No, I’m Not Trash Talking Lauren Daigle
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A few days ago, Christian Comedian John Crist, went on an Instagram rant about those who have criticized the recent interview with Lauren Daigle in which she punted on whether or not homosexuality is a sin.
In his rant, he accused those who are holding her accountable to her words of “trash talk”.
Take a listen:
So @johnbcrist went off on people criticizing @Lauren_Daigle for sidestepping the question on homosexuality pic.twitter.com/WF2v4rPx9y
— Tré Goins-Phillips ???? (@tregp) December 20, 2018
I want to be open and transparent: I am not a John Crist fan. I don’t think that his type of comedy is helpful to the Kingdom in any way.
I find it cynical and mocking, and while I think that Christians can and should be lighthearted and not take ourselves too seriously, we need to discern between that which can be made into comedy and that which is sacred.
Now – on to his rant….
I only want to take three points out of his rant and address them; because I don’t want to these important issues to get lost amidst the many other minor issues I have with what he said (and there are many).
1. “Lauren Daigle…has done more for the kingdom in year than you will do in five lifetimes.”
How can one determine that Lauren Daigle has done more for the Kingdom in a year than we have done in five lifetimes?
Where is the measuring stick for that, and who is doing the measuring?
Here’s the thing: if man is doing that measuring, the results will vary greatly from person to person because we see through a glass darkly. What one person believe is “for the kingdom” another will consider personal gain.
It is God who does the measuring and He doesn’t share the results.
But let’s humor John Crist for a moment and pretend he’s right:
Even if she had done more for the kingdom in a year than we have in five lifetimes, does it justify the fact that she was ignorant of God’s Word on a vitally important issue that is literally the difference between eternity in heaven or hell?
I’m asking, because it genuinely matters for the kingdom.
2. “You’re going to come out with your pious….Lauren Daigle trash talk…then shut up.”
I’d argue that this discussion isn’t trash talk; it is an important issue that needs to be discussed. And here’s why:
It is vitally important (and I can’t stress the word “vitally” enough) that we know with 100% certainly, without a shadow of a doubt, where we stand on this issue.
“I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom: Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables. But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.” 2 Timothy 4:1-5
Lauren Daigle is a leader in the body of Christ by virtue of her platform.
Read my thoughts on her interview here in this post: Beware of the Modern Day Judaizers
If we are not allowed to hold our leaders to a higher standard and expect them to be able to rightly divide the Word of truth, we are in very real trouble as the body of Christ.
And the world is in an even worse state, because if we cannot accurately with with certainty call sin what is then there is no longer a standard by which to call a sinner what he is – a sinner.
If we can no longer discern a sinner from a justified person, then every man is left to his own measurement of righteousness, and that leaves the unbeliever in their condition without Christ.
And we have thus thrown away the commission given to us by Jesus Christ.
We have walked away from our mission.
And we carry on with our lives not caring that millions of people will spend the rest of eternity in the unbelievable torment of hell and separation from God.
But to take this even further:
In these situations when our leaders do not hold to a biblical standard, the body of Christ as a responsibility and obligation to discern and hold them to that standard.
To fail in this role is irresponsible and is dangerous to the body.
When a physical body fails to discern bad bacteria from good bacteria, and allows bad bacteria to remain in the body, it will grow, multiply, and cause serious illness – even death – in the body.
The body was created to discern good bacteria from the bad and to fight off the bad bacteria.
In the same way, the body of Christ has been given God’s Word as the measuring tool by which we discern good and bad doctrine. And those who preach an erroneous or bad doctrine should be held accountable; because failure to do so will allow the bad doctrine to grow, overtake the body, and cause serious damage – even death – to our body.
And I must once again repeat – the Kingdom is at stake!
People’s eternal destinations are at play here, this is serious business and must be taken seriously.
3. “…then every tweet, every song that gets played, every post, every Instagram that glorifies the name of the Lord you should just be celebrating like ‘ Thank you, we love you!'”
In other words, unless you’re going to celebrate everything these Christian celebrity leaders say and do, then you need to shut up and sit down.
“Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world.” 1 John 4:1
My final thoughts:
In my post Beware of the Modern Judaizers, I placed the greater blame on the pastors who fail to preach the full gospel, and who preach more political correctness and social justice than God’s Word.
But this absolves no Christian in America of their responsibility and obligation to know the Word.
We have access to God’s Word, as well as countless, reliable theological tools; and most of these tools are free and readily available online.
As leaders in the body – and as stated earlier, Lauren Daigle is a leader in the body – we are obligated to know and understand what the Bible says about sin and the seriousness of sin.
Holding our leaders to a high standard of theological understanding and biblical principle isn’t trash-talk, it is biblical discernment, a gift given to us by the Holy Spirit for the health and well-being of the body.
Well said. I wholly agree.