Posted on 04/28/2010 8:18:53 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
Jennifer Knapp, the Christian music artist and Dove Award winner who announced this month that she is gay, recently questioned the authenticity of Bible translations on the issue of homosexuality.
During her appearance on CNN’s Larry King Live on Friday, Knapp pointed out that believers rely on a text that is not in the original language. She said scholars have questioned the interpretation of the original Greek words that have been translated to homosexuality.
Though acknowledging that she is by no means a scholar or theologian, Knapp brought up the Bible translation issue to challenge those who cite the Bible as stating that homosexuality is a sin.
“Well, I think there is plenty of evidence in my exploration of my faith through the sacred text of the Holy Bible that I have definitely recognized that we are somewhat at the handicap of our own interpretation of a sacred text,” responded Knapp to King’s question on if she feels the Bible speaks against homosexuality.
“In the long run I don’t have the greatest deal of problems with it because I’m not the only person in the universe that has ever looked at a different interpretation,” she said. “We have advocates on both sides. It doesn’t make the truth any less the truth or love less love.”
The issue of Bible translation came up twice during the LKL show that featured Knapp, Pastor Bob Botsford of Horizon Christian Fellowship in San Diego, and former evangelical leader Ted Haggard, who was involved in a gay sex scandal in 2006.
Throughout the show, Botsford pointed to Scripture, which he believes to be inerrant, to argue that Knapp has succumbed to sin. He said while everyone is a sinner, the difference is that some people allow the sin to rule over their life and others try to overcome the sin.
“Allowing that to continue to reign over your life is not allowing Jesus Christ to be Lord,” said Botsford. “My role is to die to sin not to justify it.”
Knapp at one point during the show said she is not there to justify homosexuality, but to talk about her personal choice and path. She resisted the role of a gay activist and said Botsford has the right to teach his church his interpretation of Scripture on homosexuality. But she asked that he leave her out of it.
“I will repeat to you what I said to you backstage. That the next time that you want to talk about an example of what you mean to teach to your followers, please use the words this is the way this congregation and how we’re going to talk about homosexuality within our community, within our church,” said an apparently frustrated Knapp toward the end of the show. “And don’t use my name. Do not use my name as a substitute for the word homosexuality.”
Botsford said he felt compelled to speak out publicly about Knapp’s choice because she’s a person of influence in the Christian community. He said he does not want people to mistaken that what Knapp is doing is right.
Knapp recently revealed she has been in an eight-year relationship with a woman.
She has won four Dove awards and was nominated for a Grammy award. Her three albums combined have sold more than 1 million copies. She said she remained celibate for ten years while working in the Christian music industry.
But now, after a seven-year hiatus, she said she is “very comfortable” with her sexuality.
“I feel blessed to fully be who I am. I love being able to be a musician and part of that process of being a musician is being open and honest and to not feel like I have to lie or hide anything,” she said. “I don’t necessarily want to talk about it all the time, but I don’t have to hide it either.”
Knapp was diplomatic in her answers and appeared to restrain her emotions for the first half of the show. But toward the second half she expressed her frustration at Botsford, particularly when he said humans have perverted the love created by God.
“How am I perverted?” Knapp shot back.
At another point she told Botsford that he does not have the right to speak about her in the way he has publicly.
“I have spiritual leadership in my life. The pastoral counsel of those who are dear to me, who understand the scripture as sacred text and, Bob don’t interrupt me,” Knapp said. “And you are not that man in my life.”
Throughout the show, Haggard took a vague middle ground and refused to answer questions directly. He refused to give a clear answer when asked if homosexuality is a sin and whether it is a choice or not. The disgraced former megachurch pastor said both sides have valid points and that the most important thing is for people to have a personal relationship with God.
Knapp will release her new album in May. The album will not be marketed to a strictly Christian audience as her past works had been.
Her first album was marketed only to a Christian audience. She was ‘discovered’ by Jennifer Knapp and and Knapp (IIRC) produced her first album.
I don’t know if Katy is Bi or not, I do know that she is no longer a Christian.
Excatly. I have also struggled with how to deal with my ‘adopted’ brother, gay and atheist (friend since 6th grade). Do I avoid him out of fear of him compromising my Christian testimony or do I love him, and show him the strength of my faith?
It has been a struggle for me. I love him greatly, and do consider him to be like a brother to me (he even thinks of my mother as his mom), but it can be difficult to be around him and not be angry at his lifestyle and his choices.
My brother is gay. I haven’t heard from him in 2 years. Before that it was 15 years. Nobody else hears from him either. Only I do when he has no home. When I insist that he become self sufficient, he finds another “true love” and disappears again. At our ages, he can’t keep this up. The next time may be the last. If there’s a next time.
I am sorry to hear that. Most gay men I know (more so than lesbians) are very immature. My friend (brother) still lives at home with his dad (at 37), finally got a real job and a car.
Other than that he spends all of his time fantazing about ‘the one’ and obsessed with sex. It is common in most gay men, at least all the ones I have known (including my father).
And sex can kill. The lifestyle is suicide and I have NEVER met a gay person who was really happy in their life.
