A Defiant Jennifer Knapp Defends Homosexuality on Larry King

Posted on April 26, 2010
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(132) comments

A defiant Christian Singer Jennifer Knapp takes on a pastor of last week's Larry King Live... Watch the video, then let's discuss:

First of all, while I do think that homosexuality, biblically, is a sin, I think Jennifer makes a couple of good points:

1. She is correct when she asks why this one sin is chosen to debate. Homosexuality is the big taboo sin in Christian culture these days. I'm not saying that is a bad thing; but it is seen as a much greater sin than any number of other sins combined: lying, cheating, divorce, living together before marriage, guttony, gossip. Many of these are tolerated. We very seldom ask the glutton or the gossip to turn from their sinful ways. We just assign them to a different committee.

2. She does, I think, have a point against the pastor. He is not her pastor. He does not have the power/privelege of speaking into her life; privately or on national television.

That said,

1. Jennifer cannot condone her sin by saying that other people who sin are getting a free pass. It might be true, but it doesn't allow her to play the 'they're sinning so I can sin' card.

2. Unfortunately, Jennifer has (as have many other gay christians) found a spiritual leader that has said that homosexuality is acceptable under scripture.

This is not the first time that a Christian singer has come out of the closet. Ray Boltz came out a few years ago (no one ever say that one coming!). Kirk Talley shocked Southern Gospel fans with a scandal a few years back as well. I'm sure there are others that will happen in the future.

How will/are you responding to Jennifer's announcement? Will you buy her album (if you're a fan?) Will you continue to use her music in your services? Would you attend her concert? Would you have her sing in your church?

And what do you make of her defiant attitude on Larry King? Justified or not?

I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Todd

Comments

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David on Wed, April 28, 2010

@ Micheal- I am not just taking my ball and going home. I am not leaving this discussion becasue dessenting viewpoints have been raised. I have been apart of this discussion for the two days it has been on line and have enjoyed wrestling with the question even though I personally believe the Scripture is clear enough on the subject that there should not be a wrestling match, (which by the way I like the wrestling analogy as I am a wrestling coach) . I believe the Church has missed a huge opportunity over the past 100+ by staying away from the whole sex talk. I believe that the world is in a very dark place sexually beyond just homosexuality and I believe it has gotten there because the Church pushed the subject into the dark and refused to go in and deal with it. Sex is a beautiful gift from God that He gave guidelines for so we could get the maximum enjoyment and fulfillment out of it. He didn’t give guidelines to stop the fun or restrict people, but to make the experience the best it can be. For years I lived a fornicating lifestyle hiding it behind the lie that I was a good Christian kid and young man. When I got married I did not have my purity to offer my wife and that kills me still today. I believe that sin of mine is just as bad as homosexual sin. I believe the church has to get away from the “God Hates Fags” mentality that we see some churches chanting and promoting and funerals and rallies. God doesn’t hate homosexuals. He loves them and Christ died for them and their sin just like He loves me and died for my sins, even the sexual ones.
And you are right that there are not many verses on homosexuality but that doesn’t mean it will be a quick discussion. Because somewhere down the line people have been sold the lie that the Bible doesn’t really say what it says. And lies take time, and evidence to unravel. There are only few verses because God was very clear in those verses and didn’t need to go on & on about it.
The reason I wanted to back out is because I do not want to be part of the reason someone who is living a homosexual lifestyle or is struggling with the issue as a Christian or non-Christian reads this and thinks, “Man, God and the church hates me.” I don’t hate them and I don’t think anyone on this blog hates them. We hate the lie they have been sold, but not them. If we hated them we would just let them live in that lie and die in it. Whether a person is gay or not gay, or accepts homosexuality or doesn’t, doesn’t affect my life or faith other than it breaks my heart to see them lied to.
I love people dearly becasue I love God with all my being. I think we all have made some good points here but there are some who are making personal attacks on people and trying to use scripture to avoid an in-depth covnersation. I would just rather have the conversation in more private place so that someone dealing with this won’t stumble across it and feel hated.
I am sorry to have hurt anyone personally but only want to share the truth of the gospel.
I love you all, even if i don’t know you personally.
James Crall on Wed, April 28, 2010

