Jennifer Knapp Returns to Christian Music Scene, Confirms Her Sexuality (Yes, she says she's gay)

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.

Currently, Knapp is on tour with former Caedmon's Call member Webb and will be until at least the end of April.

It’s not my job to forgive anyone except those who harm me personally. Forgiving those who harm me personally is my job. Forgiving others is God’s job. It’s offensive to think that I should around forgiving people I don’t even know or who have not harmed me personally.

Second, forgiveness of God is dependent on whether people are repentent or not. God does not forgive people who sin who are not truly repentent and continue on their merry way.

And just because all kinds of sin exist in the world does not mean some are not more egregious than others. I just have no clue where people get this erroneous idea. There is no homosexual act which is not an offense against nature. Homosexual acts used to be legally called “crimes against nature”. Sexual acts between a man and a woman may be sin if illicit, or may not be, if between a husband and wife and allowing the potentiality of life.

So you cannot compare the two. Of course, promsicuity, adultery, and the long list of even worse sexual sins is there. But to be an unrepentent proud homosexual is helping not only to degrade the general culture, but acts to influence young people. As does the other degraded lifestyles of all the “stars” both Hollywood, music and sports. USed to be that young people were encouraged to read biographies and look up to heroes and heroines who used their lives well for the benefit of humanity. Now they look up to those who are famous for their weath, thuggery, illicit sex and so-called beauty which is not only ephemeral as the mist in the morning, but a product of chemicals, surgeons and photoshop.

I don’t know at this point whether Jennifer Knapp is a “proud, unrepentant” homosexual. I do know that there is no Biblical basis for believing that homosexuality is worse than other sins. I can think of a myriad of sins which seem worse to me than non-promiscuous lesbian homosexuality, but I am not “forgiving” Jennifer any more than I am condemning her. I do know that based on the scripture, I am in danger if I condemn anyone. I am disturbed that so many on FR are happy to bash homosexuals, while winking and laughing at heterosexual sin. I find nothing in the Bible which condemns “sin against nature.” In fact, that sounds like a concept rooted in atheistic evolutionary thinking. Christians are required to manifest only two things, which are love of God, and love of our neighbors. Jesus said his followers would be known not that they had pure doctrine, but that they loved one another.

Love your neighbor does not mean condoning or minimizing sinful behavior, especially that which harms others.

It’s obvious she’s unrepetnent and proud. Just read what she wrote about herself, it’s clear as glass.

I don’t know what the heck you mean by “bashing” homsoexuals, but I help run the Homosexual Agenda ping list and I critize homosexual behavior and the agenda as much as I can because it harms people, families and the social fabric. So does abortion, so does promiscuity, so does the huge increase in illegitimate and fatherless children, etc.

The Bible may not use the phrase “crime against nature” but it’s also crystal clear from all scriptures including those of other religions, as well as biology, common sense, and news articles, that homosexuality is indeed a crime against nature.

Ever heard of Tough Love? Love the sinner but not the sin? We are not supposed to give up our God given discrimination and send of judgement. Everyone makes choices every day - what to listen to, how to spend money, what to say and not to say, what to read and what not to read, who to look up to or associate with, who not to, etc etc. We use our judgement, based on wisdom and intelligence, to make those choices. Love for God and all of God’s creatures doesn’t mean giving up our intelligent discrimination and use of judgement.

I noticed that Amy Grant seems to have "returned to Christian music" also. Perhaps it is because her secular career was dying. IIRC, Amy was divorced. Divorce has wrought terrible damage on our society, yet it is winked at and tolerated, by and large. Who does more harm, a hetero divorcee who leaves confused and destabilized offspring in his/her quest for personal fulfillment, or a monogamous lesbian who has no children? There are millions of selfish divorced heterosexuals--far more than there are lesbians.

I think there is an obsession with homosexuality here on FR. Predatory, promiscuous male homosexuals are a threat, but so are predatory, promiscuous heterosexuals, who get a pass from many FReepers. Monogamous lesbians are another thing altogether. Lesbians tend to be much less promiscuous than male gays.

