MINISTER NICK CANNON?: Cannon talks about his purpose in the entertainment biz

We see him cracking jokes as the host of MTV's wildly popular Wild'n Out, modeling his personal style on the pages of Black Enterprise (September '06) or in a music video.

To boot, he has a number of respectable movies under his belt. "The Cannon" (Nick that is) may have starred in Underclassman, but he has exploded into the upper ranks of young Hollywood. The 26-year old multi-talented star says that his success is a blessing more than anything else.

Nick comes from a long line of ministers and believes he is carrying on their Godly legacy in the field of entertainment.

"I'm trying to follow in their footsteps in an different aspect ... entertainment is my ministry."

When asked to expound on his perspective Cannon replied: "I believe it's my duty to be a light in the entertainment field and you can kinda stand firm and show people you stand for certain things. It's definitely a form of ministry in many different ways."

Cannon deals with the often insulting humor and curse words on Wildn' Out by making sure he does not act like his peers.

"... it's not my duty to pass judgment, but to stand firm in what I do. If you watch closely, the way I carry myself and my behavior is a little different than everybody else. And that's all I can do is continue to be that example more than stepping out there and claim to be holier than thou.. . .but we are supposed to strive to be perfect because we're supposed to be trying to be Christ-like. And that's what I believe."

Cannon is narrow in stature, but keeps an open mind about bringing the unsaved into the Christian fold. "You gotta keep the doors of the Kingdom open with open arms and let people come as they are ... you gotta be wise as a serpent, but gentle as a dove. That's what I'm trying to do. "

© 2006 VANESSA BYERS, Vanessa: Unplugged

Labels: Entertainment, Religion, Television