I’m curious…Who invited the pastor to address the issue? Larry King? Jennifer? or did he just crash the set and show up on his own? You can"t have it both ways girl. If he is not qualified to address your issue then why was he on the show?
Secondly, Does jennifer expect us as the Church to roll over and welcome her “perverted” behavior? Is’nt that what she called it?
And finally Yes ,sin is sin , we are all are sinners, but some sins carry a higher price tag than others. No where do I see God commanding us to go out of our way to accomodate sin in the body of Christ and then do our best to provide a soft landing for those who blatantly flaunt God’s commands.
Bradford on Wed, April 28, 2010

Todd, thank you for posting this topic. This generated a good discussion. Based on some of the responses, I could see other topics coming up that would be worth posting separately.
Dr. James Rodgers on Wed, April 28, 2010

Sin is sin is sin! God selects His servant-leaders from among imperfect humans. All of us have sinnened and come short. However, to fail to say that what God calls sin is sin (confession) and then to act defiantly isading sin to sin. There will always be those who will help us defend what we like. That does not make it right or excuse it. If one states that I am struglling with a particular sin, but recognies it as sin, we are obligated to pray and help in any way possible while loveing that person and encouraging them in their walk. We cannot excuse what God has forbidden no matter who does accept it. I would purchase music from a person who is guilty of public sin if that person is publily repentant and struggling to overcome. Jennifer is not there yet. In addition, I sm not her pastor so I would not speak to her private battles. However, she has made her confession publicly and now the responsibility is tor address it publicly. My message would and will be to adress what God has reeled about the sin itself and not to attack the individual. If her heart is open to the Lord, the Holy Spirit will do His work of conviction.
Aaron Reddin on Wed, April 28, 2010

You validated part of her conversation, and then argued part of the situation. But offered no solution. I think that’s probably the problem most people in her situation have with Christianity. That’s likely why they become “defiant”.

People are either pushing her forward, or pushing her down but no one seems to offer a solution to the problem as a whole.

Similar to many problems in our culture that Christians try to take on…..abortion, pornography, drugs/alcohol….etc….

Just stop and don’t do that. Sometimes it’s simply not that easy. Anyone have a solution? Then leave it alone. (even though I didn’t just then lol)

(i really did enjoy reading the different dialogues here, i’m mostly just being incendiary)
michaeldanner on Thu, April 29, 2010

@David - thanks for your words. My apologies for the rude remark about “taking your ball and going home”. Kudos on coaching kids - great ministry happens in that environment. My dad, brother and wife all coach High school athletics. I appreciate your heart on this topic.

@Dr. James Rodgers: I’m studying Acts 11:1 - 18 for this upcoming Sunday. It seems that Peter had a bit of an issue with God because God was telling him to do something that the Torah had clearly stated was a sin. The church in Jerusalem had to discern the relationship between Peter’s vision and the previously clear revelations in Sacred Scripture. If they would have said “Sin is sin is sin. The Bible’s clear. Read your Torah.” we would have a radically different faith today. So what do we do when the scriptures we consider inspired give us a story that puts on display how the early church engaged in binding and loosing concerning issues that were previously considered cut and dry? And what do we do when in that story the conclusion of the church in Jerusalem goes against the clear teaching of the only scriptures they had at the time (remember, they didn’t have the NT)? There were obviously people of faith that had a hard time trusting that Peter’s vision was genuine, after all, what he said had happened was contradictory to already established, revealed by God, inspired by the Holy Spirit, Jewish law. Yet, the church discerned that something higher, bigger, greater and NEW was going on and that God was at the heart of it. Something to consider as we wrestle with issues like homosexuality today.
PeterD on Mon, May 03, 2010

I’m with you Todd. I agree with Jennifer to a point.

But beyond that, other than sin, what exactly IS homosexuality?

It has pretty much been debunked that it is genetic/hereditary.

When I was in college, my psych professor pontificated on it being a LEARNED behavior.

