Sonic Theology

Former Avalon member Melissa Greene is drawing attention after openly challenging traditional Christian views on homosexuality, arguing that Christian music and church life have long relied on the contributions of q***r people while refusing to fully acknowledge or affirm them. Speaking on Jen Hatmaker’s podcast, Greene said many churches and ministries have benefited from the gifts of gay individuals in worship and Christian music, but only so long as their identity remained hidden.

Greene’s remarks place the spotlight on a growing divide within Christianity over how the church should view homosexuality, Scripture, and inclusion. She suggested that her own theology changed over time as she questioned what she had been taught and came to believe that full LGBTQ inclusion should be embraced in both ministry and church life.

For many believers holding to historic biblical teaching, the comments reflect a broader effort to reinterpret Scripture on homosexuality and reshape Christian doctrine around modern cultural values. The discussion surrounding Greene and the rerelease of Testify to Love has therefore become about more than music. It has become part of the larger battle over biblical truth, repentance, sexuality, and the future direction of the Church.

Melissa Greene says people in the industry always knew there were gay artists in Christian music: 'They just thought, as long as the audience doesn't know, it's fine.' https://churchleaders.com/news/2218790-avalon-melissa-greene-jen-hatmaker-christian-music-q***r-people.html

“Worship music can move and manipulate emotions, even shape belief. Songs with lengthy interludes slowly build anticipation toward a familiar hook. Or the band drops out so voices sing out when the chorus hits.

But current concerns about the manipulative power of worship music seem to have less to do with musical style and taste than with the people and institutions involved in the making and performance of it,” wrote Kelsey Kramer McGinnis in 2023.

The question we should ask is “whether those of us responsible for the worship set were trustworthy stewards and shepherds of the experience.”
https://chrst.today/4s2DjLr

A new version of the CCM classic “Testify to Love” has sparked debate after being embraced by LGBTQ+ Christians. Former Avalon members Michael Passons and Melissa Greene, along with Ty Herndon, rereleased the song with a message declaring, “God’s love is for everyone. No exceptions.”

Passons, who says he was removed from Avalon for being gay, called the project a testimony that “love does not exclude.” Greene agreed, saying the song now gets to “mean what it always said.”

While critics such as Denny Burk argue the song was never intended as a gay-affirming anthem, some of the original songwriters appear to support the rerelease.

Cowriter Henk Pool said he hopes people hear that “God’s love is for all of us,” while songwriter Paul Field stated the song was “always meant to be about inclusivity.”

When emilie m. townes (who styles her name in lowercase) first entered the world of theology, she noticed a glaring omission: the lived religious experiences of Black women and girls were largely absent from academic study.

Inspired by writers like Alice Walker and other pioneering scholars, townes helped shape womanism, a framework that centers Black women’s spirituality, ethics, joy, and resistance. Now joining Boston University School of Theology as the Martin Luther King, Jr., Professor of Religion and Black Studies, she is expanding that mission beyond the classroom through activism, collaboration across disciplines, and plans for a new religion and Pan-African studies program.

For townes, theology is not confined to church walls. It is a tool to confront interconnected systems of race, gender, and class and to help transform the world.

Read more ➡️ http://spr.ly/6188hbC6Q

Jesus’ cover bands: Some ‘Christians’ are making up their own songs In 1980, I was invited to a James Taylor concert, but our church softball team was in the playoffs. If our right fielder got injured, I might get to play. I decided to put the team first and have regretted it ever since. I still haven’t been to a James Taylor concert. In a meager...