BOB ABERNETHY, anchor: Now, Donnie McClurkin, a Gospel music superstar. The 45-year-old singer has won a Grammy and many other awards. His new CD, "Psalms, Hymns and Spiritual Songs," released last month, debuted at number one on the Gospel charts and number five on the secular R&B charts. But that's just his day job. McClurkin is also pastor of a Pentecostal congregation on Long Island. Kim Lawton talked with him about his dual careers and his passionate -- sometimes provocative -- beliefs.

KIM LAWTON: Donnie McClurkin is a Gospel superstar whose voice is recognized around the world. But on Sunday mornings, as Pastor McClurkin, he has more local concerns -- like the parking problems in his church's neighborhood.

Pastor DONNIE MCCLURKIN (Perfecting Faith Church, at pulpit): You want to be mindful of Zack's Delicatessen across the street also. You can park around there, but don't block the front door entrance because they have a problem with the clientele getting in. Amen?

LAWTON: This Grammy award winning artist may sing for presidents, but he's known for "being real." And whether in his local church pulpit or on a stage before thousands, he preaches a forthright, often-provocative message about his troubled past, his struggle with homosexuality, and his faith in God. Music, he says, is his sermon.

Pastor MCCLURKIN: You won't find a major religion in this world that doesn't use music, because the truth of the matter is that music comes from God. I don't understand it to this day, but music goes past the soul, goes past the emotions and gets into the spirit of a man and can bring him to his knees. If you ever want to get anybody in touch with God, sing to them.

LAWTON: McClurkin has sung for millions. His three solo albums have topped the Billboard charts and Gospel and secular R&B play lists. In 2003 he won a Grammy for his CD, AGAIN. He credits Oprah Winfrey with promoting his hit single, "Stand."

Pastor MCCLURKIN: She said, "Donnie, has this CD gone gold yet?" And I said, "No, No." She said, "OK." She stood on television and said, "You've heard me talk about Donnie McClurkin before. This is a voice that you've got to reckon with, and this is my favorite song." Two weeks later, the thing went gold.

LAWTON: McClurkin wrote the song "Stand" in 1996, after having what he calls "a meltdown with God." He was on a red-eye flight, feeling exhausted and frustrated that God didn't seem to be answering his prayers. The song that became his signature came to him, he says, in about 20 minutes.

Pastor MCCLURKIN: He'd allowed me to have a temper tantrum on a plane so that a whole entire world can be, you know, ministered to by a song. Why he does that I don't know, and when I get to him, I'm going to ask him.

LAWTON: Much of McClurkin's music comes out of his personal experience and his own pain. His happy early childhood ended abruptly in 1968 when he was eight years old. His two-year-old brother was hit by a car and killed. The night of the funeral, McClurkin's uncle raped him. His family was torn apart by drugs, alcohol, and violence. McClurkin found solace in the church.

Pastor MCCLURKIN (from documentary, "The Story of Donnie McClurkin"): I received Jesus in that church right there, on a Sunday morning, July 14, 1969.

LAWTON: He was particularly drawn to the music of the church.

Pastor MCCLURKIN: I was always introverted. I was the guy that was scared of crowds, that was inferior. I had such an inferiority complex, and the only way that I could really depict any feelings or any emotions was through music.

LAWTON: When he was 13, McClurkin says he was raped again, by his cousin. That led to a 20-year-long battle over his sexual identity.

Pastor MCCLURKIN: My desires were toward men, and I had to fight those things because I knew that it wasn't what we were taught in church was right.

LAWTON: McClurkin says that through Bible study and intense prayer, he has overcome his homosexuality.