Would You Want More Beyoncé At Your Mass?

Would You Want More Beyoncé At Your Mass?

Would You Want More Beyoncé At Your Mass?
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San Fransico Church Will Host Special Musical Event Incorporating Singer

You don’t enter a church expecting to hear pop music, but San Francisco’s Grace Cathedral is changing all that on April 25. They will be throwing a “Beyoncé Mass.”

Would You Want More Beyoncé At Your Mass?[/tweetthis]

What is a Beyoncé Mass? It will have Beyoncé sing-a-longs, scripture read by women of color, and a speech by Rev. Yolanda Norton, who teaches a class on Beyoncé and the Bible.

This is not a tactic to get more people to attend church. The church designed it to promote the inclusion of race and gender into discussions about Scripture. It is part of “Vine,” a weekly gathering intended to talk about the intersection of race, faith, and gender.

Those that reference the Bible and Scripture regularly exclude women of color. The Beyoncé Mass is designed to reclaim the Bible as a tool for empowerment and encouraging members of the community to view the Bible as a living doctrine that applies in our modern lives, rather than an anachronistic document.

Beyoncé has been known for promoting her pan-religious views as almost a religious application of fourth wave feminism. She has not shied away from religious imagery, speaking about different faiths at award shows or taking a picture with her children in an homage to the Virgin Mary:

Sir Carter and Rumi 1 month today. ??❤️??????????

A post shared by Beyoncé (@beyonce) on

While reports have focused on being able to sing to Beyoncé in church, the focus should be about inclusion and the use of religion as a tool for diversity and enfranchisement for marginalized groups within a community.

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