Kirk Franklin's title for his 11th studio album "Losing My Religion" sparked a mixed reaction. Last month, the 45-year-old took to Instagram to reveal the title of the album, writing:
"In the beginning religion created a mask ... for generations church was where we went to go hide .... rules without relationship is empty inside. ... There's room at the cross for everyone even me ... religion is a prison, but truth sets us free. The preacher isn't God, religion's first mistake ... I'm losing my religion, Thank God ... Helping you lose yours is my job."
On "Tom Joyner Morning Show", the Gospel singer explains why he believes people should focus on their relationship with Christ more than anything else.
"Religion, throughout the years, has become a very oppressive thing that doesn't allow people to get to know the God it was created to try to lead them to. So basically, it's just like marriage cannot guarantee intimacy, religion doesn't guarantee relationship," the recording artist and songwriter said.
"It doesn't guarantee you're going to have a loving relationship with God. So God becomes this distant person that's always pointing at my sins, always beating me up and you never know Him as a friend and as a father."
On the contrary, Franklin made a point to speak about how much God loves people, despite their sins.
"We don't have to try to be perfect. We'll never be," he said. "It's really only one person that has lived the Christian life and that was Christ Himself."
According to the songwriter and former choir director, people should not rely on man to determine their personal relationship with God.
"We think we need man and these systems to make us right with God and it's not that. It's when we accept His gift, we're right. Right there and then, we're right. We're getting rid of the systems and all the rules, and the processes, and it's like, let's fall in love with the Father and see Him as a father that loves us, as flawed as we are."
