Three years ago I preached a sermon on Sunday morning titled, What God Really Thinks About Gay People. As part of that sermon I asserted that the issue of homosexuality was going to become one of THE defining issues for the church in the next generation.
Last week, Christian singer, Jennifer Knapp, appeared on Larry King Live to discuss the recent revelation that she is gay. As part of the interview, a pastor, Bob Botsford, was also involved and Knapp was extremely defiant in her interaction with him.
The interview is both interesting and challenging. I am curious as to what you think as you watch it.
Should Christians be calling out Jennifer publicly about this sin of hers?
Do we focus too much on the sin of homosexuality to the exclusion of other sins?
Is it the “end of the story” if a gay person can find a pastor who will tell them that homosexuality is not a sin?
If someone is going to carry the title of “Christian” in a public manner (singer, pastor, politician), are they to be held to a higher public standard?
Would you go to a Jennifer Knapp concert?
3 comments:
Jeff, I saw the interview as well the other night. Several thoughts came to me as I watched. My heart breaks for Jenn first off. She, like Ray Boltz did a few years back, justifies the sin by basically saying, "I fought this for a long time, but I'm tired of fighting it, so I’m just going to say God made me this way, and it is OK”. Is it OK to be an alcoholic just because you have a desire to drink? Is it OK to cheat on your wife just because you don’t want to resist the temptation? People could justify any sin they want by using that logic, ignoring the Truth of God’s Word in the process.
I don’t know much about Pastor Botsford, but I felt he did an admirable job of trying to confront Jenn about her sin with love and concern, not with anger and condemnation. I was very disappointed in the way that both Larry King and Jenn were trying to gang up on him, and interrupt basically every point that he was trying to make.
As believers, I do think we need to keep each other accountable in the area of sin, especially when that sin could cause other Christians who look up to you to stumble in their faith. With that said, I do think we often see homosexuality as “worse” than other sins. We must understand that God loves homosexuals, just like he loves the liars, cheaters, adulterers, murderers, gossipers, and thieves of the world, and died on the cross for ALL of these.
I do think that to have a public ministry also means living to a higher standard. James 3:1 says that those who teach will be judged more strictly. Though she may not be a “teacher” specifically, her public status in the Christian community means that believers who look up to her could be convinced that homosexuality is something other and what the Bible says it is.
At the end of the day, we all should pray for Jennifer Knapp, just as we would for anyone who is trapped in whatever sin they are trying to justify as OK. I pray God opens her eyes to see the truth of her sin, and that He gives her the strength to break the bonds of her fleshly desires.
Thanks, JMart - very well said...
I love how everyone is having a self-rightious camp meeting over the "error" they think Jen has fallen into, but ignore the ugliness shown to her by the Christian world over this, talk about casting stones. This incident says more about the lack of Christian Grace shown to her than it says about Jen's homosexuality.
JMart,
Listen my brother. I dont know who's been feeding you these lines to put me on par as a homosexual to murderers and adulterers, but just stop it. I find it offensive and far from Christ-like. We are all born with a sexual nature, gay and straight, and we will ALL answer to how we have used that sexuality. We either dedicate it to the Lord or we don't. No one was 'born' a thief or a gossiper, these are choices unlike homosexuality.
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