One pastor friend of mine, and I tend to agree with him on most of what he says, believes that homosexuality, like any other sins, are derived from demonic influences. In the Christian, these influences become oppressive and obsessive, in non-Christians, these influences become possessive.

But rather than blast Jennifer, Ray, Kirk or the many others who have “come out”, it’s time for the church to step up to the plate and minister the healing power of God through Jesus Christ. Preaching against sin is all well in good, but the reality is, the church and preaching are often perceived as hateful. We think we are speaking the truth in love, and hopefully we are, but that is not the perception. Remember, PERCEPTION is the REALITY of the one who PERCEIVES.

I tend to think that homosexuality is a combination of learned behavior and demonic influence.

With this point of view, I suppose one would have to answer the question, “Do You Believe In Demons?” IF you don’t believe in Demonic Possession, it’s time to brush up on the New Testament, specifically, that acts of Jesus.

Now don’t all of you at once show up at Jennifer’s house with holy water and a cross trying to perform and exorcism.
PeterD on Mon, May 03, 2010

THE MUSIC
Should we quit doing her music in our churches?
I asked a pastor friend what he thought about that in regards to Ray Boltz. Songs like Thank You, The Anchor Holds, Watch The Lamb and more have transcended who Ray Boltz is, and have taken on a life of their own. Most people do not know who wrote these songs. They are great songs that are inspired, no doubt. We believed them to be inspired before he “came out”, so why would they all of a sudden be un-inspired? Were we all wrong the first time?

The same with Jennifer’s music. I’m not familiar with her music, and I’m quite sure we don’t use any of her music in our church services. But what if we did?

Remember, God used wicked people to carry out His will. Why is it so hard to believe that God would not use the gifts and talents of a self proclaimed homosexual? God works all THINGS together for good.
Chuck Davis on Mon, May 03, 2010

While it is true that sin is sin, the only sin that will condem you to hell is to reject Jesus (the sin against the Holy Spirit) by not believing and receiving Him into our heart. Assuming Jennifer has done this, then her sin is in trying to justify what the Word of God obviously identifies as sin. While any sin w/o Christ is the same, social sins e.g., murder, rape, divorce, homosexuality, sexual immorality have graver consequences outwardly. Her defiance and public proclamation brings into play is she truly “Born Again”? If yes, then we should see God’s chastening take place (Corinthians re Communiion), if not, than we can discern that she has not received the Holy Spirit and is not sealed against hell. This is hard, but God’s love and justice must be met, He is holy and wants us to grow into Christ’s likeness too. He will do whatever it takes to get us there.
gr guy on Mon, May 03, 2010

I find it curious that Jennifer says that the Pastor doesn’t have a right to judge her, but she’s willing to go on Larry King to publicize her lifestyle. I think she’s trying to have it both ways. When you go public in that way, you are fair game for people to judge you because you are promoting your homosexuality in a public way.

As an individual, the pastor may not have a right to judge, but in his role as leader of a church, he has a responsibility to speak out against sin.
rod on Tue, October 05, 2010

in response to cs’s original comment, i firmly disagree.

have you ever seen a food eating contest?

have you ever seen gossip shows/magazines/websites?

i personally don’t think that homosexuality, as we know it today, is a sin, and this is something that i came to after years of academic biblical study at a christian university. apart from that, i am generally fairly theologically conservative, but i dont think the claim that modern, monogamous, egalitarian homosexuality is condoned, or even mentioned, anywhere in scripture.

props to jennifer knapp.
David on Tue, October 05, 2010

I had no idea that when God condemned the homosexual act of a woman lieing with an other woman as a man and when He condemened men burning with lust for other men (Romans 1) that He left a monogamy clause in there that made it okay. I still don’t see it. Nor did I see that He gave an expiration date for the act being considered sinful.
Anyway you slice it, God condemened it and in condemning it, He mentioned it.
CS on Tue, October 05, 2010

rod:

“i personally don’t think that homosexuality, as we know it today, is a sin, and this is something that i came to after years of academic biblical study at a christian university.”

Then you’re wrong. Sorry, we covered that at length here.

—
CS