Mary J. Blige: A Born Again Christian Who Knows What She's Got

Mary J. (Jane) Blige grew up listening to gospel music in the Pentecostal church she attended with her mother. However, it was her father who taught her how to sing. When she was 17, her mother's boyfriend gave several people copies of a Karaoke recording that she had made. Eventually, the recording caught the attention of Uptown Records and the rest is history.

This Grammy award winning artist has an incredible voice, and has been dubbed the "Queen of R&B." Her musical style is saturated with old school R&B, but somehow manages to sound fresh. Mary J. Blige seems to have a staying power in the industry that few ever achieve.

Some of Mary Jane's biggest hits include You Gotta Believe, I'm Going Down Cause You Ain't Around, and one that has surfaced again in recent iPod commercials, Work What You Got.

Apparently, one thing that Mary J. Blige has is Jesus.

She admitted on the Oprah Winfrey show that she became a born-again Christian a few years ago. According to Blige, the reason for her conversion was her boyfriend, who she described as a "godly man." They are now married and she is expecting her first child.

Oprah also took Mary Jane with her to South Africa when she opened her $40 million school for girls. Oprah lovingly describes her as a "bad girl gone good."

Some people have criticized Mary Jane for her extravagant life style by saying that as a Christian she should try to live a more humble life. She has responded to the criticism by declaring that she believes God wants her to "look good and have nice things."

It's refreshing to see a famous Christian who admits that they are not perfect. Mary J. Blige, according to some, drinks a bit of alcohol on occasion and still hangs out with her friends in the industry who are not all necessarily upstanding citizens.

I suspect that some Christians might have a problem with this kind of behavior. The funny thing is, if my memory serves me correctly, Jesus also had a little wine on occasion, and He usually was in the company of people who were reviled in His community.