A day after a Georgia pastor's fiery eulogy on Aretha Franklin ignited criticism, religious leaders wrested with a message that raised eyebrows, ire, and called attention to long-standing debates within the black community. During the eulogy, the Rev. Jasper Williams Jr. of the Salem Bible Church in Atlanta spoke about Franklin's life, but also criticized black-on-black crime and said single mothers are incapable of raising sons by themselves. "This is not new. This is not different," the Rev. Wendell Anthony, pastor of Fellowship Chapel in Detroit, said Saturday, referring to the comments Williams made that seemed to take the black community to task. "But, we who know better are doing better, and are not thwarted by this and just learn from it." Anthony, who also is president of the Detroit branch of the NAACP, said Williams is a well respected and renowned pastor, but disagreed with some of his points. Williams, Anthony said, failed to put issues in proper context and acknowledge the social and economic conditions that have hurt African-Americans. "Part of the issue yesterday was the need to elaborate and to put a holistic approach to certain points he was making," Anthony said. "The area of black-on-black crime is one in particular. That issue has been a source of much discussion in our community." Meanwhile, Williams acknowledged the uproar. "I know it's controversial," the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported Williams said Saturday in an interview with the newspaper. "When you're criticized as much as I've been, you don't let it get to you. I know where my heart and head are, and I'm willing to explain and to talk about it." Anthony said some of the eulogy's themes have been a common refrain among conservative thinkers and even well-known black figures, such as Bill Cosby, who was a popular public speaker before allegations of sexual assault. Read more: 8 hours of respect, honor for Aretha Franklin Riley: Funeral was a family reunion In the eulogy, Williams said black America has lost its soul. He seemed to take aim at people who protest "when the police kills one of us," and added that "we're ready to loot, steal whatever we want," but "when we kill 100 of us, nobody says anything, nobody does anything." Williams and Franklin were close, and the two families knew each other for decades. Williams also delivered a eulogy for Franklin's father, the Rev. C.L. Franklin, in 1984. But social media, especially the Twittersphere, exploded in criticism over Williams' remarks. They accused him of being sexist and demeaning to other black people. Williams was also criticized for comments about absentee fathers and single mothers, saying, "A black woman cannot raise a black boy to be a man.” Franklin was the single mother of four sons during lengthy stretches of her life. Some said Williams distracted from the overall mood and message of the 8-hour funeral and used the service as a national platform to deliver his own views about black America. Still, Anthony and other Detroit pastors said that characterization of Williams may have been overly harsh. Anthony said Williams' life "exemplifies something that may not necessarily reflect some of the comments that were made." The funeral, they point out, was long and social media has only intensified scrutiny of speeches. Inside Detroit's Greater Grace Temple, where the services were held, reaction to the eulogy was mixed. Williams drew a smattering of cheers from the audience for remarks about men's responsibility in the black community, but there also were confused looks and groans as he seemed to decry the Black Lives Matter movement. Some in the church during Williams' eulogy seemed frustrated. Whispers of "Talk about Aretha!" could be overheard. Onstage after the eulogy, Stevie Wonder seemed to directly address Williams' comments about Black Lives Matter, saying to applause: "We need to make love great again because black lives do matter, because all lives do matter." News headlines characterized Williams' nearly 50-minute eulogy as "antiquated," and "controversial." One said he had a "bleak view" and the message "provoked fury." Others said it stirred criticism and even ignited wrath. On Facebook, Otis Moss III, pastor of Chicago's large, predominantly African-American Trinity United Church of Christ, wrote: "The homegoing of Detroit’s Matriarch of sonic royalty was a sight to behold and at key moments difficult to stomach." He criticized "theological injury put forth from the pulpit by the male-centric control of the preaching space to honor (a woman) who transcended every social construction and convention placed before her as a limitation." Williams' eulogy was not the only controversy to emerge from Franklin's long funeral services. The bishop who officiated, Charles H. Ellis III, apologized to singer Ariana Grande for a joke he made on stage and how he touched her. After several people criticized the Detroit pastor's comment that her name sounded like a Taco Bell menu item and watched one of his hands wander near one of her breasts, he said in an Associated Press interview "maybe I crossed the border," "maybe I was too friendly or familiar," and "I apologize." Williams, 76, is the oldest of four children, according to his website. He graduated from Morehouse College, majoring in sociology and minoring in religion. At 19, he preached at Salem Baptist and became the pastor. In Detroit, Third New Hope Baptist Church pastor E.L. Branch