Christian artists who are gay
Jennifer Knapp becomes unlikely male lover Christian icon
ATLANTA — After walking away from stardom as a Christian singer-songwriter in 2002, Jennifer Knapp never expected to refund to a musical career — and certainly not as a Christian designer. And when she later came out as a lesbian, that prospect seemed especially remote.
“When I place my guitar in the case and said this is my last (concert), I really didn’t deliberate I had anything to contribute to the religious conversation at all in music,” recalled the folk-rock artist, whose five Christian albums sold more than 1.5 million copies between 1994 and 2001 and earned her a Grammy nomination and Dove Award.
So the 38-year-old Kansas native is as shocked as anyone with her newfound role — as a gay Christian artist urging fellow Christians to affirm homosexuals. And she finds herself singing and making her case in the most unlikely venues: churches.
Though she no longer fits neatly into the “Christian music,” category, Knapp once again sings regularly for congregations and youth groups, the kind of audiences that made her a contemporary Christian music sensation almost two decades ago.
Those listeners who used to treat her like “a big
This past week, shockwaves went through the Christian music collective when Jennifer Knapp, one of the genre’s most critically lauded singers and songwriters, announced that she’s been in a same-sex association for the past eight years.
This moment coincides with a seven-year sabbatical Knapp took after instantly becoming one of the genre’s most popular artists in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Feeling a lack of enthusiasm with music where she once felt happiness, she wrapped up any commitments she had to promote her then-current album, 2001’s The Way I Am, and proceeded to fall out of sight.
Knapp, who releases her first album in nine years next month with the appropriately titled Letting Go, spoke with a few choose media outlets to discuss her coming out.
When asked by Christianity Today about the extent of her relationships with women prior to her hiatus, and whether or not it was a struggle for her, Knapp responded, “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. Hinds
The LGBTQ+ community has been a constant punching bag this year for conservative-leaning religious politicians and their followers, especially, but this take is only part of the story. Plenty of Christians and members of other faith communities ascribe to affirming, welcoming beliefs where LGBTQ+ folks are not only tolerated, but fully accepted into the fold. These six music superstars have been open about their opinions, which include religion and LGBTQ+ acceptance under the same big umbrella. As Christian country star Miranda Lambert sings, "Y'all means all."
Amy Grant
Amy Grant. Courtesy Photo
Amy Grant and her nation music star husband Vince Gill just made a show of their gay support by hosting Grant’s niece’s wedding at their Hidden Trace Farm in Franklin, Tennessee. Grant did not name her niece but identified her as a lesbian, adding that it was the first “bride and bride wedding” on their property. Grant recently told The Washington Post that her niece coming out was “a gift to our whole family, just to widen the experience of our whole family."
“Honestly, from a faith perspective, I act always say, ‘Jesus, y
Christian Singers Who Identify as LGBTQ
Upon first mind, the notion of organism Christian and an out LGBTQ singer or entertainer is a contradiction in terms. However, there are several high profile Christian singers who have recently publicly revealed their lgbtq+ attractions, such as Australia's Jennifer Knapp or American Trey Pearson.
This remains a challenge and effort for this genre of inspirational music. The reaction to these public statements has been mixed within the community. Many of the early singers who came out were immediately sidelined within their religious community, and this effectively diminished or terminated their professional careers. Notable among these was Marsha Stevens and Ray Boltz.
Other past LGBTQ Christian singers have remained in the closet during their lifetime, but subsequent events and biographies have revealed their sexual orientation. Notable among these is the epic gospel singer James Cleveland, recipient of four Grammy Awards and nicknamed the 'King of Gospel'. Cleveland died of AIDS in 1991.
The Gospel church and homosexuality has reportedly had a long inter-twining relationship. LGBTQ individuals hold app
Church Clarity Scores Foremost 20 Contemporary Christian Music (CCM) Artists in 2018: Lauren Daigle, MercyMe, Hillsong Worship, Cory Asbury, Elevation Worship, etc.
“How do I realize where the Christian musicians I hear to stand on LGBTQ people in the church?”
This is one of the most common questions we receive. Inspired by some recent events (cough, Bethel), we decided to pull together a list of 20 artists from Billboard’s Top (Contemporary) Christian Artists from 2018 and list all the evidence we could find on their policy positions. We have contacted each artist to give them a chance to “clear the record,” and so far none have responded in time for the publication of this informal report.
Many of the artists are on staff at churches, and so in this state we provide the standard Church Clarity scores of the churches that hire them. But for artists who aren’t directly affiliated with a church, we will simply provide online evidence as to where they stand, if we can find any. We are not scoring each designer for how ‘clear’ they are because, as of now, we do not hold musicians or artists to the same standard of clarity that we hold churches. So why are we doing this?