Sanctified Stages: Kendrick Lamar, Black Church Symbolism, and Public Theology at Super Bowl LIX

This study argues that Kendrick Lamar’s 2025 Super Bowl performance constitutes an act of public theology by re-inscribing the Black Church’s liturgical aesthetics and prophetic tradition into a commercial cultural arena, thus transforming the halftime spectacle into a sacred ritual of confrontation and communal resilience. Drawing on Black Church liturgical aesthetics, such as processions, gospel harmonies, and cruciform choreography, Lamar constructed a performance that reimagined the halftime show as public liturgy confronting systemic injustice. His engagement with sacred symbolism positions him as a cultural and public theologian. This analysis unfolds across four thematic lenses: the Black Church prophetic tradition and Lamar’s artistic lineage; visual and sonic exegesis with liturgical coherence; public theology, political provocation, and prophetic healing; and symbolic ambiguity, accessibility, and audience reception. Lamar’s work exemplifies the evolving role of artists as theologians, while illuminating the liturgical coherence and symbolic complexities impacting audience reception. Ultimately, Lamar’s performance challenges religious institutions to recognize sacredness beyond ecclesial spaces wherever truth-telling, ethical confrontation, and communal hope visibly converge, even on commercial stages like the Super Bowl.