Lauren Daigle has, through the quality of her work, taken Jesus’s message to secular audiences through the mainstream media, with chart-topping songs and appearances on national television shows like Ellen and Jimmy Fallon.
Recently, she’s come under fire for not taking a bold enough stance on homosexuality. Read her comments here.
When asked if homosexuality was a sin, she responded, in a nutshell, “I don’t know.”
Frankly, I love this answer. “I don’t know,” is one of the best and most under-utilized phrases in the Christian lexicon.
Lauren Daigle isn’t a theologian, she’s not a pastor. She’s a musician and an evangelist. And she’s an effective one.
It is true, some things are sin, and other things are not. But it is not the job of every Christian to go around proclaiming what is and isn’t pleasing to God. Our job as Christians are to connect people with Christ.
And the idea that we’re going to get the answers wrong is a huge barrier to Christians witnessing their faith, a.k.a. “I don’t know enough to share my faith.” Take heart Christians, you do know enough. “I don’t know” is a great answer, and it’s fully at your disposal. We’re here to make the introduction, Jesus has promised to do the heavy lifting.
One we’re engaged in loving, Christ-centered community, then, and only then, do we have opportunities to address the sin in each other’s lives, to spur each other on towards holiness.
Pastors are called to shepherd individuals as they sort out their lives, and figure out which parts looks like God, and which parts look like the world. Evangelists have no such responsibility, and in most cases it’s counter-effective.
There are anecdotes of evangelists who point out sin, thereby convicting their audience and moving them to redemption. But this is the exception.
“But God demonstrates his love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8) I encounter so many individuals who feel they’re unqualified for God’s love. They want to get cleaned up, so they can connect with God. The reality is quite the opposite! We must connect with God first, so that we can get cleaned up.
“And when [the Holy Spirit] comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment.” (John 16:8) It is the Holy Spirit’s job to fix people, and He’s far better at it than we are.
This question on homosexuality was planted by the devil. As she takes Jesus’s love through the main stream media, is it any surprise he’s displeased? And it’s the perfect trap. Put her in a position to affirm homosexuality as a sin and sideline her real message and the venues through which she’s shared, or to not affirm and face the wrath of evangelicals. Let’s not give the devil a double victory in this.
Who wins if she answers, “Yes, homosexuality is sin.” Her message loses its relevance, and the devil gains the victory. And if she answers, “No, homosexuality is not sin.” She indeed subverts the truth of scripture and the devil wins there too.
And let us assume that she did not give a calculated response, but a genuine reflection of her thoughts! She is allowed to be in process. She is allowed to still be sorting out and learning! God doesn’t call us to ministry because we’re perfect. He calls us to ministry when we’re willing to put ourselves on the line and persevere for the cross, sometimes facing criticism and persecution from all sides.
If the standard for bearing Christ to the world is perfection, who among us will evangelize? If the standard for speaking publicly is knowing everything, who of us will lead?
Even if she has made a grave mistake, should we burn down the work that she’s done for the cause of Christ? Is this how we reflect the love of Jesus? Of course not.
Lauren Daigle is not perfect. She is much like me in that regard. As Christians, we stand together against the schemes of the devil to entangle us and tear us down. I stand for Lauren Daigle because she is my sister in Christ. And if we should end up in community together, then and only then, and privately, we can have a conversation about the finer points of her theology and her life.
Lauren Daigle is not a prophet, a pastor, or a thought-leader. She has not sought opportunities to change church culture or policy. She’s an evangelist who has worked hard to open new doors for her message, by the quality of her hard work. She has been successful in her mission, and she was ambushed.
“Therefore, encourage one another and build each other up.” (1 Thessalonians 5:11)
Let’s empower and support her as she takes her Holy-Spirit-inspired message to the masses.