Aretha Franklin’s funeral was quite the show — 10 hours of soul, singing, and Bill Clinton leering at Ariana Grande. But the Rev Jasper Williams spoke some hard truth, and lots of folks didn’t like what he was putting down.

There were several reasons why Aretha Franklin chose Rev Williams of Atlanta to deliver her eulogy. He and Aretha grew up together, and both their families were close. Williams delivered the eulogy for Aretha’s minister father. On top of that, he also sings — gospel music, that is — so it’s logical that he would be delivering her eulogy.

But it wasn’t the sweet eulogy that people came to hear. No, the Rev Jasper Williams ripped into the absence of black men in homes:

“Where is your soul, black man? As I look in your house, there are no fathers in the home no more.”

And he tore into black-on-black crime:

“It amazes me how it is when the police kills one of us we’re ready to protest, march, destroy innocent property. We’re ready to loot, steal whatever we want, but when we kill 100 of us, nobody says anything, nobody does anything. Black on black crime, we’re all doing time, we’re locked up in our mind, there’s got to be a better way, we must stop this today.”

Nor does he buy into the “Black Lives Matter” movement:

“Black lives will not matter, black lives ought not matter, black lives should not matter, black lives must not matter until black people start respecting black lives and stop killing ourselves.”

Here are some highlights of his eulogy:

Oh, my, that didn’t go over well.

The Daily Beast called the eulogy (take a deep breath)  “. . .polarizing, arguably offensive, and ill-spirited MAGA-tinged remarks about black women, mothers, gays, and Democrats. . .”

Got all that?

The Chicago Sun-Times said the Rev Jasper Williams delivered an “antiquated eulogy” that “fell flat for many in the crowd.”

And, of course, there was Twitter.

https://twitter.com/StormXMunroe/status/1035650051882844160

And why does she have a problem with respectability? Didn’t Aretha sing about “respect”? Oh, just not that kind of respect. I see.

Then there were those who revert to the tired old excuse of “this is why I don’t go to church anymore.”

And just like that… Rev. Jasper Williams has reminded Black Xers and Millennials as to why we don't regularly attend church just in the last 8 min.

Thanks!

— Bärí A. Williams (@BariAWilliams) August 31, 2018

Although there were some in the black community who appreciated the Rev. Jasper Williams.

Rev. Jasper Williams Jr. speak the truth! I am so glad he has brought up the need for Black people to start respecting each other and stop killing each other. #ArethaHomegoing

— Shawnte Jones (@RShawnteJ) August 31, 2018

Meanwhile, back in Chicago, there were 305 shootings during the month of August, with 53 killed, adding to a total number so far this year of 333 people shot and killed. For a different perspective, this means that in Chicago someone is murdered every 15 hours. 

Moreover, lending credence to the Rev Jasper Williams is this little nugget from the Windy City: 80% of both shooting victims and assailants are black.

What’s that verse from Jeremiah 5:21 about the “foolish and senseless people who have eyes, but see not, who have ears, but hear not”? It sounds like those folks who loved Aretha’s music, but didn’t like her preacher, fit that description.

Featured image from Chicago Sun-Times: chicago.suntimes.com.