Posted on 04/17/2010 11:26:06 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
Award-winning Christian music artist Jennifer Knapp has returned from a seven-year hiatus with a bang.
Aside from touring with provocative singer-songwriter Derek Webb and preparing for the release of a new album, Knapp is confirming what some had for years suspected – she’s gay.
In interviews with The Advocate, Reuters, and Christianity Today – all published Tuesday – Knapp spoke openly about her sexuality while making it clear that she is not a pro-gay activist or even a self-described lesbian despite being in an eight-year relationship with a woman.
“I'm just a normal human being who's dealing with normal everyday life scenarios,” Knapp told Christianity Today.
“As a Christian, I'm doing that as best as I can,” she added. “The heartbreaking thing to me is that we're all hopelessly deceived if we don't think that there are people within our churches, within our communities, who want to hold on to the person they love, whatever sex that may be, and hold on to their faith. It's a hard notion.”
Though not the first Christian music artist to “come out” as gay, Knapp is arguably the most prominent.
Knapp's impressive history includes over one million albums sold with her three releases to date – Kansas (1998), Lay It Down (2000), and The Way I Am (2001). In 1999, Knapp won her first Dove Award for Best New Artist. The Kansas-born musician later scored a Grammy nod in 2002 and another Dove nomination in 2003.
"She's like a fine cabernet. She only gets better with age,” commented John Huie of Creative Artists Agency, Knapp’s booking agent.
In September 2002, however, Knapp decided to leave the music scene over a number of issues – her "crazy" and exhausting schedule, for one – and has for the past seven years been spending time and soul searching in Australia as well as traveling throughout Europe.
It wasn’t until the last year that Knapp picked up a guitar again and came out with a couple of new tracks that led to her return to the United States last July.
After a few sessions in the studio, it became clear to Knapp and her team that it was time to make music again, and so Knapp officially moved back to the states in August together with her partner, whose identity Knapp is adamant about protecting.
Now, the finished product, titled Letting Go, is slated for a May 11 release and will be the first test of her fans’ loyalty given her sexuality confirmation.
While the decision to "come out" one month before her new album’s release is a risky one, The Advocate said Knapp chose to do so partly because she didn’t want people to love her music and then discover that their own values won’t let them sing along full-throated.
“I think it’s going to be shocking and feel like a betrayal to some people who live their spiritual lives through the music they listen to,” Knapp told the LGBT publication.
Furthermore, the move provides Knapp a chance to be “wholly myself."
Currently, Knapp is on tour with former Caedmon's Call member Webb and will be until at least the end of April.
On Monday, Knapp turned 36.
Yes! That’s it. SIECUS. Evil as they come.
GLSEN is a recent creation by Kevin Jennings, the SIECUS org has been around for quite some time.
Sexuality and Information Education Council of the United States
http://www.siecus.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=Feature.showFeature&FeatureID=1862
Notice under “Leadership & Staff”: There’s that Planned Parenthood connection again.
Thank you. Connections. Evil attracts evil; and they’re driven. Absolutely driven.
Because all of the straight Christians are not sinning?
Good to see you again little jeremiah. Keep up the great work!
Thank you, I’m just a buzzing gnat, but I keep trying to try.
Since God has condemned homosexuality in every scripture in every monotheist religion and some that aren’t, a person who willfully continues, without repentence or the desire to change, in homosexual behavior, such a person cannot be a follower of any religion in truth.
This also applies to people who willfully and without any attempt at repentence continue in other forbidden behaviors. But with man/woman sex for instance, there is the option of marriage; with same sex behavior, there is no way to sanctify it.
All I meant, Little J, is that everyone is sinning at something. It seems that people think their own sins are of a higher caliber around here. I am so uninterested in condemning other people’s sex sins.
I understand I think, Yaelle - I used to be very live and let live.
But what I cannot stand is the government forcing immorality on people via legislation and judicial decisions. It’s the agenda I loathe, not the individuals, who need help and treatment.
If promiscuity were not subsidized via welfare, within ten years society would be quite different. Unwed mothers used to be rare, and they could easily be rare again.
