• Privacy Policy
  • Contact Us
  • Shop
  • Newsletter
Faithfully Magazine
Wednesday, June 7, 2023
  • About
    • Staff and Advisors
    • Advertise With Us
    • Submissions
  • Q&As
    John Blake photo by John Nowak for CNN

    CNN Reporter Talks Race, Faith and Reconciliation in Powerful Memoir ‘More Than I Imagined’

    Brown Baby Jesus author Dorena Williamson

    Author Celebrates Jesus’ Messy, Multiethnic Family Tree in ‘Brown Baby Jesus’

    KevOnStage and MrsKevOnStage in an interview with Faithfully Magazine.

    Interview: KevOnStage and MrsKevOnStage Talk Sex, Therapy, and Why ‘Marriage Be Hard’ (Video)

    Christina Edmondson and Ekemini Uwan on Truth's Table book

    ‘Truth’s Table’ Authors Talk Early Beginnings, Centering Black Women, and Inspiring One Another

  • Exclusives
    Karen Abercrombie

    After Award-Winning Role in Top-Grossing Christian Movie, Karen Abercrombie Is Leading Change From Within

    black women group

    ‘Righteous and Ratchet’ Black Women of Faith Embraced on Jemele Hill’s ‘Sanctified’ Podcast

    Josh McDowell

    Apologist Josh McDowell Backtracks After Claiming Black Families Don’t Value Education

    Christian author and preacher Dr. Voddie Baucham

    ‘Fault Lines’ Author Voddie Baucham Confused or Making Things Up, Richard Delgado Says in Response to Misquote on ‘Righteous Actions’ of Whites

  • Profiled
    Chris Broussard

    Sports Analyst Chris Broussard Uses Hoops and Christianity to Address Needs of Young Men

    Bishop Noel Jones

    Bishop Noel Jones: Engagement, Life, Family and Ministry (Profiled)

    nadine raphael

    From Prison to the Pulpit: Nadine Raphael on God’s ‘Greater Plan’ for Her Life (Profiled)

    lisa sharon harper

    Lisa Sharon Harper Is Her ‘Ancestors’ Wildest Dreams’ (Profiled)

  • Remember
    Rev. Dr. William Hiram Bentley

    Black Evangelicalism and the Reforming Influence of William H. Bentley

    Marie Bassili Assaad and Mother Irene

    Knitting Together the Community of Love: Lessons From Marie Bassili Assaad and Mother Irene

    Rev. Sutton E. Griggs

    The Complex Legacy of Sutton E. Griggs: From Respected Leader to Race Traitor?

    fannie lou hamer

    Fannie Lou Hamer: Forerunner of Faith-Driven, Pro-Life Democrats (Remember)

  • Opinion & Analysis
    migrants

    When Faith Says to Help Migrants — and the Law Says Don’t

    couple with child

    Missionary System That Brought US Man Accused of Abusing African ‘Orphans’ Was Always Deeply Flawed

    Civil Rights March 1963

    The Women Who Stood With Martin Luther King Jr. and Sustained a Movement for Social Change

    pile of books

    In New Jersey, School Segregation Didn’t End; It Evolved

  • Specials
    • All
    • Growing a Green Church
    clean energy

    Can Money-Making Microgrids Empower Black Churches to Close the Clean Energy Gap?

    laudato trees earthbeat

    Laudato Trees Planting Program Enlists Catholic Properties to Help Increase DC’s Canopy

SUBSCRIBE
  • Login
  • Register
No Result
View All Result
Faithfully Magazine
No Result
View All Result

Faithfully Podcast 15: Kristi Watts of ‘700 Club’ Talks Politics, Race, New Ministry

FM by FM
October 15, 2016
Reading Time: 7 mins read
kristi watts
255
SHARES
ShareTweetPin It

In this episode of Faithfully Podcast, host Nicola Menzie speaks with Kristi Watts, most known for co-hosting “The 700 Club” with Pat Robertson on his Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN).

Watts, the first African American to co-host “The 700 Club,” discussed leaving that longtime TV magazine show and transitioning into her own ministry. She also spoke about her upcoming book, Talk Yourself Happy: Transform Your Heart by Speaking God’s Promises, politics, racism, future projects, and more.

Below is an excerpted transcript of the Faithfully Podcast episode.

Nicola: I guess most people know you from co-hosting “The 700 Club,” but nowadays of course you have your own ministry and you’re actually working on a book. So tell me a little bit about your transition out of “The 700 Club” and into your own ministry.

Watts: That’s a great question, because it’s still evolving as we speak. The book is called Talk Yourself Happy: Transform Your Heart by Speaking God’s Promises… It’s done and it comes out January 3, 2017, even though people can pre-order it now on Amazon. […] Kristi Watts Ministries is, once again, also evolving as we speak. Just the essence of it is to encourage people with the Word of God right where they are. I have a heart for women, specifically single moms because that’s kind of who I am. But just a heart for women and more of our emotional needs, you know. There are so many ministries out there that target the physical needs, in the sense of if you’re hungry, you need to be fed, if you’re naked, here’s some clothes, if you don’t have a home, here’s a home. But sometimes I think we need ministries to deal with the inner man, you know, our emotions, our issues, our challenges, our insecurities. Who are we? Are we enough? Not enough? What does the Word of God say?

