I wrote earlier about Jennifer Knapp coming out of the closet and relaunching her career in the 100% more authentic world of “not-Christian” music.* She also did an interview with Christianity Today** where she answered their prying questions about her life, her career, her “lifestyle choice,” and her “struggles with same sex attraction.” She really is a saint for speaking to the interviewer, Mark Moring, because he asks so many questions in such a trademark Christian fashion: intellectually dishonest, callously dismissive of easily verifiable facts, disrespectful, and all under the comfortable umbrella of “The Chrischin worldvyew.” Par exemple:
I understand. But I’m curious: Were you struggling with same-sex attraction when writing your first three albums? Those songs are so confessional, clearly coming from a place of a person who knows her need for grace and mercy.
Knapp: To be honest, it never occurred to me while writing those songs. I wasn’t seeking out a same-sex relationship during that time.
During my college years, I received some admonishment about some relationships I’d had with women. Some people said, “You might want to renegotiate that,” even though those relationships weren’t sexual. Hindsight being 20/20, I guess it makes sense. But if you remove the social problem that homosexuality brings to the church‚Äîand the debate as to whether or not it should be called a “struggle,” because there are proponents on both sides‚Äîyou remove the notion that I am living my life with a great deal of joy. It never occurred to me that I was in something that should be labeled as a “struggle.” The struggle I’ve had has been with the church, acknowledging me as a human being, trying to live the spiritual life that I’ve been called to, in whatever ramshackled, broken, frustrated way that I’ve always approached my faith. I still consider my hope to be a whole human being, to be a person of love and grace. So it’s difficult for me to say that I’ve struggled within myself, because I haven’t. I’ve struggled with other people. I’ve struggled with what that means in my own faith. I have struggled with how that perception of me will affect the way I feel about myself.
Uh yeah. “Hi, I’m a ‘Christian journalist,’ and as such, I totally deserve to be smacked.”
The fact that she didn’t is a testament to her character.
*Yeah, I’m a singer/songwriter. I dare you to challenge me on my contention that “Christian music” is a fake “genre” created for people who aren’t talented enough to make it in real music and/or listeners who are unable to handle the real world and instead need “Christianized” versions of everything, from movies to music to freaking toothpaste, if it’s available.
**Damn, Jennifer. Way to jump in the lion’s den!
