CBN

Gospel music fans know James Fortune as chart-topping recording artist, singer and songwriter. But for nearly two years, his music career has taken a back seat to charges of domestic violence.
The incident happened at his home in October of 2014, but in March of this year, Fortune faced a judge and pleaded guilty to assaulting his wife Cheryl Fortune.

The Past Two Years

In an exclusive interview with CBN News, the singer is opening opening up for the first time about what unfolded in his home in 2014, and what’s followed in the last nearly two years of his life.

Fortune is a preacher’s kid from Houston, Texas. He has recorded seven albums, earned two Grammy nominations, and performed for packed crowds around the world.

“This was something that was difficult for me,” Fortune shared.

“A lot of people were saying don’t talk about it, kind of just let it go. Let people forget about it and move on and kind of move on with your life. But as I was praying, my spirit, that didn’t sit well with me,” he recalled.

“God was like, I want you to share your story because domestic violence is something the Church doesn’t talk about,” Fortune said.

“I am basically stretching out and saying, you know what, I was a perpetrator of domestic violence. I was an abuser in more ways that one. But I believe that is how God is healing me,” he told CBN News’ Efrem Graham.