[KMC1]

Kevin McCullough is heard weekdays in Chicago on AM1160 WYLL, and worldwide on www.wyll.com.

Contact Kevin: kmc@wyll.com

[what's up]

I saw Sandi Patti onstage and was not able to give her the standing ovation that EVERYONE else in the crowd gave because of her tepid explanations of why she was undergoing a divorce at that time.

I look for exemplary lives among Christian leaders such as music stars also.

[ikka]

People someimes fall out of love, to be sure. But the proper response for 2 Christians is to stick with it and persevere.

BTW, Amy Grant joins Bruce Springsteen and other artists as well who are not as popular post-divorce.

[Cicero]

Interesting. I don't follow the Christian music scene, but it must be a difficult life to keep faithful to in those circumstances--kind of like being a televangelist.

I hope the new Miss America can stay the course. We need more good examples for kids to follow.

[jlogajan]

Well, at least we don't have to worry about "people of faith" forgiving anyone ... hey wait a minute ...

[Fighting Irish]

This type of editorial diatribe is exactly why I left the world of "Christian Entertainment".

Note to the author: Keven, no one forced you to attend the concert. I suppose the lives Amy has touched are moot because you are scandalized at her humanity?

I met Amy quite a few years ago when I was employed as music director for a large christian television network and studio musician. She was as real then as she is now. With the same emotions, hardships and failings as any living human.

The dissapointment ends when fans stop treating entertainers as gods (little g) and realize that they should get their own lives and stop living vicariously through their idols.

We are all sinners, saved by grace........and as for you, Mr. McCullough.......if you are without sin then toss the first stone.

[HairOfTheDog]

This person should have made a decision whether he wanted to write about Amy, Ms. Toogood, or Miss America....

My head is spinning trying to find one thing that ties any of these subjects together.

[StarfireIV]

Your references to hypocrisy well reasoned even if you are looking for a perfect person other than Christ himself to admire. PS you won't find one. I do, however disagree with the whole Clinton argument.
Here's why.
Clinton told the country he "...did not have sexual relations with...", he also lied to congress, and used his office as a means of evading the court. In short, it was not the infidelity that got so many people up in arms about the Lewinsky business, it was the abuse of power, the public denials, the lying under oath, and the fact that he ultimately got away with it which angrered so many.
In many ways, I think picking on an entertainment figure for decisions they make in their personal lives is just as ridiculous as trying to emulate them. If you don't like her music for the reasons you mentioned, wrap up all your CDs, tapes, records, etc. and send them to her record label with a letter explaining why you have done this.

[OrthodoxPresbyterian]

I never bought into Amy Grant.

Never liked her music. Never spent a dime thereupon.
Never believed her bought-and-paid-for "pop testimony".

I always chose my music on three bases:

• I dig the Music -- Art is a Gift from God.
• I dig the Lyrics -- Singers will rise and fall; pick poetry you can believe in.
• It fits the Mood -- Music soothes the savage beast. Know that which you require. Take it. Use it. Feed upon it.

And so now, Amy Grant can spin her tunes in a sordid attempt to justify her adulteries:

---

Amy Grant, chorus, "It Takes a Little Time:"
It takes a little time sometimes
To get your feet back on the ground
It takes a little time sometimes
To get the Titanic turned back around
It takes a little time sometimes
But baby you're not going down
It takes more than you've got right now
Give it time

---

My so-called "Secular" or "Carnal" Music serves me just as well as it always has. Amy Grant's fans may have to "justify their love", but as for me and my car....

Volume dial goes all the way to 39, and the pedal goes all the way to the floor. Crank it, boyz...

---

METALLICA, chorus, "To Live Is To Die"
When a Man Lies He Murders
Some Part of the World
These Are the Pale Deaths Which
Men Miscall Their Lives
All this I Cannot Bear
to Witness Any Longer
Cannot the Kingdom of Salvation
Take Me Home???

---

"Christian Contemporary Music" is strangling on the weight of its own hypocrisy.

Good riddance to bad luggage.

[Ditter]

Oh good grief, I thought this was going to be about Madelyn Toogood, the woman who beat her child in the parking lot. I am curious about the Irish gypsies that they are said to be a part of.

(Sounding like Gilda Radners little old lady character)

"Never mind"!

[jjhunsecker]

For the record I don't know of two groups of bigger hypocrites than Baptists and Born Again Christians.
It never ceases to amaze me the constant hypocrisy, the do as I say not as I do thing. Both groups preach a good game but when it comes to really entertaining thoughts of tolereance and enlightenment forget it. None of us are perfect in this old world and the only good rule is, as my father constantly tried to teach me, is the golden rule, do unto others as you would have them do unto you. So Mr. McCullough please take your hypocrisy somewhere else.