No one is ever going to convince me that homosexuality can compete with heterosexuality, no matter how much gays may seek to "recruit" among the young. "Nature" and instinct will always favor the latter. What is really the threat to the family and to human society is the hedonistic, selfish, totally unChristian lifestyle which is found both in the gay and hetero communities today. The only legitimate form of sexuality, both in terms of biology and Christian ethics, is that within faithful, monogamous, heterosexual marriage. The real division which matters is between selfishness and self-sacrificing love. We are taught that the proper love between man and woman is like that of Christ for the church. Are you as disturbed at how few heterosexuals live that way as you are about homosexuality?

I don't give a bleep what other "religions" think about "crimes against nature," let alone what the world's people think. Christianity is not another "religion"; it is obedience to and imitation of the Lord Jesus.

Remember that God is not willing that anyone should perish, and that homosexuality is not inherently worse than adultery, promiscuity, or other sins.

I would disagree with that. Homosexuality was consider "abomination". In practical terms, homosexuality is "inherently" more destructive than is adultery.

In addition to injuring relationships, homosexuality also comes with tremendous biological and psychological injury, and it is a rejection of natural order.

Abominations caused great pain and/or great injury.

I place my faith in the holy scriptures. Where does it say that homosexuality is inherently more sinful than adultery? Why do the 10 Commandments specifically condemn adultery, while making no mention of homosexuality? How many gays are there, vs. the no. of hetero. adulterers? Marital cheating deeply wounds those who are cheated, both male and female. Divorce creates millions of confused and deeply disturbed children. I’ve known men who lived in poverty supporting children whom they were never allowed to see. Their suffering is beyond measure. Only about 1% of the population is homosexual, while something like 30% of children are born without an intact family. What is the greater “crime against nature?” What is harming society more?. Let’s get real here. I am not excusing homosexuality. I am trying to awaken people to the fact that the heterosexual hedonistic lifestyle is a far worse threat, affecting more people, yet many conservatives wink at the problem. The male homosexual lifestyle is also promiscuous, but quantitatively far less significant than the promiscuous and non-committed hetero lifestyle.

Of course I am extremely disturbed about all the evils that are not only induged in by so many today but activetly promoted, and indeed, forced down our throats constantly not only by the media but by government.

That is why I started the Moral Absolutes ping list a few years ago.

The homosexual agenda is extremely detrimental to society and is now backed up by law - kids in schools across the country (and in other countries such as the UK) are now actively recruited into the “gay life” starting from kindergarten. The “sex positive” agenda goes all the way from the homosexual agenda, to lowering (evenutally with the goal to elminate entirely) age of consent laws, teaching little children that all sexual acitivity is beneficial including teaching them to masturbate, and so on.

The entire agenda is evil, and the homosexual agenda is the lynchpin. I’m sorry you do not see this, and perhaps you should look into GLSEN and other recruitment efforts.

Also, I do care what the religions of the world say because they are all in agreement that sexuality is for committed monogamous marriage, and in the US although overwhelmingly - and nominally - Christian, there are also many members of other religions. I’d like to see people of all faiths band together to fight the evil of degradation of culture to protect the family and children from the onslaught of immorality and hedonism, of which the homosexual agenda is the engine in many ways.

The bible specifically labels homosexuality as an abomination.

Leviticus 20:13 YLT `And a man who lieth with a male as one lieth with a woman; abomination both of them have done; they are certainly put to death; their blood [is] on them.

It required a death penalty under the law, because the harm was so great.

It is continued in:

Romans 1: 24 Wherefore also God did give them up, in the desires of their hearts, to uncleanness, to dishonour their bodies among themselves; 25 who did change the truth of God into a falsehood, and did honour and serve the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed to the ages. Amen. 26 Because of this did God give them up to dishonourable affections, for even their females did change the natural use into that against nature; 27 and in like manner also the males having left the natural use of the female, did burn in their longing toward one another; males with males working shame, and the recompense of their error that was fit, in themselves receiving. 28 And, according as they did not approve of having God in knowledge, God gave them up to a disapproved mind, to do the things not seemly

Were David and Bathsheba put to death?

