detroit church after fathering a child out of wedlock during his divorce.
Last week’s show ended with the two men arguing the merits of charging fees to share their ministry with smaller churches. When McClendon stated that churches need to pay extra for his assistants as well, Haddon was indignant: “Would Jesus have charged a fee? When God anointed you, you didn’t have an entourage!”
The reactions to Preacher’s mixed messages and emphasis on “prosperity preaching” have been both mixed and predictable. Haddon, whose own personal scandal prepared him for the backlash, told Essence magazine that the show is actually more biblical than people realize: “The Bible is a reality show. You should see the stories about Paul. Before he became Saul, he was a murderer. David was a fornicator….The Bible shows you the truth about every man of God. It shows you everything about them. The Bible is real. I think [reality TV] is the perfect place for Christians.”
The assessment from Dallas own mega-pastor, Bishop TD Jakes, was just as blunt: “Now you know I’ve been watching that junk on TV, and I want to tell you right now, not one dime of what you’re sowing right now will buy my suit. I want you to know my car is paid for; I want you to know I got my house on my own.”
Since the season just started, it’s hard to tell who is the most sincerely sanctified and how many are more about materialism rather than the ministry. But instead of being so quick to disparage the show, maybe some of its critics should use the same levels of scorn and scrutiny in their own lives. If cameras were to follow us, what would those images show us, our loved ones and the world at large?
I can’t speak for others, but for now, I’ll keep on watching Preachers of L.A., taking care to keep my judgements to a reasonable volume lest I shatter the delicacy of my own glass house.