Praying for your brother.
My brother is very immature. My Mom was abusive and he got the brunt of it. In his late 50’s, he’s still the victim and tells everyone how he was abused, about all the people he’s helped who have used him and kicked him to the curb.....nothing is ever the fault of his choices. He contends that he’s sooooooooooo nice and everyone takes advantage of him. He validates his life by his victimhood. Very sad.
He could very easily have left out the Genesis part and said "person" and "their" and been gender non-specific - but, guess what? He didn't. To me this is pretty clear, but not being a bible scholar by any stretch of the imagination, what do I know.
The parallel passage in Matthew 19 reinforces the point. And you don’t have to be a Bible scholar to understand the obvious. God wanted it to be clear to everyone.
It is interesting you mention your mother was abusive. I know many kids who were abused and not all of them turned out gay, but EVERY gay man I have known well as admitted to being abused (either physically, emotionally, or sexually - I an easily say over 50 men that have admitted it to me).
My husband thinks that they tend to ‘relive the abuse’ through their deviate sexuality.
And my father was the same way as your brother, he was NEVER at fault, it was always the other person. He slashed his wrists after he found out he was HIV positive and we had a big fight (I just turned 16) and he told the cops that he did it because my mother was divorcing him and keeping me from him.
What is so ridiculous about that is they had already been divorced 12 YEARS when he did this, and my mother had no problem with me seeing my father, I was the one who decided I couldn’t deal with his lesbian friends trying to ‘turn’ me all the time.
I believe that abuse is a HUGE factor in homosexuality. I used to go to gay bars with my brother in the 70’s. All had some sort of abuse and strained relations with family. Some were abused sexually by other family members or family friends. And it wasn’t necessarily sexual abuse. Emotional and verbal figured into it. My Mom was verbally abusive. I learned to be nastier. Clever but nasty. I retorted one day and learned that at 5’2” I could clear a chain link fence in one leap. :-)
I am 99.9% a classical music listener. If I really want to hear some some religious music, I can listen to Bach or Mendelssohn or Handel to get my fix.
MrR is the same way. He listens almost exclusively to Classical music. I can’t. Classical (even Bach) puts me right to sleep, probably because that is what my father would put on to get me to go to sleep as a baby/toddler. :)
I have tried for most of my relationship to listen to classical and not fall asleep, I just can’t do it. Kinda odd that it has that much effect on me.
And I do listen to CCM because it is not as offensive as secular. I’m a Rock and Roll kid, guitarist, and opened my own record store as a teenager, I am one of those people who goes to sleep with my ipod on and we have our jukebox on much more than our TV (we don’t have cable or an antenna anymore, we just use it to watch old movies and play video games).
There is some baroque music that I listen to in order to actually go to sleep. Baroque music stays at pretty much a constant volume, so it makes good background music. Sometimes I will put on something like the Tafelmusic suites by Telemann and it sort of soothes me to sleep.
LOL. Even the ‘exciting’ pieces put me to asleep.
“BTW, most hymns current in the hymbooks started out as bar songs or ‘contemporary’ music”
Not so! One of the biggest myths regarding, particularly, the hymns of Luther is that he used the tunes of bar songs.
In fact, he was very much against the use of secular music for Christian worship. His music was written in bar (or barre) form - ie “bar” refers to the construction of the music, not the source. Only one of his hymns started out with a secular tune, but he subsequently wrote another tune for that hymn because he so strongly disliked the secular associations.
Subsequently, hymn tunes were written specifically for the purpose. Church music was distinct from secular or folk music.
“Contemporary” or “popular” type music really only starts being used for hymns in the latter part of the 19th century and was introduced by Ira D.Sankey and DL Moody. Interesting how the downgrading in the music was accompanied by a downgrade in the theology - many of their hymns featured a poor, weak, little Jesus who was always waiting, begging, pleading...... I was very familiar with these growing up with the Plymouth Brethren in South Africa. Sacred Songs and Solo’s was the hymn for their Sunday evening Gospel Services and contained many of the Sankey/Moody offerings.
Actually, I wasn’t thinking Luther specifically or the ‘bar’ songs. I was thinking more like Amazing Grace (slave song) and a few others.
Also, early church chants (Phos Hilarion) is a direct use of a Roman pagan ritual chant.
Interesting you assume all ‘hymns’ come from Luther.
As P.J. O'Rourke said when visiting Heritageville, USA, the book store had Christian "rock" albums:
"None of the albums was actually titled How I Found God and Lost All My Talent, but I'm sure that was just an oversight."
There are a few notable exceptions.
Cheers!
"Under" sounds about right, then.
Cheers!
Her voice was deeper than his. :-)
Still love her songs "Satisfied" and "Unspoken Love".
Cheers!
In response to this post and to your post #62...
You may enjoy reading a novel by Madeline L'Engle, A Live Coal in the Sea. The title comes from a quote from William Langland, "But all the wickedness in the world which man may do or think is no more to the mercy of God than a live coal dropped in the sea.".
No more hints or I'd give away the plot.
Cheers!
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