Gospel singer and Bishop Marvin Sapp is again addressing backlash sparked after being accused of holding parishioners “hostage” after a resurfaced video showed him demanding ushers to the close the sanctuary doors while asking the congregation for $40K in donations. Now, Sapp is explaining the the and his family have been receiving death threats over the incident from last year.
As we previously shared, the incident took place in July 2024 as Marvin Sapp preached at the 109th Pentecostal Assemblies of the World Convention in Baltimore, Maryland. Toward the end of his sermon, the singer and bishop “challenged” 2,000 churchgoers in-person and 2,000 watching online to give $20.
During the request, he urged the ushers to shut the doors. The resurfaced video went viral and immediately sent Sapp under fire. While appearing on ‘The Rickey Smiley Morning Show’ on Monday (March 31), Marvin Sapp addressed the backlash again and further revealed that he and his family have been receiving death threats.
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Rickey Smiley began the conversation by asking Marvin Sapp to explain what’s been happening to his family and about the death threats received. Sapp first thanked Smiley for opening up his platform for him to speak to “add context and clarity” about the whole debacle. Sapp said:
“Sadly, one of the things that has happened is people have created a narrative that is absolutely not true. Number one: the narrative was created that I raised money at my church. And that I kept the people at my church hostage until I raised $40,000 for me. That’s the narrative that has been shared, that I have locked folks up at my church. And that I made them give $40,000 and wouldn’t allow them to leave until they gave it to me. And to be honest with you, that is absolutely false. Number one: that offering was taken last year. This was a service that happened last August. Number two: it didn’t happen at my local church. It actually happened at a national organization’s international meeting, where churches from all over the country, all over the world, came together for the purpose of celebrating the Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.”
Marvin Sapp Apologizes Over Resurfaced Video Of Him Urging Ushers To Close Church Doors During $40K Offering
Marvin Sapp continued to address the backlash and even apologized for his tone.
“People took issue with me saying, ‘Shut the doors.’ Understand, I never said, ‘Lock the doors.’ I said, ‘Shut the doors.’ Shutting doors means that people would still have the ability to go in and out. They’e taken issue with my tone. And I can honestly say — you know, looking at the video, maybe I was a little more assertive than I should’ve been. And I can apologize for that. But, [there are] three things I need to make sure the people understand. Number one: the $40,000—if it was $40,000 that was raised—was never given to me. That money was raised for the purpose of taking care of the budget for their conference, not Marvin Sapp. Number two: it didn’t happen at my church. It happened in Baltimore. Number three: people took issue with me being firm with the ushers. Anybody that goes to church—‘Ushers 101,’ the first thing they teach you [to become] an usher—is that there are three times you don’t walk. You don’t walk during the alter call. You don’t walk during prayer. You don’t walk during the offering. One of the reasons being is because of the sacredness of the moment.”
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