Rev. Joe: Facing the Music

I referenced this book earlier while still reading it, after coming upon it in the new book section at the local library.  Don't recall being familiar with her work though she sounds good from what I can tell.  Have read some autobiographical works with a religious context, but what got me hooked was the writing, and it's not a "written with" affair either.  The fact she timed her birth by opening her book with a reference to Roe v Wade didn't hurt, given my long held interest in that decision! 

It is a striking personal account as she discussed growing up in the Midwest with her dad and twin sister --  the union between her mom and dad a youthful one that didn't last -- struggling with her stepmother, finding the power of music and later Christian faith but later needing to take a break from the contemporary Christian music world she entered ... oh, and discovering she is a lesbian.  Early on this young lady pops up, who most know these days as Katy Perry.  But, you won't find much name dropping.

You can get a sense of her story in this long article that was part of her coming out practice (she noted at one point out in the book many Christians don't want GLBT people to "come out" though might be able to handle those like her that many thought might be GLBT - so, you are saying they can be "straight" or gay, if they aren't "straight with" you?).  Knapp notes she is a private person.  This comes out in the book.  You get a sense of her immediate family in her early years, but then it is largely a solitary affair. Once her sister leaves to live with their mom, e.g., she in effect disappears from the narrative.  Two half-siblings only get a passing reference.  It does hurt the overall narrative some.  The sister issue particularly is strange.  Is their relationship okay?  JN's partner does get some attention, but the account is on some level -- especially late -- a rather solitary affair.

Still, told with honesty and introspection, her journey is a good read. She explains how music comes from inside of her and is a fundamental means of self-expression. Knapp honestly discusses her troubles as a teen, including with alcohol, and how a fellow college student helped her survive and was the bridge to evangelical Christianity (religion not a big thing in her family growing up).  Her existing talent and love for music was put into practice here and led to a singing career in the Contemporary Christian Music (CCM) genre. She felt overwhelmed at some point and felt compelled to take a break.  Her budding realization that of lesbianism was also taking place, but JN says this is not the reason she took a break. That is, it is not like she was driven out of the business for that reason.

It is all very down to earth. Then, we are reminded that we are dealing with a CCM music star with some serious cash reserves -- she basically spends the next three or four years traveling the U.S., Europe and Australia with her partner, a former road manager with whom she fell in love.  This takes, oh let's say about fifty pages or so, and it kind of turned me off.  It's still well written and all, but it is a bit overwhelming and makes her into some well off celebrity sort that is harder to relate to on a basic level as before.  It was appreciated when it was time for her to re-start her career and formally out herself to the world/fans. Finally, again, it was a bit off how -- except for some references to her mom (supportive) -- her growing up family (since the word has various connotations) basically was never brought up. 

Since Christian faith/belief serves an important part of her life story, her discussion of her own story here is an important part of the account. Her journey here is somewhat atypical, even beyond the lesbian angle. The negative feedback and personal feelings of doubt that she could be a good "Christian" (a term applied particularly by evangelicals to mean a lot more than believing Christ is the Lord and Savior) was a dark part of her story.  There are all sorts of Christians and this is but one account.

JN says she is not the person to ask regarding trying to use scriptural verses or the like to show why being LGBT (or divorced or whatever) is not a ban from being a good Christian. She spent time reading the Bible and so forth when she first truly had a personal "Pauline" moment as a college student, but is not one to go that route.  This is fairly common -- the Bible is rich with material and I welcome analysis and research here, but the average person isn't out there quoting stuff. OTOH, it might be more likely for the type of evangelical Christianity types she used to hang with, as she notes.

Some do try to paper over references, at times going as far as saying the negative stuff is akin to eating shellfish. There is some overcompensation going on here though some of the verses are particularly concerned about certain types of practices, like male/boy relationships. I think this negative account of the references (that is, negatively as to the morality of homosexuality) is more true as to "original understanding" as some try to spin. The better point there is that it is wrong to focus so much on this and it out of date social rule making. The core problem for Paul, e.g., seems to be that it is "unnatural" and a rebellion against proper sex roles. The really anti-feminist verses in his epistles largely are result of later writers (see, e.g., "Timothy"), but are not equally taken any where as seriously. Women, e.g., are allowed to speak out in churches.  Re-marriage is often accepted. 

Simply put, if you asked a Jewish scholar type around the time of Jesus if same sex relationships were okay, they were going to say "no." This was largely motivated by outmoded understandings of sexuality and most people probably only familiar with negative cases such as prostitutes or man/boy behavior though even Jewish scholars of the age (e.g., Philo here) who would have known positive arguments in support of homosexuality by some Greeks etc. were against the practice.  Jesus had other things to worry about, but the little he said relevant on the matter assumed the male/woman division of sexual labor. How much this has to do with being "Christian" is unclear, akin to how the Catholic Church claims certain matters of faith are fixed, while recognizing certain social rules change over time.  I have no desire to claim they have been consistent here but there is a notable line all the same.  Changing views on sexual orientation can fit into an overall "Christian" mindset.*

Anyway, Jennifer Knapp did not focus on such debates and self-proclaimed "Christians" (or "Jews" for that matter) find an ability to be spiritual and religious even with a few negative quotes in their sacred texts. The richness of their lives, including religious lives, goes beyond that. 

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* Putting aside if it is really an accurate account, Acts 15 is notable here. The idea is that there was a division on what Gentile converts were required to do to be good Christians. Did they have to follow Jewish law?  A compromise was developed, setting up four simple rules:

¹⁹ “It is my judgment, therefore, that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God. ²⁰ Instead we should write to them, telling them to abstain from food polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from the meat of strangled animals and from blood.

The dietary rules here themselves were softened though abstaining from meat on Fridays, at least during Lent, suggests some continuance of the idea to a limited degree.  The "blood" reference here was originally dietary in nature, but later some took it to mean "murder."

And, then "sexual immorality."  Again, note how this is but one thing, but it is currently by some the one thing that matters more than most.  In fact, the other things aren't even seen as a problem any more, even bloody meat (let's say "game") not seen as irreligious.  But, sexual immorality! Oh no!

Still, the simple commands can be followed here, especially if you are a vegan or vegetarian! Don't favor untrue "gods" like idols. Making eating a sacred act, respectfully do so.  And, be honorable in your sexuality. Same sex relations or "fornication" outside of marriage need not be considered "immorality" if done with respect and care.  Many a married opposite sex couple are more "immoral" here arguably enough.