By Seli Baisie
American rapper Clifford Joseph Harris Jr., known professionally as T.I., has said he identifies as a Christian but does not attend church, arguing that his faith does not require organised religion or clerical mediation.
The Atlanta-born artist shared his views during a recent conversation with renowned gospel musician Kirk Franklin on Den of Kings, a popular 2025 YouTube dinner-series that features candid discussions on faith, manhood, leadership and personal growth among influential Black men.
Speaking on the show, T.I said he was raised in a Christian household and has a strong personal belief in God, but has never felt connected to the institutional church.
“I have never been a church person,” he said. “I grew up in a strong Christian household. My grandma and my auntie were very, very strong in prayer. So I know how to pray, I know the word, and I know God is real. I’ve seen His presence and His hand in my life personally.”
Despite this foundation, the rapper questioned the structure and practices of some churches, describing them as overly commercialised.
“I’ve never really felt the connection with church,” he said. “To be honest, I think it’s a business just like anything else. It’s a show, like Broadway or public speaking. A lot of times there’s a lot of ‘cap’ on it.”
The three Grammy Award winner, accused some church leaders of misinterpreting or manipulating scripture for personal gain, rather than adhering to its original intent.
“Sometimes they try to twist the word and make it mean something that benefits them personally, not necessarily what the word means or what its purpose is,” he said.
Referencing biblical accounts of Jesus confronting religious leaders, T.I argued that Christ himself challenged practices he viewed as exploitative within the church.
“If you study the life of Jesus Christ, the only time you really saw Him lose His temper was in the church,” he said. “He went in there and saw how people were handling the word of God and how they were manipulating it to personally benefit.”
The rapper also criticised the emphasis on financial contributions, saying he does not believe prayer or divine favour should be tied to money.
“I’ve heard people preach, saying, ‘Come on y’all, put into the collection plate, dig deeper,’” he said. “Y’all telling me I’ve got to pay for my God to hear my prayer? I’m out of here.”
T.I added that he does not believe a clergy member should act as an intermediary between an individual and God.
“I don’t need no broker. I don’t need no middleman,” he said. “Don’t nobody give my word.”
However, he was careful to distinguish his criticism of church leadership from his view of ordinary worshippers.
“I don’t put that on the entire church,” he noted. “For the most part, there are God-fearing people who go to church with the intention of serving and praising God. But there are enough people in leadership positions who understand there are ways to manipulate the word to personally benefit.”
