FOR ME, WILLIAM MURPHY HAS BEEN CANCELLED!

I never really understood what the term “Cancel Culture” meant until today. After following the entire saga taking place with Bishop William Murphy that has been clogging the social media streets, I reached the point where, for me, William Murphy has been cancelled.

It hit me when during my time of listening to praise and worship music today and a song that I loved came on. I realized that it was a William Murphy song and by instinct I fast forwarded the playlist to the other song.

Like a computer program quickly assimilating information, my mind began to play back all the situations that had been going on with Murphy and I came up with a conclusion quickly – on to the next song. But it went further, I made the decision to remove all of Murphy’s songs from my playlist, from my music library altogether.

In my mind, Bishop William Murphy had been cancelled.

Now, before I’m quickly judged and face the possibility of being cancelled as well, it is only fair that I quantify how I came to this point. For those of you who may not know who Bishop William Murphy is, or who may have no idea why his name has been trending on social media, let me give some background.

Bishop William Murphy is an American former singer/worship leader, popular for songs like Praise is what I do, It’s working, You are my strength, Let it rise, Your love and others. He was ordained as an Elder under his father’s ministry at the age of 23.

Murphy moved his wife and two children to Atlanta in 2001 to serve as the worship minister at New Birth Missionary Church (Eddie Long’s church). In 2005, Murphy said he “answered” the call to pastor in 2005 and he and his wife launched their church “the Dream Center Church” in Atlanta in 2006.

It’s interesting how people say you can never question someone’s call to Ministry because you don’t know what God actually told someone. However, the Bible said “you should know them by their fruit. In any event, William Murphy was good in my book, because like I said, he had some great worship songs. However, two instances happened recently that shed a different light on Murphy for me.

Just a week or so ago, Murphy held a “baby dedication” for former rapper “Da Brat” and her wife inside his church. He brought this same sex couple into his church, along with their posse and held a baby dedication. Da Brat’s lifestyle goes against the Word of God (Romans 1:26-28, 1 Corinthians 6:9-11, 1 Timothy 1:8-11, Jude 1:5-8). Many will argue that the baby was innocent and deserves to be blessed by the church. However, the message Murphy sent to Da Brat and her wife was “you can obtain God’s blessing without having to change your lifestyle and live according to his word.”

Days later, during the New Year’s Eve Service, Murphy turned his church into a night club, as a DJ spun secular songs as the new year came in (namely “Walk it out” by someone named DJ UNK and the song “Sway surfing”, by a group called FLY). The Dream Center’s New Year’s Eve service turned into a club scene, as people gravitated to the front of the church (near the altar) to perform the dances that became popular with each song.

For me, those moments when one year winds down and a new one begins, these are critical minutes. It’s a time to firstly thank God for keeping me through an entire year; keeping me safe from all harm and danger; for keeping me alive; for providing for me and my family and for keeping me in my right mind. It’s a time to reflect on the new year and pray for guidance for the new year.

Instead, Bishop Murphy chose to use that time to blast secular songs in God’s temple. With all of the Christian and gospel music available (every kind of genre one could think of) he could have played that night, yet the bishop thought that secular music, with questionable lyrics, was the way to go.

The backlash from the Christian world was swift and brutal. Social media was ablaze with criticism for Murphy’s actions. For me, while I condemned Murphy’s actions too, I felt it was something that could be forgiven, because we’ve all been guilty of poor judgement at one time or the other. But it was the bishop’s response to the criticism that changed my mind about him.

Instead of going on his Instagram page and note the backlash, the criticism and apologize for his selection of music, Murphy dug his heels in, saying that God was in the service, justifying his actions by saying that 150 people got “Saved” that night. In other words, the end justified the means.

However, if you watched the entire service, when he called people to the altar, it was for people who needed a church home or a pastor. He never called them to the altar for salvation. Then he proceeded to ask for a “seed offering” while the people were standing at the altar.

Even if his claim is true, if those 150 people became Christians before the secular music started, how many immediately fell back into their old mindset once the club music started? Besides, the Bible says salvation can only come when the gospel is preached and for what he called a sermon that night, I can say that it was nothing more than a motivational, pump you up, everything’s-coming-up-roses sermon.

In his response, Murphy offered no Bible verses to justify what he did. Instead, in an arrogant display, the bishop called the criticism from other Believers “stupid”, adding that “unless you can save more people than me, then shut your mouth! Unless you can out-evangelize me, then I suggest you keep quiet.”

There was no level of humbleness. It was a display of haughtiness and pride, which the Bible says should not be named among church leaders.

That’s what brought me to the point of cancelling William Murphy. It was at that moment that I saw his heart and what I saw shook me. The pride, the man-centered belief that salvation came at his hands and not by the Spirit of a Holy God. The idea that saving people was a competition.

A dumpster dive into his background as a preacher, Murphy have used his pulpit to fight for abortion rights and for the rights of the LGBTQ community. His stance as a supposed “Man of God” on certain issues leaves so many questions and makes me wonder what exactly William Murphy believes and what God he believes in. He’s certainly not displaying the attributes and the spirit of a man called by God.