"Dearly Beloved, we are gathered here today to get through this thing called life."
When Prince spoke those words over celestial organ sounds in the opening moments of "Let's Go Crazy," he
wasn't just inaugurating yet another Billboard Hot 100 hit—one of forty-seven in his career; he was also giving
voice to the deep-seated and richly complex spiritual underpinning of his art. Prince is beloved by millions
worldwide, and a true legend of the pop genre. Yet most of his fans don't recognize the spiritual messages coded
within his work, nor understand the connections between Prince's own religious devotion—which evolved over
time—and the sexualized messages of his music. Prince was beguiling and used his seductive and mysterious
charm to draw his fans into his spiritual and cosmic worldviews, often without their knowledge.
In Dearly Beloved, Pamela Ayo Yetunde, a lifelong Prince fan and founder of the Theology of Prince project
when she taught at United Theological Seminary in Prince's own Minneapolis, decodes the spiritual and sexual
messages behind Prince's work, from For You to Graffiti Bridge to The Rainbow Children and beyond.
Exploring more than forty years of his music and art, you will discover Prince as a spiritual giant. He might not
have always gotten it right, but nonetheless he cast a powerful vision for what it means to be dearly beloved,
what it takes to gather intentionally, the opportunities presented by being in the present, and how to engage
with the complexities of human experience. For anyone who loves Prince, is inspired by him, is confused by his
lyrics, or is curious about what his music means—and for all who live in search of deeper meaning and tools
for cultivating resilience in difficult times—Dearly Beloved is an essential spiritual guide.
