Ministers + Groupies = Trouble

Boy, what was it about ministers that made women swoon? Was it the power, the glory, the closeness to God? Maybe they were trying to get closer to heaven.
—Kendra Clayton, TANGLED ROOTS pg 159.


The July issue of Essence magazine features an article by Michelle Burford called Caught Up in the Rapture: Confessions of a Church Groupie. The title instantly conjured up an image of a flashily dressed preacher rockin’ the pulpit, much like a rapper rockin’ the mic, with scantily clad women in big hats swooning all around him. The article is about women who purposefully go after ministers the way groupies go after professional athletes and musicians. One woman in particular had an affair with her married minister only to be discarded and fired from her job at the church when she becomes pregnant by her minister lover. It also discusses why women become attracted to ministers and why ministers sometimes succumb to the charms of female parishioners. This article could have easily been about some of the characters in Tangled Roots, namely handsome and charismatic Reverend Morris Rollins, a minister so attractive to women he has to practically beat them off with a stick.

While reading the article, I was surprised at how accurate I was about when these little hook-ups occur—private meetings after church usually in the guise of some kind of counseling. Yeah, uh huh. I even made mention of such meetings in Tangled Roots. But I never gave much thought as to why such affairs happen, other than simple poor judgment and loose morals. But after reading the article, I now I have a little better understanding of why these affairs take place, thought it still seems to me that anyone with good sense should know better. But, then again what do I know? What's that saying? You know the one about before judging someone you should walk a mile thier shoes, or in this case, high heeled fuck me pumps ; ).

Anyway, I'm off to New Orleans this weekend. See ya next week!

Angela