Donna Summer: ‘I Was Filled By God’s Holy Spirit And Gloriously Born Again’
By Movieguide® Contributor
Most people remember Donna Summer for her disco hits, but did you know the star was also a devout Christian?
Summer’s father was a pastor and the singer said she first heard God’s voice when she was just ten years old. Summer had just finished singing a solo in her church choir when she heard an “inner voice.”
“It sort of knocked everybody out of the pews,” Summer said. “When I looked up through my tears, everyone in the whole church’s eyes were downcast and they were crying, and I thought, ‘Oh my God.’ I looked at my dad and he was crying.”
“It was that, on that first time I ever sang, that I heard God speak to me, and He said to me that I was gonna be famous,” the singer explained. “And that I was not to misuse the power that He was giving me.”
Summer rose to fame in the 1970s on the strength of disco hits like “I Feel Love” and “Bad Girls,” but fame took a toll on the star. She returned to her faith in 1979 and recommitted herself to God.
“I was finally filled by God’s Holy Spirit and gloriously born again,” Summer said of her return to faith.
“I never stopped being a Christian,” the star explained. “Being born-again is an affirmation that the person is going to make a personal effort to walk closer to God and bring Him into one’s life and start following His way.”
“There are parts in your life where you can look back and laugh: ‘I can’t believe I did that; how could I have said that; where’s my head at?’” Summer continued. “I’m sad that all the running I did was only running; it didn’t get me anywhere. The spirit of rebellion in myself and in my songs would not let me rest. But I’ve chosen to stay in the world’s eye, to give a positive image. It’s a very spiritual and a very helpful place to be. I love it.”