So right now, at this particular stage, I offer just encouraging video blogs and Bible study tools and teaching tools just to kinda get your where you are right now to encourage you with the Word of God.

RELATED POSTS

Interview: Lecrae Talks Broadening His Faith, Serving Like Jesus, and Trusting God in Uncertain Times

Interview: Sheila Wise Rowe on Why Every Multiethnic Church Needs a Racial Healing Ministry

Interview: D.A. Horton Gets ‘Intensional’ About Ethnic Conciliation, Transparent About Embracing His Own Identity

…


Subscribe to #FaithfullyPodcast on iTunes, Google Play, & SoundCloud for real conversations with diverse guests about race, culture & Christianity.


Nicola: […] I wanted to get into the “In God We Trust” campaign because that’s pretty recent and it’s a short film and you’re the narrator for that. So if you could just explain briefly what the campaign is and why you chose to get involved.

Watts: Well the campaign is called “In God We Trust” […] to get America to come together to pray, to fast and to vote. The reason why I got involved with it was mainly for the first two parts, to pray and to vast. Because it’s something about it as a collective body when we come together and we put God before our own emotions, before our own thought process, before our own perspectives and we seek the heart of God in our everyday life. And then we fast, which means we’re putting aside things that normally take priority and we put God first, then change happens.

I’ve never really been a political person, and that’s the honest to goodness truth, but having worked on “The 700 Club” for 14 years co-hosting, you can’t help but to become more abreast of the political climate of what’s going on and the laws that are past and things of that sort. The reason I became involved with it because, one, I’m a mom and so it’s not just about this generation but it’s about my son’s generation and what laws are gonna be passed that impact his life and his future and his family’s future. So we just have to come together as the Body of Christ collectively, united and say, ‘OK, Lord, what’s your heart on this situation?’ So that’s why I got involved.

Nicola: You say you’re not really a political person, but what do you make of the political landscape right now, where there are two main candidates being pushed as the choices we have? What do you think about what’s going on?

Watts: Oh my goodness, it’s a hot mess! Hot. Mess. You know…

Nicola: I hear your frustration.

Watts: I’m frustrated because I think I’m voicing the opinion and the emotion of so many Americans who look at two candidates like, ‘Are you kidding me? Are you for real? What do I do? Which one’s the lesser of the evil?’ At least that’s how I feel, not that I can put my voice in everyone else’s opinion. But the political climate right now is definitely a crossroads. I don’t know, but just in the past five years things have changed so drastically that it’s scary. And let’s be real, I’m a Christian and as a Christian I live off of the biblical principles that God mandated. And some people are gonna be happy, some people aren’t, and I don’t really give a rip. But I do not agree with same-sex marriage, I don’t agree with that. It’s not biblical. I don’t agree with abortion. I don’t agree with certain things that ultimately hurt the heart of man […]

But if you look at the political climate now, you’re like, ‘Oh my goodness, what do I do?’ I think the number one challenge is as Christians, and as individuals, we have to stop being consumed by the buffoonery of what’s going on and the propaganda of what’s going on and really get down to the issues, to the policies, to the platforms of the candidates. The Bible talks about [people] perish for lack of knowledge, and I think we know more about people’s marital statuses and how many times they’ve been married and who’s cheated on who — who cares! What is the platform that they’re standing by? And what position do they take? And how does that position or the platform that they are speaking for or against, how does that line up with the biblical principles that as Christians we need to hold dear and live by? So I think that’s the most important thing, is to really know what are the issues. And to be honest with you, I’m not really as clear on the issues with the candidates because there’s so much buffoonery going on and mudslinging going on and character assassination and just good old fashioned craziness. But I’m like, ‘Oh my lord, put that aside. What’s your real issue here?’

…

Nicola: I also wanted to see what your thoughts were on the issue, because I think it’s this campaign for the first time where we have the issues of policing that are coming up because of the Black Lives Matter movement. So the candidates have to have a platform on that, they have to address those issues. And you have a lot of high-profile athletes, such as Colin Kaepernick, who are expressing themselves through protest to bring awareness to these issues. So what do you think about what’s going on now in our country where these issues of policing and race are just front and center?

Watts: Nicola, I love that question and thank you so much for asking me. I am…you know it’s so interesting because working in Christian television and being an African-American woman, you know sometimes living in the South but being from New Jersey and a Jersey girl by heart, that racism is real. It is real. And the thing that can be so disheartening is that people think that just because you’re a Christian that it’s not in a person’s heart. Well, look, let me tell ya, there are many Christians, non-Christians, believers, non-believers, church heads, non-church heads, as well as officials like policemen and other political positions who have issues with race.

