Gospel Artists Say They Did Not Lead Michael Jackson to Christ
Gospel music artists Andrae and Sandra Crouch did not lead Michael Jackson to the Lord, according to a source close to them.
"It is a rumor," clarified Dave Nassaney, the administrator for Andrae Crouch's fan page on Facebook.com.
Nassaney's statement was backed by one Sandra Crouch issued earlier in the week, in which she said it was "incorrect and absolutely not true" that she and her brother met their "dear friend" so he could accept Christ.
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"We loved and respected Michael enormously and we've been friends with him for many, many years, and are deeply saddened by his sudden and tragic death," she wrote Tuesday.
Shortly after Jackson's unexpected death last week, news spread of the Crouches' meeting with the troubled music legend, who reportedly asked questions regarding spirituality and even prayed together with the Crouches.
But contrary to what some media outlets have been reporting, there was no reciting of the "sinners prayer" nor did Jackson accept Christ at that time.
"According to Andrae, who was relaying to Verdine (Crouch's personal assistant) to tell me over the phone just now, Andrae and Sandra did in fact visit with MJ 2 times, once ar (sic) the recording studio, and once at his home in the last 2 months, as recently as 3 weeks ago, asking for prayer concerning the anointing of the Holy Spirit, and how he could make his music more 'spiritual,'" reported Nassaney in Crouch's fan page.
"He wanted to know what makes your hands go up, and makes you 'come out of yourself,' and what gives a 'spirituality' to the music," Nassaney continued.
"So Andrae and Sandra explained to him about the 'anointing' and about Jesus."
Afterward, Jackson reportedly asked the Crouches to sing to him his favorite song.
"[S]o they sang that song to him, and joined hands and sang together, and he (Jackson) said, 'it was beautiful,'" Nassaney reported, according to Crouch's account of the events.
Nassaney particularly emphasized the joining of hands – something untypical of the "King of Pop," who was as well known for his eccentric behavior as he was for his musical accolades.
Though Jackson became a dominant figure in American popular music and culture in the early 1980s, he "got weirder, wilder and more erratic in his behavior," as Lisa Anderson, host of Focus on the Family's "The Boundless Show," put it.
Anderson said she prayed for Jackson for years after asking God to help her think of the person who she didn't think would ever come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.
"I followed him casually in the news, and it never looked good," she recalled a day after Jackson's death on June 25.
"But I continued to pray. Because that's what God called me to do," she added.
In her account, Sandra Crouch provided a little more detail to the one her twin brother relayed to Nassaney, reporting that she and Andrae had met with Jackson to discuss recording two songs with their choir for Jackson's news recording project.
"Michael always had a respect and curiosity for spiritual things," Sandra noted.
"During our meeting, not unlike many other creative/music meetings we've had with him the past, we sang together, prayed together and had a wonderful time," she recalled.
But, as Nassaney acknowledged, Jackson "definitely had an 'encounter' with them (the Crouches)."
What happened between the time of the "encounter" to Jackson's death last week is anybody's guess.
"As of today, I have no idea where Michael Jackson stood spiritually at the time of his death," confessed Anderson, who also serves as a spokesperson for Focus on the Family.
"But God knows. And God will decide what He does with Michael's soul," she commented.
"It may sound cliché, but it's devastatingly true: The King of Pop will be called to give an account to the King of Kings," Anderson added.
According to Jackson family spokesman Ken Sunshine, a public memorial was in the works but it won't be at the Neverland Ranch, Jackson's former home.
Meanwhile, authorities are still investigating the circumstances surrounding Jackson's death. Allegations have emerged that the 50-year-old entertainer had been consuming painkillers, sedatives and antidepressants.
Christian Post reporter Eric Young contributed to this article.
