In a culture dominated by sharp opinions, admitting uncertainty comes at a cost. The Christian musician Lauren Daigle just learned that lesson the hard way.
The Grammy-nominated singer’s woes began in late October, when she appeared on Ellen: The Ellen DeGeneres Show to perform her newest single, “Still Rolling Stones.” Many of her conservative religious fans lashed out following the performance, since the show’s host is an openly gay woman. But Daigle, 27, defended her decision in a radio interview:
I think the second we start drawing lines around which people are able to be approached and which aren’t, we’ve already completely missed the heart of God … I don’t have all the answers in life, and I’m definitely not gonna act like I do, but the one thing that I know for sure is I can’t choose who I’m supposed to be kind to and who I’m supposed to show love to and who I’m not, because that’s the mission right?
That silenced the naysayers, but only momentarily. This week, another radio host asked her directly about whether she believed that homosexuality was sinful, and Daigle responded that she wasn’t sure.
“I can’t honestly answer on that,” Daigle said. “In a sense, I have too many people that I love that they are homosexual. I don’t know. I actually had a conversation with someone last night about it. I can’t say one way or the other. I’m not God.”
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When the clip of her interview was posted online, it drew condemnation from conservative Christians. A writer at The Christian Post said Daigle had been tested by God and “failed,” choosing instead to “fraternize” with the devil by not condemning homosexuality. A Townhall columnist argued that Daigle had given in to “the temptations that come with fame and influence” and called on Christians to pray for her to change course. The conservative-Christian author John Burton claimed that Daigle’s ambiguity compromised biblical truth and that now “millions are at risk of deception.” Many on Twitter quickly declared that she could no longer be considered a Christian.