According to an article published at Church Leaders, Christian music superstar Amy Grant is set to host, at her 450-acre farm, the “same-sex wedding” of her niece. Though this may come as a shock to some, those who have paid attention to Grant’s career over the years won’t be surprised. Grant has typically neglected to condemn homosexuality when asked to address the issue in the media. Christian artists who, like Grant, have achieved crossover success are often put at odds with the church and the world. By articulating a biblically faithful position on sexuality, Christian pop-stars risk alienating their secular fan base and losing potential album and concert ticket sales. It is not the mission of professional singers to crusade for conservative social positions in the media. Thus, one could understand why any given Christian celebrity would avoid talking about homosexuality in secular media. However, Grant, by hosting a “same-sex” wedding at her farm has committed the outright sin of giving hearty approval to those who engage in wickedness.
And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do those things which are not proper, being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice; they are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, without understanding, untrustworthy, unloving, unmerciful; and although they know the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, they not only do the same, but also give hearty approval to those who practice them.
Romans 1:28-32
To make matters worse, Grant has twisted the words of the Lord Jesus to justify her actions. In response to her niece coming out as a homosexual, Grant made the following comment”
“Honestly, from a faith perspective, I do always say, ‘Jesus, you just narrowed it down to two things: love God and love each other.’ I mean, hey, that’s pretty simple.”
In no way did Jesus “narrow” the commandments of God when he proclaimed that the greatest commandment was to love God and the second greatest was to love your neighbor. What Jesus was did was summarize the message of the 10 Commandments. The first four deal with human relations to God. The second six deal with human relations to other humans (made in God’s image). The words of Christ should point Christians back to the entire Old Testament teaching on community. From that teaching, one cannot faithfully conclude that “loving” a homosexual equates to accepting or encouraging her sin. Yet, Grant has done this and in doing so perverted the Christian ideal of love.
El Shaddai sees everything. Christians should make sure they are loving how God commanded them to love. Grant’s twisting of the Lord’s message is an opportunity for God’s people to reconsider the voices they allow to influence their worship. Amy Grant is far from the only twister of scripture whose songs are sung on Sunday morning.
*Please note that the preceding is my personal opinion. It is not necessarily the opinion of any entity by which I am employed, any church at which I am a member, any church which I attend, or any educational institution from which I have graduated. Any copyrighted material displayed or referenced is done under the doctrine of fair use.
