About

"In the Sanctuary" Storytime is a trend on TikTok in which users recount long, traumatic or dramatic stories, usually about their dating history, over the gospel song "In the Sanctuary" by Kurt Carr, a song that appears to be ending several times before breaking out into music again. The trend was popularized between June and August 2022 on TikTok. It was also criticized by some Black TikTokers, who expressed discomfort over people who have never experienced the song first-hand in a church setting using it for the trend.

Origin

"In the Sanctuary" is a gospel song by Kurt Carr (shown below). There are several moments in the song when it seems like it will end but instead picks up stronger (shown below).

It is unclear who began the "In the Sanctuary" storytime trend. The earliest known viral video to use the sound was posted by TikToker^[1] @vibin.wit.tay on June 6th, 2022, garnering over 9 million views in two months, but is unrelated to the trend. The earliest known video following the trend was posted by TikToker^[2] @therey_a on July 20th, where she recounts her bad dating history, garnering over 6.4 million views in a month (shown below).

Spread

The trend spread over the following weeks. On July 28th, 2022, TikToker^[3] @17dreee posted a video following the trend, garnering over 12 million views in three weeks (shown below, left). On August 1st, TikToker^[4] @jacquelinewoodwell posted a video following the trend, garnering over 11.5 million views in two weeks (shown below, right).

On August 3rd, TikToker^[5] @annaxsitar posted a video following the trend, garnering over 7.1 million views in two weeks (shown below). On August 15th, a Redditor asked for an explanation for the trend on /r/OutOfTheLoop.^[6]

Criticism

In August 2022, some Black TikTokers posted videos criticizing the trend's use of the song. For example, on August 11th, 2022, TikToker^[7] @blackgirlswhobrunch posted a video where she says "If you've never sat in a Black church on a Sunday morning[…] If you never heard 'In the Sanctuary' before it was on TikTok[…] If you've never experienced the "yes fakeout" that can go on and on and on depending on how the Holy Spirit is moving in that place[…] that to me means that you can't be using the 'yes, Lord' TikTok trend," garnering over 193,000 views in a week (shown below, left). On August 13th, TikToker^[8] @theerachie posted a video where she says she's "not okay" with people using the song if they haven't experienced how the song "moves through a sanctuary when Black people are praising," garnering over 95,000 views in five days (shown below, right).

Various Examples

Search Interest

External References