It has been said countless times that Prince was a musical genius, but as a practitioner and spiritual care scholar, I want people to know that Prince was also a theologian. It has been said incalculable times that Prince was a sexy international M.F. (well, he said as much in his songs), but I want people to know that the body of his work was dedicated to the gospels of Jesus. Why are these seemingly conflicting and thus controversial facts important to know and remember? Prince was a man of mystery, and oftentimes an artist of dualisms, but he didn't want us to be confused about the soteriological choice he saw before us: die gruesomely or live forever in paradise. Through his art taken as a whole, Prince sought to help us make the right choice. The obligation of theologians is to amplify the works of other theologians, so in 2018 I created and led the Theology of Prince project at United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities and years later wrote Dearly Beloved: Prince, Spirituality, & This Thing Called Life (Broadleaf Books, 2025) so that Prince lovers would better understand where his music was coming from, and recognize his dialectics methodology for resolving eschatological fears. If end times and salvation are your concerns, and you didn't know that Prince was the preacher in the boudoir, it is not too late to hear Prince differently.