[southern rock]

Erika Harold genuinely lives out of her faith. The new Miss America says she hopes to run for office someday. I hope she does.

Is this a PR piece for the new Miss America? Is participating in the Miss America pagent a "Christian " activity??

[nicollo]

You stray when you equate this affair to Clintoon.

To condemn Clinton for adultry is to absolve him of his real crimes. Adultry is not a crime. It is a sin. You go figure the difference.

Perhaps this woman deserves your criticism. I do know that the only way she can avoid it is through honesty. You might call it repenting and begging forgiveness. Will you give it? I suppose so. I don't know.

I did what she did. It was wrong, and I did it. I cannot change it. I cannot fix what I destroyed. I can only hope for forgiveness now and later -- and make as good as I can now.

You must either put up or shut up.

Does she really deserve it?

[mutejesseJ]

Interesting post. But truthfully i came thinking it was about *TOOGOOD* the child abuser from Kohl's infamy.(sp)

[Revelation 911]

John 8:7 When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, "If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her."

While I think the actions of Ms Grant are reprehensible, and warrant our disdain, I would stress that our prayers be focused on her redemption and restoration before Jesus and God

Noticing your screen name, are you Kevin ?

[Sloth]

I left the Grant concert early to avoid anymore of Ms. Grant's glib comments about her formerly adulterous husband who is now a "good" man.

"Formerly adulterous"? More like "currently adulterous" (per Matthew 19:9).

[John O]

After reading the thread to post 88 I've gathered my responses in this one place.

I saw Amy Grant on a tv interview type show a few years back when the host was prompting her to share the gospel (it was a secular show) and she weaseled out of giving Jesus Christ the glory. She vomited out some new-agey sounding "god is good" type noise but never defined who God is or why he is good. I lost a lot of respect for her then.

Shortly thereafter I found she was committing adultery against her husband. I should have known. She had at that point turned away from God and from her husband.

If Mr Chapman was abusive and adulterous why didn't she divorce him first before committing adultery against him? Why did she publicly sin and drag all Christianity down with her? Why did she allow her own lusts to dirty the name of Christ in the eyes of so many unbelievers.

She should have stayed with her husband and worked things out. Or she should have divorced him with cause. Committing adultery against him was not an allowable option.

The woman has never repented of her adultery. (By sinning publicly she sinned against her husband, against God, and against us. She needs to publicly repent)

How can I as a Christian, allow an unrepentent adultress to influence my home and life? It can't be done. The bible tells us to flee even the appearance of evil.

God Save America (Please)

[ColdSteelTalon]

Somebody help me. What is the actual story behind Vince Gill and Amy Grant??? It seems hard to find information on the subject...

[HamiltonJay]

I fail to quite understand the overall "outrage" this author seems to be latched onto. I do not agree with Ms Grant, nor Mr Gill's actions regarding having an affair. I do not see how he attempt to equate 2 entertainers, and whether they sing gospel or heavy metal, that is all they are entertainers, affairs equate to the leader of the free world getting serviced by a 20something while discussing whether or not to deploy troops in harms with other politicians on the phone.

I openly will admit I have little admiration in my heart for fundamentalists, most I have met are complete hypocrites... running around judging and propheletizing to everyone else, while engaging in activities in complete defiance of what they preach. They get their self worth from their holier than thou persona. They seem to forget fundamentally the live and let live philosophy, ready to cast the first stone at any moment. Born agains in particular are the worst of the worst when it comes to hypocrisy in my experience.

If these 2 individuals were having affairs behind their partners backs and that activity did maliciously interfere with their marriage relations, then that is indeed horrible. If their marriages were basically over, and made no secret about their activities to their spouses, and their spouses did not object, then I have no issue with these two. IT is the breaking of trust to me that is the damage of infidelity, not simply sex. I know I may be in the minority here, but I believe a relationship is between the people involved in it... if they have some piccadillos but are open about it with each other and willingly accept it, that's all that matters to me.

[sonserae]

This is all tripe. Amy has said that there was no infidelity with her and Vince. Her ex-husband was an alcoholic and a drug addict and who knows what else she put up with....possibly him being an adulterer. If you get her CD called "Legacy", it has a DVD of an interview with her talking about the "so-called Christians" who would gossip and make up stories about their relationship. I am a Christian, but in my experience, the most hate-filled people are the ones calling themselves "Christians".

[marron]

Its probably a mistake for me to get involved in this string, but too late. My memory is that the Professional Christians were taking shots at her quite early in her career.

Thats ok, thats what they do.

I have no doubt that her love of God was sincere, and I have no doubt that God moved in her. I was saddened by the news of her divorce, surprised by the news of the remarriage. It finishes her as a "Christian Artist".

But God is not done with her. I will be interested to see how this story plays out. It always fascinates me to see how God works with people. This story is not over.