Me and my team, we were not trying to do photos. I just wanted to fly out to be a part of his vision. We have a very good friendship — we have really meaty conversations. I’m really trying to be a brother to him, which I am and will forever be. Someone wants to take a picture — now the narrative is out of my hands. What I always have to remember is motive and intent: “Kirk, you know why you’re there, you know what God has put in your gut. Some of that will come and you will weather it.” Christianity ain’t something you signed up for like a vacation. It’s not a first-class trip to Fiji. You’re signing up for the ridicule.

Looking back over your year, a lot of the most welcoming moments came from outside the gospel world, and a lot of the hostile moments came from inside.

The dudes that was trying to kill Jesus was dudes that was with him, that believed what he believed. It was the poor and the disenfranchised that were in love with the dude. It can be really discouraging. Naming my album “Losing My Religion,” I got slapped for that. To me it wasn’t revolutionary. I’m trying to be Martin Luther and nail the theses to the door of the church.

At the Dove Awards, where you won gospel artist of the year, your speech on how churches are failing to respond to racial injustice was cut from the broadcast.

First, I want to say it was not the Dove Awards — it was the network it aired on. It’s a privately owned network that doesn’t do commercials. They didn’t have to edit it. The reason I say that’s bull is that desperate times call for desperate measures. If you are a Christian network, why wouldn’t you speak to the depravity of what’s happening in the world? Racial killings and political killings and police killings are terrible — why wouldn’t they show that whole speech?

Are you concerned about the current political climate?

Yes, I am. During 9/11 churches were packed, dog. They were packed like a Beyoncé concert. It gave us the opportunity to give somebody something that was bigger than the moment. My concern is the hurt that people are going through, they’re being so let down. People are very numb and jaded and turned off.