On July 12, Amy Grant appeared on Apple Music’s Proud Radio with host Hunter Kelly. She participated as part of a conversation about the LGBTQ community’s place in Country music. She was also there, in part, to promote the 30th anniversary of the release of one of the most significant albums in Contemporary Christian Music history, her Heart in Motion.
Grant’s name and her rise to popularity in the 1970s is synonymous with CCM. And Heart in Motion, with songs like “Baby, Baby,” cut the path for today’s Christian crossover artists, like Needtobreathe and Lauren Daigle. In addition, Grant’s influence on other artists is axiomatic, and many owe their careers to her Christlike, selfless support (such a moment is featured in the film I Can Only Imagine).
I say that to say this—even a Christian whose reputation is nearly iconic and whose influence is generally beneficial can sometimes be just plain wrong.
Before I continue, I’ll admit that I am extracting and somewhat interpreting her meaning from words she spoke in the moment, and from that I am applying both affirmation and criticism. But I think this is fair for two reasons. First, she knew the purpose of the podcast and the subject matter before she arrived, so she was prepared to respond. And second, I am interpreting what she said the same way Kelly himself did, as shown in a lengthy string of his Twitter posts that followed the interview.
In the interview Grant exhibited the tendency of cultural Christians to conflate something that is right with something that is wrong, something that is biblical with something that is unbiblical. And to elevate preferences above truth.
Here’s what I mean.
First she got it right
Grant described to Kelly, who is gay, how she thinks Christians should interact with the LGBTQ community. She told Kelly that she believes it’s important to “set a welcome table” to all people, regardless of sexual orientation.
“Who loves us more than the One who made us?” she said. “None of us are a surprise to God. Nothing about who we are or what we’ve done. That’s why, to me, it’s so important to set a welcome table.…Gay. Straight. It does not matter.”
So far, so good. She affirms a simple and prominent biblical truth that, sadly, Christians tend to forget. God created everyone, and He wants to have a relationship with all people (2 Peter 3:9). His love doesn’t hinge on who we are, how we behave, or what we look like. It hinges on who He is (John 3:16, Rom. 3:23).
Jesus embodied this truth. Jesus readily ate with people, laughed with people, and loved on people that the Pharisees called “unclean” and unfit to be around (Luke 5:27-32). And there is no stronger illustration of God’s unconditional love than Jesus’ death on the cross motivated solely by God’s willingness to love people unconditionally—even before they knew they needed grace and forgiveness (Rom 5:8).
So, yes, God loves all people, because He created all people, and His love is not contingent on how we behave (Ps. 8:3-8, Rom. 8:38-39). But does that mean it doesn’t matter how we behave?
But then she got it wrong
With one fluid motion, Grant immediately transitioned into a common error, especially popular in our postmodern culture, when she extrapolated from this fundamental biblical truth a wholly unbiblical falsehood.
She said, “It doesn’t matter how we behave. It doesn’t matter how we’re wired. We’re all our best selves when we believe to our core, ‘I’m loved.’ And then our creativity flourishes. We’re like, ‘I’m gonna arrange flowers on your table and my table.’ When we’re loved, we’re brave enough to say yes to every good impulse that comes to us.”
Translation: Unconditional love is the same thing as unconditional approval. That is to say, because God loves us, He condones any “impulse” we might have or behavior we prefer. And we must do the same for one another.
But nothing could be farther from biblical truth.
Does it matter how you behave? Of course it does. The Bible teaches that your conduct is the product of your character, and your character is the product of your spiritual condition. But Grant’s point reflects our cultural falsehood. That is, that it shouldn’t matter to other people “how you behave” if they truly love you like God loves you.
In her defense, Grant is an entertainer, not a theologian. But this is not thick theology that needs research to comprehend. Nor is it a foggy principle that requires hours of discussion to clarify. “It doesn’t matter how you behave” is simply unbiblical. Wholly, consistently, and obviously unbiblical. And it doesn’t follow from the first assertion at all. God loves me, sure. But God cares a lot about how I behave. Why? Because–He loves me.
In other words, unconditional love is not the same thing as unconditional approval.
How God loves
Unconditional love—God’s love—embraces the humanity of those in need and those in sin, but such love is too loving to approve of all that we do. Instead, true, biblical love acknowledges the truth about who we are, and that includes a clear grasp of the sin that keeps us from a relationship with God. God doesn’t celebrate our sin. He exposes it so that we can be forgiven (1 Cor. 13:6).
Jesus loved the Samaritan woman enough to point out her sin (John 4:1-18). Jesus ate with sinners, but He did not affirm their sin or approve of their behavior (Mark 2:13-17). Jesus rescued the woman caught in adultery, but He pointed out the sins of both the presumptuous religious leaders and the adulterous woman. And He told her, “Go, and sin no more” (John 8:1-11).
God detests our sinful behavior. That behavior is produced by the corrupt nature that causes us to sin (Rom. 7:24). And to claim that such sin does not exist, or that our behavior must be confirmed rather than cleansed, or approved rather than confessed, is an unbiblical fallacy that prevents us from having a relationship with our Creator through Jesus Christ (1 John 1:8).