I applaud you in starting the Moral Absolutes ping. I certainly agree that the gay lobby has been successful in glamorizing their lifestyle and depicting it as normal. I view homosexuality as a mental aberration, but one not likely to ever gain mass acceptance. My main concern is that heterosexual sins are winked at by most conservatives. The epidemic of divorce and illegitimacy is far more disastrous to society than homosexuality, which is a fringe phenomenon, yet you seldom see conservatives ranting and raving about divorce, fornication, and infidelity. Jesus said that those who lead these little ones into sin would be better off if the had a millstone tied around their necks. Who leads more little ones into sin: the tens of millions of divorced parents, the tens of millions of unmarried parents, or the few thousand gays who, by their very nature, cannot reproduce? Our country is inundated with fatherless children, many of them destined to lives of crime and /or poverty. It wasn't gays who brought them into being, then abandoned them. Meanwhile, I know of lesbian couples who support adopted children abandoned by others. Now who is more guilty of leading little innocent ones into sin and suffering?

Again, I as a Christian do not give a bleep what Muslims or any other primitive cult believes about "crimes against nature." No so-called "religion" has a track record of caring about the innocent, or forgiving the sinner, the way Christianity does.

When I discuss moral absolutes as taught in all the religions of the world, I leave out Islam, just fyi.

I do agree that no one should “wink” at other sins, particularly sexual sins. But by normalizing homosexual and legalizing it - including legal protection, all other sexual sins are made “cleaner” by comparison. It is the vanguard to normalize all illiicit sex, including pedophilia and bestiality. Homosexuals are driven to change the world to suit them, and they are busy doing just that. It is not a fringe phenomenon, as you would see if you read even a fraction of the articles pinged out to the Homosexual Agenda pinglist. It is indeed not only gaining mass acceptance, but laws are being enacted, or judicial decisions, forcing people to hire, rent to, placate, listen to, learn about homosexuality in every form, from “Gay Pride” parades, homosexuals adopting and fostering children, clubs in schools and so on.

Books promoting homosexuality are read to children in public schools starting in the lowest grades - “Heather Has Two Mommies” - but I’ve never heard of books called “Mommy Works at the Strip Club” or “Boyfriend number 10 Watches Porn while Mommy Goes to the Welfare Office”. Of course those behaviors are destructive and evil. But so far those behaviors are not forced on us as normal and natural by law, yet.

Homosexuality is.

I agree with you heartily about the attempts of the gay lobby to mainstream their lifestyle and to legalize abominations like "gay marriage," which most male homosexuals are not really interested in or capable of, anyway. I am just disturbed at the way that the far more significant (quantitatively) heterosexual sins of fornication, adultery, and divorce are tolerated and even laughed about. The Gospel says that women should obey their husbands, and men should love their wives "as Christ loved the church," i.e. sacrificially, unto death. How many times has anyone ranted and raved about the failure of heterosexuals to meet that commandment? Of course it is a hard one; in fact it's impossible to fully meet it. That's why we need and have a Savior. But the law, the law of absolute, self-abnegating love, has not changed. God's desire is heterosexual love leading to the production of children who are also to be enveloped in love. How many heterosexuals in today's materialistic, hedonistic culture live out that teaching? Since sex is really about reproduction, sex as a mere fulfillment of "personal fulfillment" is also a "crime against nature." Abortion is certainly a "crime against nature." How many people who rant against homosexuality realize what the real problem is, and seek to end all forms of sex which are merely gratifications of selfish lust?

"We are all sinful! We are all imperfect. If we deny forgiveness to others, the Gospel is clear that we do not deserve it ourselves."

Our forgiveness will not absolve her of her, sin. She needs to ask God for forgiveness and repent. Unfortunately, the people she will surround herself with will probably act as enablers giving her a pat on the back and telling her it's ok.
"22. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
23. And then will I profess unto them , I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. Matthew Chapter 7"

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.