For those of us who have wondered where Jennifer Knapp has gone, well.... Christianity Today is reporting that Jennifer Knapp has come out. She has announced that she is gay. You may read here.One of my pastor friends wrote,
...as I read the CToday interview she showed little to no understanding of basic Christology/theology/covenants. Another point this brought to mind was the erroneous teaching in many churches that suddenly when one comes to Christ they are now FORMERLY a sinner using 1Cor6:11 as the whipping post. Just as we need to be diligent to explain clearly a proper biblical framework it must also include the right understanding of continued sin and the battle that ensues.He wrote this in response to Knapp stating the typical pro-homosexual argument against the Old Testament. Mark Moring asks,
What about what Scripture says on the topic?
To which she responded:
This is why theology matters and pastors need to start actually learning sound theology and preaching and teaching it to their people. However, on the flip side. Another pastor wrote,
Knapp: The Bible has literally saved my life. I find myself between a rock and a hard place—between the conservative evangelical who uses what most people refer to as the "clobber verses" to refer to this loving relationship as an abomination, while they're eating shellfish and wearing clothes of five different fabrics, and various other Scriptures we could argue about. I'm not capable of getting into the theological argument as to whether or not we should or shouldn't allow homosexuals within our church. There's a spirit that overrides that for me, and what I've been gravitating to in Christ and why I became a Christian in the first place.
The over-arching theme of her music has been a struggle with indwelling sin. It has a kind of heart-wrenching honesty, and quite honestly shows some level of theological depth. It appears to me that she's simply losing in her struggle, and tired of the fight, she's surrendering. She is to be pitied, not castigated. I hope someone can reach her before she slips away and is gone.These two pastoral perspectives recognize that we all struggle with sin. We need a proper understanding of the law of God and its relation to the Christian life. But what she in particular and us all in general need more than anything else is to hear the Gospel in the context of a local church.
3 comments:
From the article: “You're living in Nashville. Are you in a church these days?
Knapp: No.”
Man, this is hitting home for me. I have recently come in contact with some old friends from the church that I grew up in via a popular social network. My stomach sinks as I read what they are reading and celebrating. Mostly the “everything you were ever taught about the Bible, Church, and Christ is wrong” books. In response I picked up the book “Why we love the Church” and one of the authors (Kevin Deyoung) said in his chapter “The personal: On Hurt and Heresy” (p 79) says:
“Before the disgusted and the dismayed write off the church, I’d like to waive a caution flag in the form of 4 questions”
The first question is right on the money if you ask me.
“Are you rejecting the Church or the Faith?” “There’s a disturbing trend in many of the church-leaver books. People are not just getting bored with church. They are rejecting the historic Christian faith.”
Like Knapp, my friends seem to be picking and choosing their Bible conviction.
You were right on the money when you said
“But what she in particular and us all in general need more than anything else is to hear the Gospel in the context of a local church.”
My heart breaks for my friends. Just tonight I read that they love the book “Hope Beyond Hell” it’s all about universalism and its junk! Here is an interesting quote from the book
“J. I. Packer, a Calvinist, is one of the most influential theologians of our time. He says to believe that Christ died for everyone logically leads to the belief that all will be saved.2 Is he right? Think about it. If you believe, as Packer does, in God‘s limitless power and that man is helpless to override His will, you must agree that God brings to faith all for whom Christ died, which for Packer is only the elect. Calvinism, because of its wide acceptance and influence, lends great credibility to the Blessed Hope because it shares with us the same view of God‘s power. Their theologians unwittingly offer strong arguments in defense of the Blessed Hope. In essence, I share Packer‘s view that God does all His will. But unlike Packer, I maintain that Christ died for all. So, as Packer attests, since I believe in God‘s absolute power, and that Christ died for all, it is natural and inevitable that I would believe that God will save all.”
Thanks for the post Howie. I know my comment was long, but just chalk it up as a local pastor preparing and wrestling on a Saturday night with the implications of preaching the gospel in a local church tomorrow. “Who is sufficient for these things?”
Great comment Paul. Thank you for taking the time to share your experience. I could not agree more.
oops. I wrote a comment from another computer and didn't think about my name.
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