And sometimes that corrupt nature produces “impulses” that are contrary to God’s design for us. That is why, in His unconditional love, God does not embrace and validate any behavior that simply bubbles to the surface of human nature. Sexual sins particularly fall into this category because those sins are contrary to His created order and His design for humanity (Rom. 1:26-27, Heb. 13:4, 1 Thess. 4:3-4).
By accommodating to culture, Amy Grant missed an opportunity to explain one of the most powerful truths of God’s unconditional love. That is, that real unconditional love is not the same thing as unconditional approval. It’s better than that.
That’s good news! God brings you to Himself not to affirm your behavior, but to forgive you and change your life by giving you a new nature in Christ (2 Cor. 5:17, Rom. 6:4, 23). He wants you to produce behavior that pleases Him. And He loves you enough to help you do that (1 John 1:9).
Because after all, it matters how you behave.
But God proves his own love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Romans 5:8
Thank you! So clear, so precise.
Thank you!
Thank you. Sadly, our culture has chosen to celebrate life styles that are plainly displeasing to God.
So true! Thank you!
I can’t believe Amy. So disappointed in her. Never again will I listen to her singing or anything else she dies. She needs to go back to the altar and the Bible.
Extremely important topic. I was stunned when I discovered this about Amy. She was a favorite in my spiritual youth. Her life choices seem to indicate a slide toward compromise. But, clearly, she adopted a post-modern, relativistic philosophy. Thank you for a thoughtful and concise article. I plan to share it where I have influence.
Thank you!
I really think we are seeing the great falling away spoken in thessalonians
Interesting point! We are definitely moving in that direction. Thanks for weighing in!
Yes, I would definitely say we are in that time of rebellion mentioned in 2 Thessalonians 2:3. We can clearly see the deception of the “professing church” everywhere. Especially those false teachers we see on TV. It’s rampant and we should not be surprised, because we were told this would happen in the last days.
Thank you so much for this article! It was spot on and also clearly written with compassion. I can tell you care deeply for Amy and the church, as do I. We want to help our brothers and sisters who are believing false teachings, or are seeking the approval of the world. They have forgotten Jesus made it very clear we are to carry our own cross (Luke 14:27). Professing Christians today are listening to a message of “Me, Myself, and I”. Christians are not reading their bibles which is why they are stuck in false teachings of the world. True Christians will suffer persecution when we are to take a stand for God’s truth. Sadly, the professing church is not taking a stand, because they are seeking the approval of the world. They will surly regret this decision. (Luke 6:26) I pray their eyes be opened before it’s too late.
Thank you!
Wouldn’t you agree that it would be a misinterpretation of her words to say EVERY behavior doesn’t matter? I think it’s a safe assumption that if specifically asked about mass genocide, she would take a strong stand that it is not Christian or following God’s heart. Thus, given the context, this statement is specifically around homosexual/gay relationships. Don’t you think that changes the conversation? Instead of talking about whether there is any right or wrong in the world, we are talking about whether we should speak out against gay and homosexual relationships.
So our reaction should be very careful lest we find ourselves receiving the same admonition of the religious leaders of Jesus’ day. Jesus’ harshest words were towards those in the church. I can’t find any examples of him telling the outcasts and marginalized to get their acts together to be “in”. How many of us have come alongside the gay, the homosexuals, and the marginalized? Are they eating in our houses? Are our churches seeking them out? Alas, we are instead too obsessed with who is in and who is out. We should examine our hearts lest we find ourselves standing beside the pharisees and sadducees of old. Would Jesus or the church be more likely to kick Amy Grant out of their circle because they were morally superior?
Thank you for your thoughtful response! I appreciate very much your interaction. Yes, in part I would agree. In the blog I admitted that we have to take into account the context of her comments. But I don’t think that changes the conversation, but only the application of the principle. A biblical principle is universally applicable. So, I don’t know if it would be a “misinterpretation” of her words since I am applying a biblical principle. And if she would apply it differently in different contexts, I would offer that seems to assume that biblical principles can be malleable in the context– which is not biblical. But I wholeheartedly agree that the church has let down the “marginalized.” We need to do better. Even so, Jesus did in fact point out the sin of both the marginalized and the religious — such as the woman at the well, the woman caught in adultery, and the man born blind, to name a few. I don’t think Jesus would “kick out” Amy Grant or the marginalized, either one. I think that He would love both enough to point out their sin and call them back to Him. My point remains– to “come alongside” or to show unconditional love is not the same thing as unconditional approval. Thank you!
Thank you for telling the truth of what God’s Word says concerning behaviors being changed once we understand God’s incredible love and sacrifice through Jesus death and resurrection for us. Only He has the power to transform us but we have to be willing and open to that love. I have grown up with Amy Grant and her music has been part of my faith walk and it is sad to see that she seems to be embracing the cultural depravity around us through her new songs about Trees We’ll Never See and her newest one What You Heard where she uses a swear word. Is that what Christian music has come to? It just made me cry when I heard it. Why is she embracing the world and it’s accolades over her faith in Jesus?
Thank you so much for your input. I share the same concerns, but it is hard to know why some Christians change course. The best we can do is pray for her!