Trevin Wax on Jennifer Knapp
Well worth reading the whole thing.
“We’re all sinners†comes up again and again in discussions like this. In her Larry King interview, Knapp realized the power of having the pastor admit that he too is a sinner. Once she received this admission, she had the upper hand in asking, “Then why are you judging me instead of me judging you?â€
Whenever the discussion centers on “homosexuality is a sin… but we’re all sinners,†the traditionalist inevitably comes across looking like he is singling out homosexuality as a worse sin than all the rest. His protests to the contrary always ring hollow.
But this is the wrong way to frame this debate. We are not saying that some of us are worse sinners than others or that homosexuality is a worse sin than pride, stealing, etc. We are not categorized before God as “better sinners†or “worse sinners.†Instead, we are either unrepentant or repentant. True Christianity hinges on repentance. The pastor on Larry King Live eventually made this point later on in the broadcast, but the rhetorical damage had already been done.
If we are to reframe this discussion along biblical lines, then we must emphasize the necessity of repentance for the Christian faith. The point is not that the pastor and the Knapp are both sinners. It’s that the pastor agrees with God about his sin, while Knapp remains in her sin without repentance. That is why he is questioning her Christianity, for Christian teaching makes clear the necessity of repentance as the entryway into the Christian family.
Ultimately, the debate is not about homosexuality versus other sins. It’s about whether or not repentance is integral to the Christian life.
Christianity is all about sins and sinners…recognizing that we have sinned and are sinners in need of the Savior is the only starting point. Changing our "interpretation" of sin, changes the very essence of our faith. If we change the interpretation, and we say the Bible can be interpreted differently we have a new 'religion'. It is not the Christian faith based on the Bible and the inerrancy of the Scriptures. Jesus rescued us from the power of sin, He has made us a new creation. We are to put to death the flesh (I certainly at times don't like that part). But here is the deal Jennifer does not believe in the absolute truth of the Bible, it according to her interview can be interpreted in many different ways…Jennifer has a new religion that is not based on the truth of the Scripture. If you are a Muslim you cannot change or reinterpret what is written and continue to call yourself a Muslim (this is simply true for every "religion").