The Will Smith Smackdown: Where’s God in This? (Episode 012)
|Published on: Mar 29, 2022|Categories: |0 comments
Praying the News with Jennifer LeClaire
The Will Smith Smackdown: Where’s God in This? (Episode 012)
/
RSS Feed
Share
Link
Embed
SHOW NOTES
It was the slap heard around the world.
Actor Will Smith during the Oscars took offense to a remark comedian Chris Rock made about his wife, charged the stage and smacked him before returning to his seat to cuss him out. And the world is buzzing about it.
In today’s episode of Praying the News, we’ll take a redemptive look at the altercation and the importance of spiritual fathers in Hollywood.
This is Jennifer LeClaire. Welcome to Praying the News.
No doubt, you’ve seen Will Smith smack Chris Rock, who was presenting at the Oscars Sunday night. But there’s perhaps more to the story than meets the eye.
Before winning best actor Oscar for his role in King Richard, Smith was laughing along with the audience as Rock mini-roasted his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith. Jada. But his wife didn’t find any humor in the comments about her hair.
See, Jada began losing her hair in 2018 due to a condition called alopecia. Alopecia is an autoimmune disorder that causes your hair to come out, often in clumps about the size of a quarter. The body’s immune system starts to attack its own hair follicles.
In July 2021, Jada shaved her head. She opened up about this in December. Listen in to this clip from Good Morning America’s Erielle Reshef:
Jada also showed off her head at the Oscars and Chris Rock made a joke that she felt crossed the line. Listen in:
(Listen to the podcast to her the clip.)
You can actually hear Smith’s palm make contact with Rock’s face. Rock played it off well. Some people even thought it was part of a skit. But when Smith started dropping F-bombs at Rock from his seat, telling him to keep his wife’s name out of his mouth, it was a tense moment.
Thank God for spiritual fathers like Denzel Washington in Hollywood. Smith confesses Christianity. He’s said in interviews that he loves the Lord. Knowing this, Washington gave him a fatherly pep talk and was emotional from the audience as Smith shared the advice publicly through tears. Listen in:
(Listen to the podcast to her the clip.)
And love conquers all. Some people are condemning Smith. Certainly, what he did was beyond inappropriate. He did offer a second apology to Chris Rock saying “Violence in all its forms is poisonous and destructive. My behavior at last night’s Academy Awards was unacceptable and inexcusable.”
To be sure, Jesus didn’t smile about the slap but Jesus is not condemning Smith. Romans 8:1 says there is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ. Washington, a professing Christian, served as a prophetic voice in his life during what could have sullied his career even more.
It took great humility to stand on the stage and apologize through tears. God only knows the pain he and Jada have experienced through the alopecia. Rock is not pressing charges. There are many opinions about what Will Smith did and if he should lose his Oscar. That’s not up to anyone but the Academy. But here’s the redeeming value in the Will Smith smackdown story:
Thank God for Christians, spiritual mothers and fathers, in the entertainment mountain. We need more Christian influence in Hollywood and it was good to see Washington and Tyler Perry work with Smith to be a voice of reason when emotions were running high.
So, how do we pray?
Repent for making idols out of people in Hollywood.
Pray for more spiritual fathers and mothers to rise up in Hollywood.
Pray for the gospel to find new ways into the entertainment mountain.
Pray for better quality Christian entertainment without the Christianese so that world can find healthy alternatives.
Pray for Christians in the entertainment industry to sow seeds with wisdom and be voices of faith in a dark industry.
Decree the mountain of entertainment would be transformed for the glory of God.
Awakening Prayer Hubs is looking for 1,000 intercessors to stand in the gap for a great awakening in their cities and nations. Will you join us? Join a hub, launch a hub or sponsor a hub at www.awakeningprayerhubs.com.
Thanks for joining Praying the News. Please give us a five-star review wherever you listen to podcasts and share this with your friends.
Awakening Prayer Hubs is looking for 1,000 intercessors to stand in the gap for a great awakening in their cities and nations. Will you join us? Join a hub, launch a hub or sponsor a hub at www.awakeningprayerhubs.com.
