In the April edition of Christianity Today Jennifer Knapp revealed a truth that has been long hidden; she considers herself to be a homosexual. Many will hear this news and become disillusioned given her years of performing as a Christian artist. Others will be frustrated that moral failure seems to be a recurring theme in the Christian music industry. While there will be others who will be just plain mad. Mad that Jennifer could take their money and yet reject their faith in such a public way. Mad that she delivers one more black eye to the face of Christianity. I am not in any of these camps.
I am sad because it seems that Jennifer Knapp never really understood the Gospel that she sang about. Knapp said in a recent interview:
“I would rather be judged before God as being an honest human being,” she said. “If I am in any way unpleasing in his sight, I can only hope and pray that he gives me the opportunity to find who I am supposed to be.”
I find this more than sad… I find this tragic. Tragic because while Jennifer rubbed shoulders with legendary performers like Michael W. Smith, sang at events like the Franklin Graham Festivals and won two coveted Dove awards for New Artist of the Year and Rock song of the year in 1999; she missed the most precious thing of all – The Gospel of Jesus Christ. Can there be anything more tragic? No.
Well said.
Wonder how many believers are trying to help her or talk to her in love and how many are throwing her under the bus and casting her out and writing her off? More than likely and sadly the latter is true. Sin is sin. She is not some great spiritual giant. She is a singer. How many people do you know are probably having affairs that you know nothing about? How many probably go to your own church? How many have alchohol or drug problems? It’s OK for them since you don’t know about it….yet. When it happens, and if they try to justify it, what do you do then? Nuf said as I’m already under the bus long ago in most of your eyes for other reasons.
The real issue here is not sin, the issue is repentance (or lack thereof). Below is one of the best articles I’ve read about Ms. Knapp which makes that very point.
As the author says “All of us are sinners, true Christians are repentant sinners”.
http://trevinwax.com/2010/04/26/jennifer-knapp-larry-king-why-we-always-lose-this-debate/
Very good article Larry….not Larry King! LOL!
This sums it up….
“Even though we continue to hold to the increasingly unpopular view that homosexual behavior is sinful, we recognize that many Christians are involved in the struggle – whether silently or openly – and we should commit to prayerful pilgrimage with them.”
This post basically said because she has come out openly that she obviously must not understand the Gospel she sang about. How about the possibility that this is something she has struggled with for years and because of the way most Christians deal with this she stayed safely “in the closet”. She finally gave in fully at some point and now she must have never understood the gospel is the easy answer. Does anybody care to understand how this came to be with her, or what she has been though? Nope, just that she is a sinner, a tragedy, and no way she could have ever really been born again based on Reformed thinking?
It’s so clear why most Christians keep their sin private instead of dealing with it and getting help from their brothers and sisters in Christ.
The genuine tragedy here is the gross failure of the body of Christ to create an environment of more love and compassion where fallen members, secret or out in the open, can feel more comfortable getting the help they need or find someone to trust. Judgment, whether wrongly perceived, or genuine is for real and most people keep their sins secret. I’m sure our heads would spin if we knew the secret ongoing sins of people we know and love and even maybe/probably leaders in our own churches. The point is “ongoing sins”. No different than this woman’s “ongoing sins”. Only difference is that you know about it and can make blanket judgments on her as she put herself out there.
I have an ex sister in law in this lifestyle and also another family member who used to have struggles with this same issue. So I am not talking about this randomly. Instead of writing them off as lost forever I choose to love them unconditionally and pray for them, and have that “prayerful pilgrimage” that the article talks about.
Not going to respond again….I just happen to stumble across this and it reminded me of how I was treated just over a year ago for very different circumstances and nothing to do with the topic here, but the reaction was similar. My situation is more grey to most but not to some uber deep thinkers full of absolutes and limited mercy. Nobody cared to talk to me to find out where I was at personally or how what happened could have happened. Only blanket judgment and the equivalent of Protestant excommunication from one body of believers that I was not even a part of anymore.
The body of Christ….Shooting the wounded….one member at a time.
Happy deep thoughts ya’ll! 😉
I would disagree CA. They suggested she does not understand the gospel because she is not repentant, not because she has openly admitted to this particular sin.
Church discipline, with the goal of repentance and restoration, is the Biblical response to one who is unrepentant. The Apostle Paul cautioned the Corinthian church not to even eat with a person involved in unrepentant sexual sin.
There’s a difference between seeking the church’s help and seeking its approval for our sin. I’m not talking about this randomly either. I’ve had a great deal of involvement over the years with people who struggle in this way. Some are seeking to please God and want the church to help them live in a way that honors Him despite their struggle. Other are seeking to please themselves and want the church to endorse their sin. Ms. Knapp appears to be in the latter group, at least for now. I pray that she will one day repent.
