Juanita's Sheets

“What are you bringing to the table?” In this tour de force, we discuss none other than Prophetess/Dr./Ambassador Juanita Bynum II—the controversial juggernaut whom The New York Times once called “the most prominent black female television evangelist in the country.” Was Juanita Bynum a chosen vessel? A megalomaniac? A misunderstood victim? We start with a quick overview that covers it all, from her breakout success under Bishop T.D. Jakes to selling out stadium conferences around the world to hosting Praise the Lord on TBN to signing with Matthew Knowles’ Music World. We then do an in-depth critical analysis of her 1997 video sermon that started it all, “No More Sheets,” detangling the pathologies of Christian sexual politics, prosperity gospel, and internalized misogyny along the way. What was it about this particular message that resonated with an entire generation of single, Black Christian women (and gay men)? Finally, we close the episode by revisiting Juanita's career milestones through the lens of “No More Sheets,” highlighting her continual rise and eventual fall from grace due to the very sexism she commoditized, and contemplating what lessons might be gleaned from such an eccentric, polarizing figure in American Christendom.

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