You don’t have to be hootin’ and hollering in front of a pulpit to tell the gospel truth. In Black Entertainment Television’s (Top TV Channel 190) newest show, My Chapter And Verse, regular joes get to give their testimonies.
The show isn’t tied to any denomination but is, instead, focused on triumph over adversity. The show premiered on the channel that is popularly known as BET last week and is already off to a good start.
On BET, Sunday is the day that spirituality is put first. The likes of Bobby Jones, a decidedly Christian-centric praise and worship show, get the morning off to a blessed start.
During the day, there is Lift Every Voice which takes a look at some of the best known celebrities (well, to the BET market anyway because let’s face it, how many of you know who Tami Roman is? Exactly!) and their spirituality.
My Chapter and Verse, on the other hand, isn’t so much about wearing your Sunday Best or tithing. In front of a kitsch blue backdrop – which is the only thing that sucks about it, mind you – people working in front of and behind the camera get to give the audience advice.
Featuring four people in each show, My Chapter And Verse uses a specific line as the foundation of the message the chosen speaker is about to deliver. For instance, where writer and activist Michaela Angela Davis was featured, the line that preceded her was about how the most revolutionary thing we can do is love one another.
She then recounted how she found strength from a family member’s decision to pass as black in the Jim Crow South just so he could marry his black girlfriend and start a family with her. He even had to stand down members of the Ku Klux Klan with a rifle on his porch at one time.
Other notable people who have been featured on the series include TV personality and psychologist Dr Michelle Callahan who talks about taking mental wellness to the masses. You can also see actress Anika Noni Rose whose life was changed when she became the the voice of the first black Disney Princess.
There are many instances that may have not been documented where the people who have loads of admirers were faced with something that altered their lives forever. This show is what My Chapter And Verse attempts to uncover. And that’s the truth, Ruth.
* My Chapter and Verse is on BET (Top TV Channel 190) every Sunday at 8.30pm.