said he had received several calls and concerns by Saturday about Williams' remarks. As a preacher, he said, he would have offered a different approach but emphasized that Williams was the one the family selected to deliver the eulogy. "They felt confident that Jasper Williams was the right person," he said, calling the reverend a friend. "There was just lots of prayer and expectation of him with that level of pressure and that level of the media surrounding the homegoing." Branch said the criticism is fair by those who were hurt by Williams' words, but social media has elevated the degree to which preachers and other public figures will be criticized and scrutinized by the public. "You can't undo this, you can't turn back the clock," Branch said. "And there is no way he can adequately battle all that is coming at him now. But, he stood there. He delivered his message. I don't know if he accomplished what he set out to do." Kenneth Flowers, pastor of Greater New Mount Moriah Baptist Church in Detroit, said he tries not to challenge what another man of God says but did not agree with the comments about women not being able to raise boys into men on their own. Flowers said his own father died when he was 5 and his mother and grandmother raised him. "I'm not quite sure where he was going with it," said Flowers of the eulogy. "I think he was trying to tie in Aretha Franklin's father with her. But, I'm not sure that came across the way he wanted that to come across." "I have seen him at his best," he added of Williams. "But, I do not think yesterday he was at his best." Contact Frank Witsil: 313-222-5022 or fwitsil@freepress.com.Staff writers Niraj Warikoo and Ann Zaniewski contributed to this report.<doc-sep>Some of America’s thorniest questions of race moved centre stage during the funeral of Aretha Franklin on Friday, when a fire-and-fury preacher held forth to declare that “black America had lost its soul” in a fiery eulogy that sparked anger and arguments on social media. For more than 50 minutes, the Rev Jasper Williams Jnr, who also spoke at Franklin’s father’s funeral, described how black women were incapable of raising sons alone and why the Black Lives Matter movement could make little progress in the face of black-on-black violence. He even used the term "abortion after birth" to describe the situation of children being raised without a father "provider" or mother "nurturer" as he railed against broken homes. It turned an uplifting, musical commemoration for the Queen of Soul into an impromptu sounding board for some of the country’s most divisive social issues. And it highlighted divisions among different generations about how to go about tackling racism in America.<doc-sep>A fiery, old-school eulogist at the funeral of Aretha Franklin fell flat for many in the crowd and prompted a social media uproar when he declared “black America has lost its soul,” black women are incapable of raising sons alone and the Black Lives Matter movement is unfounded in the face of black-on-black crime. And that was just 26 minutes into the nearly 50 minutes of words provided by the Rev. Jasper Williams Jr. of Salem Baptist Church in Atlanta as Franklin’s marathon funeral wound down Friday (Aug. 31). Williams, who also eulogized Franklin’s father, minister and civil rights activist C.L. Franklin, 34 years ago, was excoriated on Twitter and elsewhere for misogyny, bigotry and the perpetuation of false science on race. He also blamed integration and the civil rights movement for ripping the heart out of black micro-economies that once relied on black-owned small businesses such as grocery stores, hotels and banks.<doc-sep>
An Atlanta pastor delivered controversial remarks during Aretha Franklin's funeral in Detroit Friday, criticizing black-on-black crime, African-American mothers and gay people. He even appeared to take a swipe at the Queen of Soul herself. Rev. Jasper Williams Jr., who is black, said African-Americans kill the same number of black people slain by the Ku Klux Klan throughout history in a matter of months. Speaking of "black-on-black" crime, he said, "There's got to be a better way." The pastor, who also delivered a eulogy for Franklin's late father in 1984, said African-American mothers "cannot raise a black boy to be a man." And he said, "The straights need to respect the gays. The gays need to respect the straights." The pastor's theme was "soul," a key element of Franklin's moniker, but he questioned "the queen's legacy." Many on Twitter who watched the speech said it was disrespectful. Writer Stacy-Ann Ellis tweeted, "I feel so awful for her family after that eulogy. He was so insensitive to their grief." Pretty sure Aretha is in heaven yelling “KEEP MY NAME OUT OF YOUR MOUTH” #ArethaHomegoing pic.twitter.com/O7lG6iKoKi — The Root (@TheRoot) August 31, 2018 The backlash was swift, with many people drawn to one theme: Allegedly out-of-touch sermons like Williams' have kept African-Americans out of church. "This eulogy is exactly why people cease going to church," said photographer Like Sippi. Aretha lived a different life than this eulogy. — Langston Blues (@dradambanks) August 31, 2018 A woman who identifies herself as D. Danyelle Thomas said, "Toxic Theology is what’s emptying your pews, period." In a recent Facebook video Williams said he had been invited by Franklin to speak at the funeral. He said he was "privileged" to preach there. "It was on of those things that God just gave me," he said.