I agree with you at face value but I ask what is the difference in someone that has secret sin they are not dealing with or do not wish to deal with, and a person like this that is open about it? Both are equally unrepentant right? The difference is that the one being honest is the one getting all the firey darts and judgement thrown while the person in secret is held in high acclaim as a great beleiver. Even there at GF you could and probably do have leaders and even maybe one of the pastors that could well have some secret sin that could have been going on for years and never had it dealt with, and they continue in it with a smile on their face every Sunday morning. Others deal on their own and cannot trust the church to help them. Again, this is the real tragedy in my opinion. The Body’s failure to want to help people in deep sin instead of gossip and extreme paintbrush judgement. I would rather get to know that person and why they are at the place they are to understand better to help them instead of just casting them away like a piece of garbage. Now…I’m done. Thanks Larry and take care!
You seem to make open sin more virtuous than secret sin. Both, when unrepentant, are equally horrific. And, neither can be justified by any action taken by the sinner; be it the guise of honesty, or some other means.
It seems to me the openness of the sin and the openness of the lack of repentance makes the continued rebellion all the more clear. But it is not enough to say that it is this openness that is condemning, it is the rebellion itself. That will be judged; seems to me Churches are only pointing this out not throwing her under the bus.
I agree with you that churches need to be places where it is OK to not be OK; but they cannot be places where sin is allowed to reign. We join churches and put ourselves under the authority of others because we recognize the sinister nature of sin, the destructive nature of sin, and the deviousness of sin. We recognize that, as Christians, we are rebels bought out of the slavery that was worthless, and oftentimes it takes others to see those banal patterns in us. If you are unwilling to see and turn from the sin in your life, what role would the church be playing by allowing you to continuing in hurting yourself, others and rebelling against the God who will judge you for those actions? At that point church would just be a crappy hobby and not a way of life? A way of justifying my actions with out acknowledging the harm it does.
Only reply to that is the hidden sin is as rebellious but only possibly repentant when and if it is ever exposed. Many have so much sin hidden it would make our heads spin. Most either want to keep it hidden or terrified of the reaction from the leaders or the body itself. Conviction is there but also the fear of ridicule and judgement and being cast out.
Churches are not a place to be OK not to be OK in mmost situations and my opinion. It’s a place to pretend like you are OK and deal yourself or hide until it blows up and you beg for help.
Churches are great at being fireman when the blaze is full on but terrible at fire prevention. Getting to know people personally and in a real way, other than our church faces is part of that and has always been my heartbeat.
Will leave it at that as that concept is way too simple an analogy for many deep thinkers.
True, in this case there does not seem to be the conviction of sin, but only open rebellion; the two are not the same.
Churches can be places where it is okay to be okay, it takes work at every level. We are all hypocrites, but bound together by the love of a God who gave us our savior. No one should condemn any repentant sinner because none of us are any better. But there is a difference between warning someone of the dangers of the sin they are letting take hold of lives and condemning them.
I think the analogy is apt, but difficult and takes deep thinking as well as hard work to get it right.
I appreciate your comments CA and welcome the exchange; but I think you should be less judgmental of the pastors and Grace Fellowship. The work is not easy. However they work hard and I think they want the best for the flock they steward. Perfect? no, but good men.
C.A. You seem to want the church to be authentic and real in dealing with the issues of life in the people who call a local church their spiritual home. I applaud and welcome that. We desire this at G.F. As a matter of fact, we have many people involved in this type of dynamic in our church. Whether it is in Iron Men groups or women’s accountability groups or small groups, etc. Our desire is to live out biblical values such as:
Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another (Jas. 5:16)
As a matter of fact, we recently taught on the very subject of developing true community.
C.A. I would encourage you consider this teaching in your life. Thanks for the reminder to pursue a lifestyle of integrity in all of our relationships.
May God give us all the unswerving devotion to live out the following admonition:
Well said Dan.
Thanks and no judgement intended on anyone. Especially any GF leaders. Apologies if I came across that way. Just making the point that ANY of us could have something going on that we are hiding and unwilling to deal with. So finding a balance of loving those people out in the open back and hurting for their lives and their souls and their sin instead of writing them off completely as a “tragedy”.
Then there is the task of getting to know each other in the body of Christ over and above the Sunday surface relationships that are all too common. This is how love and trust is built and how sin can be confessed and dealt with along with accountability. Not just to leaders but to each other. Bearing one another’s burdens.
Thanks for the kind conversations and good to converse with some of you again.
Cheers. 😉
Hi C.A.
Good to see you’re still out there. Sounds like some of the conversations we used to have all the time.
Thanks for engaging.
Thanks Ken for your kindness. 😉