Thursday, April 22, 2010
Jennifer Knapp
That's Jennifer Knapp. She was really big in Christian music between 1998 and 2003, when she just disappeared.
Here are the words to one of my favorite songs. She composed it. I've used it in worship:
HOLD ME NOW
From glass alabaster she poured out the depth of her soul
O foot of Christ would you wait if her harlotry's known?
Falls a tear to darken the dirt
Of humblest offerings to forgive the hurt
She is strong enough to stand in your love
I can hear her say....
I'm weak
I'm poor
I'm broken, Lord
But I'm your's
Hold me now, hold me now
"Let he without sin cast the first stone if you will
To say that my bride isn't worth half the blood that I've spilled
Point your finger and laugh if you choose
To say my beloved is borrowed and used
She is strong enough to stand in My love
I can hear her say...."
I'm weak
I'm poor
I'm broken, Lord
But I'm your's
Hold me now, hold me now
Jennifer resurfaced recently, complete with a new album (her first in many years) and the statement that she was living in a committed, same-sex relationship. She is now under attack by one segment of Christians. She is finding her music banned from Christian radio. She is attacked in reviews on iTunes and amazon.com.
I tried to come to her rescue on amazon, and am now referred to by some on a particular message board as a "Christian pastor," the quotation marks being necessary because I can't possibly be a Christian pastor and celebrate the art, gift and soul of this woman because of who she loves.
I gave up on it. I have also pre-ordered her new album on iTunes. The video clip above is a song from that album, due for release in early May.
The song "Hold Me Now" has frequently moved me and others in my congregation to tears. There are times when you hear an artist singing his/her work that you can immediately sense just how deeply they have lived what they are singing. I strongly recommend you go to iTunes and download the song "Hold Me Now" right now -- the live version is most emotive and moving.
I also strongly recommend you speak out for those who might otherwise be shouted down. God does beautiful things in our lives. What a shame that some would rather be blind, deaf and quite DUMB (in the more modern sense of the word) than even consider the fact that they can neither predict nor control who God will love and through whom the Spirit will work.
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That was one of my fondest moments, performing Hold Me Now with Tony. One, because I was honored you'd asked me to sing it, but also it took a lot of endurance to sing. It was one of the few songs that I had to choke down tears in order to sing it.
ReplyDeleteBut the energy singing this song steals your breath! I mean first of all she sings her arse off, and also you just shake with each word because you are inheriting the voice of the subject and that desperation of acceptance, the proclamation of worth and value, and the knowledge that in the end it was recognized... that's deep, way deep.
You really made that song your own, Kristin, and it was one of the most moving performances I have witnessed... and I have witnessed a lot of moving performances at our church. Tony was, of course, sensitive and magical in his playing, and you WERE that woman at Jesus' feet!
ReplyDeleteSo often we Christians stone our prophets. It is sinful to attempt to shut Jennifer Knapp out. Her honesty, integrity and passion would be sorely missed!
In my brain, over and over, this lyric from childhood:
ReplyDeleteThe building block that was rejected
Became the cornerstone of a whole new world
May we not be too quick to reject good things.
This interview with Jennifer just came up in my Twitter feed: http://bit.ly/aRz0I8
ReplyDeleteI love the final part:
"At this young point in my journey of Christian faith, I’m still a baby in my faith, and I’m still learning the process, and I’m still seeking to understand the full concept of what it means to be a follower of Christ, what it means to be a person who learns through this mysterious sacred text of the Holy Bible. It’s confounding. It’s mysterious. And the moment we are the stumbling block on the road, it’s a woeful position to be in. I think we’ve all been in it at one time or another, thwarting other people’s paths, as well as our own. And for me, the overriding spirit of who we are as believers is to continue to understand we are on a road, a journey toward that ultimate holiness. It confounds me."
Alas, if only Jennifer's critics on iTunes, Amazon, or wherever, shared this same philosophy... They too would understand that they don't have all the answers, and therefore would hopefully be more open and loving.
An eye-opening interview with a very intelligent, gifted person. I think I'll check out some of her music in order to learn more...
Thanks for sharing this, Mike! She works so hard in this interview to avoid criticizing those who are so vociferously criticizing her. A gentle soul, for sure.
ReplyDeleteHere is an article in her own words:http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2010/05/19/my-take-on-fear-faith-and-being-gay/
ReplyDelete