The truth of the matter is — here’s my Christian answer — the Christian answer is that it’s not a race issue, it’s a heart issue and that really is it. You know, we’ve gotten to the point where hate has just become so riddled in our own individual lives that, for some reason, we allow the pigmentation of a person’s skin to determine their self-worth and how we need to treat them, which is the most asinine thing I’ve ever heard in my life. That’s why we need the love of God, the forgiveness of God and the truth of God’s Word.

So from a spiritual standpoint, it’s a heart issue. From a racial standpoint, something certainly needs to be [done] and like a Colin Kaepernick, and I know he’s been very controversial. For me, God bless him. You know, that means that you want to protest in a non-violent manner and take a knee and some people agree and some people don’t agree. My thought process? We live in a country that gives us the freedom of speech and the freedom of expression, and he is expressing himself. What he’s done, is that he’s now allowed a discourse with individuals. Whether you agree or don’t agree, we’re now talking about [it]. Because the truth of the matter is race is a huge issue, and not just with police but it’s every facet of this world…

You know, part of me is thankful that the issue that’s out there is now being discussed. But the other part of me is so frustrated because I’m like, what are we gonna do about it? What are we gonna do that a police officer or whoever can shoot someone and there’s no consequence? What are we gonna do about it? What are we gonna do about the fact that everyone’s arguing about this man who took a knee and they’re upset because possibly he disrespected or dishonored the flag, which could be, couldn’t be. It depends on your perspective and God bless that perspective. But shouldn’t we be just as angry that so many individuals have gotten killed senselessly? The bottom line is, it’s not a race issue, it’s a heart issue and we all have to go back to the heart of God, the love of God, the truth of God to say, ‘You know, look, you are my brother in Christ, you are my sister in Christ’ and we just have to love people. But the only way we can love them is if we have Jesus Christ in our hearts.

Listen to Faithfully Podcast 15 featuring Kristi Watts, recorded October 4, 2016, via SoundCloud.


Share This Post

Share via

Share This Post

  • Digg
  • Tumblr
  • Flipboard
  • SMS
More
  • Report
255
SHARES
ShareTweetPin It
Tags: Faithfully PodcastKhristi Watts
FM

FM

Related Posts

Lecrae Faithfully Magazine
Faithfully Podcast

Interview: Lecrae Talks Broadening His Faith, Serving Like Jesus, and Trusting God in Uncertain Times

November 13, 2020
The Right Rev. Professor N.T. Wright
Faithfully Podcast

Interview: NT Wright Talks God and the Coronavirus, Hope in Exile, and What He Hates About Zoom Church

June 26, 2020

Recommended Stories

Baseball player Jackie Robinson in Brooklyn Dodgers uniform

How Jackie Robinson’s Wife Helped Him Break Baseball’s Color Line

January 30, 2019
Dr. Melvin E. Banks Sr.

Dr. Melvin E. Banks Sr., Founder of Largest African American-Owned Religious Publisher, Has Died

February 14, 2021
An illustration of Jim and Huckleberry Finn from the original 1884 edition of the book

On the Ethics of Using the ‘N-Word’ in the Classroom

May 24, 2021

Popular Stories

  • stream movies laptop

    Free Christian Movies: How and Where to Watch Free Christian Movies Online

    464 shares
    Share 185 Tweet 116
  • Are Jesus and John the Baptist Cousins or Related in Anyway?

    418 shares
    Share 167 Tweet 104
  • Paige Hilken, Wife of North Coast Church Pastor Christopher Hilken, Dies by Suicide

    408 shares
    Share 163 Tweet 102
  • After 20 Years, Bishop Noel Jones Says He’s Finally Ready to Marry Partner Loretta Jones

    365 shares
    Share 146 Tweet 91
  • NYC Megachurch Pastor A.R. Bernard’s Son Dies After Losing Battle With Alcoholism

    286 shares
    Share 114 Tweet 71

Copyright © 2023 Faithfully Media, LLC. This website participates in affiliate programs.

No Result
View All Result
  • About
    • Staff and Advisors
    • Advertise With Us
    • Submissions
  • Q&As
  • Exclusives
  • Profiled
  • Remember
  • Opinion & Analysis
  • Specials

Copyright © 2023 Faithfully Media, LLC. This website participates in affiliate programs.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password? Sign Up

Create New Account!

Fill the forms bellow to register

All fields are required. Log In

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
Share via

Share This Post

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Reddit
  • Email
  • WhatsApp
  • Copy Link
  • Tumblr
  • Digg
  • Flipboard
  • SMS

Add New Playlist

Add to Collection

  • Public collection title

  • Private collection title

No Collections

Here you'll find all collections you've created before.

Are you sure want to unlock this post?
Unlock left : 0
Are you sure want to cancel subscription?
Send this to a friend