Meagan Good claps back—again— at those who criticize her taboo choices: It's between me and God’
Credit: Getty Images // Illustration By EEW Magazine Online
By LaTonia Martin // Faith + Culture // EEW Magazine Online
For the longest time, some conservative Christians have been telling actress and preacher’s wife, Meagan Good, that how she presents herself as a representative of God’s Kingdom matters. But then and now, the Hollywood star disagrees.
In an interview with :BLACKPRINT, the Black Affinity Group at Meredith Corporation, the 40-year-old who married preacher and producer DeVon Franklin in 2012 said, "For me, it's always just checking in with God.”
In a clapback at those who criticize her taboo choices, she said, “I know that some of the choices that I make, some of the things that I wear, some of the things I work on, not everybody in the church understands it. And that's okay, because at the end of the day, it's between me and God and how I feel convicted in my spirit or don't feel convicted in my spirit."
Good and many Christians like her do not subscribe to the teaching of 1 Corinthians 8:9 that says, “Be careful, however, that the exercise of your rights does not become a stumbling block to the weak.”
Christian liberties and how far they extend has been a long held debate in the church, but conservatives say, the word of God is quite clear on it. Individual preferences and personal convictions are not the be-all and end-all of everything. Scripture states that believers are to think of others when considering the nature of their actions and whether certain behaviors are appropriate or inappropriate.
More liberal Christians, however, reject that perspective, branding it legalistic and judgmental.
Good, who entered the entertainment business at the age of four, blossomed into a beautiful starlet and was eventually regarded as a vixen—an image she embraced. But when she said I do to a man of God who travels the country teaching the Bible, a large sector of the faith community expected that Good’s bad girl image would change.
When Christian audiences saw more of the same from the actress who has been open about her Christian faith, they vocalized their disapproval of Good’s sexually explicit attire and roles. Despite the criticisms, she maintains that those who don’t “get her” or condone her behaviors are simply not meant to be part of her tribe.
"The people that I'm not supposed to be connected to, they may not get me, and they may have judgments or opinions. And I've had to learn to be okay with that because what matters — really, the only thing that matters — is what God says about me and who God says that I am,” she told :BLACKPRINT.
Individuals that quote 1 Thessalonians 5:22 — “Abstain from all appearance of evil”— differ from Good in this way. They say, believers, in essence, are to be concerned with the way things appear, because how they are perceived can either turn people toward or away from Christ. And that’s what matters.
This debate could go on forever and still not be settled. One side says, Christians are witnesses for God, and there are many things to consider beyond personal choices based on individual convictions. Though no one can please everyone all the time, there are some things that should be always avoided—like things that glorify sensuality, lust, immodesty, and anything Scripture deems as immoral.
The other side, represented by Good and lots of folks that agree with her, focuses more on a personal relationship with God and being authentic. To them, that is what matters.
“For me,” Good said, “it's about being transparent, it's about being honest, it's about being raw, it's about living in my authenticity and moving as I feel led."
How about we all just love each other and leave the rest up to God?
