The Black Church: Where Women Pray and Men Prey (New Book Alert)

Hello World,

I’m always on the hunt for the next new and interesting book! And y’all, by the title alone, this book is sure to get some buzz….Based on her inflammatory blog post  The Black Church: How Black Churches Keep African American Women Single and Lonely (which had the blogosphere blowing up) dating expert Deborrah Cooper has penned a new book “The Black Church: Where Women Pray and Men Prey.”

In her original blog post, Cooper asserted that good black men were not likely to be in church, and in fact, if you did happen upon a black man in church, he would fit into one of these categories:

  1. A loser working a 12-step program. These guys are in church looking for structure and something to believe in besides themselves, because they are weak and confused. They need help getting their lives back on track and are seeking solace and comfort in church. If they can hook up with a woman looking desperately for a church-going man of any ilk, they’ve got it made.
  2. Openly or in the closet gay men, neither of which is interested in marrying. Some gay men are wrestling with severe guilt and confusion about their desires, which they hope to pray away. Others are openly gay and attend church seeking acceptance from a community which turns its nose up at homosexuality; they are also seeking forgiveness for their sins. Whatever may be this guy’s issue, he is emotionally and psychologically unavailable.
  3. Opportunistic players on the prowl. Every player I know goes to a couple of different churches… some of them go quite regularly. They have easy pickings amongst the hundreds of horny, lonely single women that will cook and give them free meals and satisfy his sexual urges (though these players have no intention of marrying and committing to anyone). Since sex amongst unmarried singles is a sin, it is easy for him to gain the assurance of the women that they keep things secret and not speak of their “transgression” lest they feel the wrath of the Pastor. This secrecy makes it easy for him to hide the fact that he is bed hopping with four or five single ladies, right under their respective noses.
  4. Elderly reformed players. These guys have played themselves so hard and so long, they’re worn out. Their old butts finally realized that the end may be near and playtime is over. Worried about dying alone, they bring their behinds back to church to find a “good Christian woman” for marriage. Essentially they are looking for a free nursemaid and bed warmer… someone to provide comfort and take care of their old broken down a$$@s before they die.

I felt some kind of way about her blog post and wrote about it here so I’m not sure what to make of her new book. But I’ve got to admit, Ms. Cooper knows how to get a reaction! That’s for sure! Below are a few of the points Cooper says she will address in her new book:

    • Why the majority of black women in church will hear nothing but false promises made by false prophets
    • The real reason there are few single black males of marriageable quality in black churches
    • How to take charge of your financial future and spirituality without ever setting foot in a church again
    • How biblical scriptures are cleverly twisted to manipulate your thoughts and behaviors with guilt and shame

 The book will debut this month, according to her website Surviving Dating. Will you read it?

Any thoughts?

Can Women Really Have It All? And at the same time?

Hello World!

You’ve heard those questions before, right? Can women really have it all? And at the same time? If you haven’t heard these questions before, I am referring to the desire for today’s modern women to be wives, mothers and career women. (For the record, these questions are not asked of men…)

These questions and answers were explored in the first episode of “Mary Mary,” the reality show featuring chart-topping gospel duo Mary Mary which will premiere on Thursday, March 29 at 10 p.m. on WE tv. (The reality show will officially start airing on Thursday, April 5 at 9 p.m.)  I went to the Atlanta premiere of the show which was held at Greater’s Travelers Rest Baptist Church in Decatur last week.

Mary Mary on the red carpet...

Between Erica & Tina Campbell (they are both married to unrelated men with the last name Campbell. Isn’t that cute?), they have two husbands, six (soon to be seven) children as Tina is pregnant, three Grammy Awards and a thriving career in the spotlight…

Erica Campbell, Rosie Pisani, vice president senior vice president of marketing for WE tv; Tina Campbell..

In the first episode, Mary Mary are presented with an opportunity to perform at Macy’s Great Christmas Tree Lighting concert on Thanksgiving Day. Mary Mary are excited about the the opportunity to perform in Atlanta in front of 100,000 people in Atlanta, as our city is a top city for their fans! However, Erica & Tina, the wives and mothers, are not too excited to be leaving their families on such a special holiday, particularly since Tina’s oldest daughter Laiah will be performing at a glee concert during that time…

Mama Braxton also came to the premiere...

 

There is also drama surrounding Erica’s pregnancy as she begins having contractions before a performance. (She has actually had a beautiful baby girl, Zaya Monique, since then who also attended the premiere:) And now Tina is pregnant!) And Mitchell, Mary Mary’s manager, and their sister known as Goo Goo, who is their stylist, have a confrontation! I won’t give it all away…but I will say that if Mitchell had his way, Goo Goo would be good and gone!

Nicci Gilbert formerly of the '90s R&B group Brownstone...

 

Viewers also get to know Erica & Tina’s mother Honey, who was their first choir director at Evangelistc Church of God in Christ in California. My grade of their first show: A. And I’m not saying it because they are a Christian group with their own reality show. I enjoyed the show because it was positive and had enough drama to get my attention. Plus, they are in their ’30s like me, and I appreciate that realistic black women (even if they are superstars) also have a voice in the sometimes unrealistic reality TV genre..More pics from the premiere are below…

Celebrity photographer Derek Blanks was in the house...

 

Comedian & Minister John Gray interviewed the duo about their new reality show...He was hilarious!

 

A pint-sized Mary Mary fan in her quest to win a door prize!

 

They also performed their new single "Go Get It." The album will be available on May 8.

 

Each person who attended the premiere was asked to bring a canned good, and the canned goods were donated to the Atlanta Community Food Bank.

 
Any thoughts?
 
 

How to Get A Church Girl…

Hello World,

I love it that via YouTube, anyone can be a movie or video maker and create something that the world can enjoy….Watch this hilarious video in which these guys demonstrate five steps to scoring a church girl….funny lines include…

1. And this is my favorite for obvious reasons  – “What you doing after altar call? Make you repent next week!” (Halleluyer 🙂 lol…)

2. “Dang, you got a fat butt.  Shoot, that’s that fatted calf!” (Would that work on you ladies?)

3. “No more Jezebel, I got a Ruth experience call me Boaz!” (That might work on me….lol…)

Y’all let me know what you think…And support these guys – CGP Entertainment which includes Anthony Davis, Kevin Fredericks and Jason Fredericks!!! Check them out on Facebook – Facebook.com/ThePlaymakers1!!!

Any thoughts?