TSC star jeff obafemi carr seeks authenticity in portrayal of African-American church

The Nashville City Paper reports in this article that jeff obafemi carr, star of The Second Chance, had a role as both a consultant as an actor to give the movie an authentic portrayal of the African-American church and religious experience.

"I was brutally honest about everything, especially in terms of the things that were depicting the African-American church and religious experience. I didn’t want people to see things that weren’t real or things that never happened in any black church ... One thing that I really admire about the script is that it doesn’t sugarcoat or sanitize the differences in experiences and outlook, but it also doesn’t make it seem that it’s impossible for people of good will to work together. One thing that we’ve discovered in some of the test showings is that the ministers who work in tougher areas see some of the scenes with tough language or violence and they’ll quickly say hey that’s very accurate to what we know. Others might think it’s a bit extreme. But I think that the audience will realize that we’re trying to address issues in a credible manner, but not just hit them over the head with anything either.”

The interaction between African-American congregations and the Hispanic community was highlighted this week by an article in the Tennessean* about New Visions Baptist Church, an African-American congregation exploring its ties to Hispanic Nashville by hosting Spanish lessons for its members. Another story in the Tennessean highlighted a recent visit to Spruce Street Baptist Church, one of Nashville's oldest black churches, by the Rev. C.T. Vivian, a civil rights leader and former member at Spruce Street. According to the article, "Vivian developed his sermon from Amos 3:1-14, particularly verse 10, in which the prophet Amos condemns the people of Israel for overlooking the social justice aspect of their faith."

Other stories about The Second Chance:

• Local film explores tough religious issues (Nashville City Paper)


• Franklin gets first viewing of "Second Chance" (The Tennessean)


• "Second Chance" is a first-time thrill for Michael W. Smith (The Tennessean)

*If any reader has the link to the New Visions Baptist Church article, please send it to the editor of the Hispanic Nashville Notebook, and we will update this story.