Last week on Preachers of L.A. Minister Deitrick Haddon and Bishop Clarence McClendon got into an argument over the question “Should you charge a fee for the gospel?” due to their differing views. The tension became so great that McClendon left. On episode two we see that there is a call by some of the men for these two to reconcile.
Deitrick Haddon: While working on his upcoming album Deitrick tells his fiancée Dominique about the argument that took place. He admitted that he got passionate and it bothered him when McClendon called him son, but he is still confused on the situation himself, “I don’t know what to feel about the situation.” His fiancée tells him that both men need to agree to disagree and not drag this out, something he agreed with.
Bishop Noel Jones: Although he wasn’t present for the argument he heard about and invited McClendon over to hear his side of things. McClendon told Jones expressed to Jones his views and was able to thoroughly express his view point better. Jones helped McClendon to see where Haddon would have misinterpreted his views and wants them to reconcile, to which McClendon responded, “I have nothing but love for Deitrick.”
Bishop Jay Haizlip: He is dealing with an issue close to his heart and he doesn’t know what to do. He knew this young woman named April, a well-known skateboarder, who served as a youth minister and attended his church. She called him to tell him that she had gotten a sex change, expressing that she had been fighting the feeling of not being in the right body since she was young, and she is now David and wants to come back to his church, but as David. Confused and unsure, David seeks his wife Christy’s advice on what to do, “There’s a person’s soul at stake here.” He constantly goes back and forth between what the bible says and what he should do because he doesn’t want to make a wrong move, “This isn’t easy, but it’s not about what’s easy for me, it’s about what honors God.”
He meets up with April who is now David and feels conflicted because when he stares into David’s eyes he can “still see April.” David tells Haizlip that he began attending another church because the church he currently attends only knows him as David while Haizlip and the rest know him as April and it’s a lot of pressure to have to explain to people that he is no longer April. In their meeting Haizlip does not refer to this young man as April or David because he does not want to hurt the man’s feeling by calling him April, but he doesn’t want to dishonor God either by calling him David, “God do I call her April… do I call him David. God what do I do, what is the right thing here?” Although uncomfortable Haizlip tries his best and tells David that The Sanctuary Church’s door is always open.
Deitrick Haddon & Faye: Dominique’s mother Faye talks to Deitrick about doing right by her daughter. She expressed that although this is Deitrick’s second marriage this is Dominique’s first and he needs to be patience with her, “If you ain’t going to treat her right, don’t take her.”
Bishop Noel Jones & Loretta: Loretta is a longtime friend of Noel’s and they are co-owner of a restaurant. Loretta seems to want a deeper relationship with Jones, but he seems on the fence about it. The viewer’s get a glimpse into their friendship and it appears an intimate one but without a clear cut definition; however, while talking about Loretta to his driver and friend we see that Jones appears to like Loretta just as much as she likes him, but he isn’t ready to give up the title of “single” pastor.
Bishop Noel Jones & family: We get to see his mother and brother and learn more about his past marriage that broke a part. His brother asked him, “Are you ever going to get married again?” Noel was married for 22 years and married the first woman he dated, but he admitted that his devotion to his work is a big part of the breakdown of his marriage. He was on the road more than he was at home and he expressed that if he could do his marriage over again, he would have spent more time at home with his wife and kids than he did on the road, traveling around the world preaching the gospel. He already this year will be going to Johannesburg, South Africa, Abuja, Nigeria, Jamaica, and London to preach.
Ron Gibson & Lavette: Have a dinner with Dominique and Deitrick to discuss marriage and want to make sure they are not rushing into marriage due to the criticism of their relationship, this couple has easily come to be my favorite couple on the show, and their love is so genuine you can feel it through the screen.
The dinner: The dinner goes smoothly at first as Ron and his wife express that they hope they are getting married for the right reasons and not to silence naysayers. Gibson talked about the fact that his wife is his high-school sweetheart, but when he got into gangs and began doing drugs she distanced herself away from him, telling him that she could not be a part of that life or with someone that lived their life that way. The foundation for marriage must be strong and set because “a shaky foundation suspect engagement is indicative to a shaky marriage” those words immediately put Deitrick on defense mode. Deitrick became defensive again when asked, “Are you guys shaking?”
Deitrick immediately countered with, “I’m sick of ya’ll bishops preaching stuff that is not in the bible.” What could have turned into another mancave incident surprisingly became calm as Lavette and Dominique stirred the discussion away from their disagreement. Ron explained that marriage is hard work, despite him and Lavette being married for 31 years, they both still go to marriage counseling. Deitrick opened up that the first year of his previous marriage had turned the marriage upside down.
The answer to whether to two young lovers were “shacking,” came after the dinner when he dropped Monique off at her mother’s house, where she has been living for some time since they wanted to try to start their marriage off correctly. Deitrick doesn’t like being away from her and their daughter, especially having to go home to an empty bed, but he knows it’s what right, but the question on his mind is “where is the word shacking in the bible?”
Tune in to Oxygen next week Wednesday night at 10/9c!