No Church in the Morning: Unpacking the Rise (and Fall) of Christian Media


Afew months ago, Beyonce came out with her album, Renaissance. And while there was a lot to say about the album overall, something that stood out to me was the number of YouTube videos and Shorts that responded to the content. Although most of these responses were overwhelmingly positive, many were direct responses to song no.7, “Church Girl.” In the song, Beyonce sings about letting it all hang out on the dance floor, and many view the song as a commentary on the strict rules around listening to secular music, dancing, and going to clubs that come out of more traditional church doctrine. Many who enjoyed the song applauded that one could still claim the church’s culture without adhering to the legalism that rules over religion.However, this positive reception within the mainstream media also sparked a backlash from church girls on video-sharing platforms like YouTube, declaring the song to be sacrilegious and not for the sanctified, despite the catchy title. And, while we can debate the hypocrisy of any church person telling other people not to listen to a song or support an artist that they must have first heard to make this critique, these videos brought up a lot of the thoughts that I have been having around deconstructing the Christian church and culture. Especially in an American context, many people still feel attached to Church culture, despite no longer being a part of any particular religion, while many within the church have been working to create a more accepting image of the space for years. So, even though some critics voiced their opinions in opposition to the song, sites like XO Necole claim that the song helped improve their relationship with the Church. As writer Hannah V. Sawyer describes it, “Church Girl” is “a celebration of all the parts of myself that were once demonized.” And Beyonce’s song isn’t the first, nor will it be the last, media text to play with the anti-secular music stance of many more fundamentalist Christian churches. When I heard it, my mind was immediately brought to the…