Darryl Strawberry to Talk Sex, Drugs at Clarendon Church

Four-time World Series champion Darryl Strawberry will talk sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll during a sermon at the Church at Clarendon this Sunday.

“We are inviting him because of his past lifestyle,” said Interim Senior Pastor David Perdue. “He got involved in sex and alcohol and that led to his downfall at one point, and when he bottomed out he came around to the faith.”

Strawberry’s appearance will be a part of the church’s Blunt Questions Series, which focuses on provocative questions for anyone who has thought about faith. This week’s topic is “What does God have against sex, drugs, and rock-n-roll?”

Upcoming topics include “How could a good god exclude people of other religions from heaven?" and “If Jesus was a man of love, why are his followers intolerant?”

“We try and frame the sermons in a way that appeal to people outside the church,” Perdue said.

The church thought of Strawberry while developing ideas for the series.

“We just Googled him found his website and went from there,” Perdue said. “He has a real life story, he understands the appeal of drugs and he understands the danger of it.”

Throughout his career, Strawberry was plagued with legal troubles and was arrested for cocaine possession multiple times.

He played Major League Baseball from 1983 through 1999 with the New York Mets, Los Angeles Dodgers and San Francisco Giants. He was inducted to the Mets Hall of Fame in 2010.

“There are a lot of people who have fond memories of him,” Perdue said. “And just so on a marketing standpoint that’s very attractive to us as a church because it’s going to appeal to someone outside the church.”

The sermon begins at 11 a.m. Sunday at the Church at Clarendon, 1201 N. Highland St. For more information on the Blunt Questions Series, visit the church's website.