Civilizations are based on stable families; and when families get broken en masse, the children go feral or mentally ill, and then huge segments of society are just broken. We see that now.
It’s a huge tragedy.
Breaks my heart.
(freepmail coming your way.)
2 Peter 3:9 doesn't say God wants no one to perish but all to be saved. It says God wants no one to perish but all to repent.
Yes indeed. Heart felt repentence and the begging of forgiveness which comes from that sorrow are essential. And evidence of true repentence is a change of heart, and a changed life.
That’s why she had to tell you she’s Gay.
Funny, she doesn’t look happy.
5Ye shall therefore keep my statutes, and my judgments: which if a man do, he shall live in them: I [am] the LORD.
6None of you shall approach to any that is near of kin to him, to uncover [their] nakedness: I [am] the LORD.
7The nakedness of thy father, or the nakedness of thy mother, shalt thou not uncover: she [is] thy mother; thou shalt not uncover her nakedness.
8The nakedness of thy father’s wife shalt thou not uncover: it [is] thy father’s nakedness.
9The nakedness of thy sister, the daughter of thy father, or daughter of thy mother, [whether she be] born at home, or born abroad, [even] their nakedness thou shalt not uncover.
10The nakedness of thy son’s daughter, or of thy daughter’s daughter, [even] their nakedness thou shalt not uncover: for theirs [is] thine own nakedness.
11The nakedness of thy father’s wife’s daughter, begotten of thy father, she [is] thy sister, thou shalt not uncover her nakedness.
12Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy father’s sister: she [is] thy father’s near kinswoman.
13Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy mother’s sister: for she [is] thy mother’s near kinswoman.
14Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy father’s brother, thou shalt not approach to his wife: she [is] thine aunt.
15Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy daughter in law: she [is] thy son’s wife; thou shalt not uncover her nakedness.
16Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy brother’s wife: it [is] thy brother’s nakedness.
17Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of a woman and her daughter, neither shalt thou take her son’s daughter, or her daughter’s daughter, to uncover her nakedness; [for] they [are] her near kinswomen: it [is] wickedness.
18Neither shalt thou take a wife to her sister, to vex [her], to uncover her nakedness, beside the other in her life [time].
19Also thou shalt not approach unto a woman to uncover her nakedness, as long as she is put apart for her uncleanness.
20Moreover thou shalt not lie carnally with thy neighbour’s wife, to defile thyself with her.
21And thou shalt not let any of thy seed pass through [the fire] to Molech, neither shalt thou profane the name of thy God: I [am] the LORD.
22Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it [is] abomination.
23Neither shalt thou lie with any beast to defile thyself therewith: neither shall any woman stand before a beast to lie down thereto: it [is] confusion.
Leviticus Chapter 18, 5-23.
The Lord prohibits a lot of things, with good reason. And not just in the Old Testament:
26For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature:
27And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet.
28And even as they did not like to retain God in [their] knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;
-Romans 26-28
The fact is that the Lord called this particular sin an abomination. The reason it is a sin is that it puts man’s judgment about this particular matter above God’s, which makes it more grievous (most sins are often against other people- lying, stealing, etc.) God wanted us to be male and female- to live as He directed. It is more important to do God’s will than man’s.... Apostasy is the result of accomodating this evil....
Not exact. Not all Christians are evangelical.
There’s still the Mainline Protestants. They’ll probably keep listening to her stuff.
Anyway I don’t understand why she had to make a ruckus. If you don’t want people to comment on your private life, don’t expose it.
Shouldn’t that be “without a bang”?
Jennifer Knapp is one of my absolute favorite singers. I have her greatest hits cd. Her lyrics for those who may not be familiar with her (which is probably most people-she has a niche audience) are really deep and really confessional. I gather this lesbian issue is something that she’s struggled with for some time and she just gave into it. Those of us christians who have srturggled with besetting sins can relate to her. I pray that their might be someone in her life who can speak Biblical truth to her and that God would draw her unto Him. She was on Larry King tonight (who probably knows nothing about Knapp’s music) and its clear that some gay activists have coached her. She keeps saying if you eat shellfish you cant say homosexuality is a sin. I love this womans music I hope that someday she “lays it down” at the cross.
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