In his pioneering study, Somebody’s Calling My Name, Dr. Wyatt Tee Walker famously writes “What black people are singing religiously will provide a clue as to what is happening to them sociologically.” With Dr. Walker’s provocative assertion in mind, this lecture traces the theopolitical evolution of gospel music over the past fifty years. With Rance Allen’s 1974 recording, Soulful Experience and a 2024 film adaption of Walter Hawkins’ eulogy of disco star Sylvester as chronological bookends, this talk considers how several of gospel music’s leading voices responded to some of the most pressing social issues of our time, including poverty, racial inequality, the HIV/AIDS pandemic, and political corruption, incompetence, and authoritarianism.