Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Love is an Orientation

Home
Evangelical
Interview with Jennifer Knapp

Interview with Jennifer Knapp

Last updated on: December 15, 2012 at 7:19 pm by Andrew Marin

Interview with Jennifer Knapp 2012-12-15T19:19:20-06:00 Andrew Marin

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Jennifer Knapp will be joining us this Thursday (7pm) at Roscoe’s (3356 N. Halsted St.) as a part of her Inside Out Faith tour, so in anticipation for the night we asked her a few questions about the tour and her journey as a Christian and a musician that you can check out below. You can check out a description for the event on May 31st and listen to some of her music here.

After taking a break from playing music publicly, what made you decide to start writing and playing again?

Overall, it was that I missed music. Since I was a kid, I’ve always participated in some sort of musically creative endeavor. It wasn’t until I had somewhat reconciled the exchange of sharing music and the public recognition that often comes with it that I was ready to start writing again. It’s not a given that being creative means that a person is prepared to be a public figure. Being a public figure doesn’t make a person an artist either. In the end, I just needed to write. I was happy if people wanted to come along and listen. I was ready to share…and let the chips fall where they may.

How has your time in the Contemporary Christian Music scene influenced your musical career today?

Professionally, I would say the biggest impact was simply having the opportunity to perform and practice my craft. I was a very busy artist. I released 3 records in 4 years (I think), performed over 100 shows a year, on the road over 200 days most years…it was obsessive, hard and highly rewarding work. I didn’t realize it at the time, but those experiences were shaping me into a performing artist prepared for a career.

But I think also, it’s worth mentioning the particular religious culture that is involved with the Christian music scene. There’s a lot of work tied directly to intimate church settings. I learned very quickly that there are amazingly different approaches Christians take in practicing their faith. One day I would find myself in a charismatic church in Mississippi, the next day sipping a cold beer with a Baptist pastor in Germany, the day after being told to cover up my tattoos or not speak too much (as I am a woman). It’s crazy stuff, but all those folks connected with my music would invite me in as one of their own. I had to learn to look for how we were alike, even if I was uncomfortable. I had to learn to appreciate our differences and accept hospitality when it was offered. I had to learn to love people I didn’t always understand.

How is your music different today?

I’d contend that it’s not radically different. Stylistically, it’s all very much driven by lyric and guitar. The lyrics are about life, love, and the occasional drawing from the well of spirituality. Hopefully, what I am creating is as transparent as it has ever been.

Is there a song that you don’t get tired of playing? What is it about the song or songs?

Haha. I’m not certain that there’s any one song I’ve written that is immune from making me bored. Play anything enough times and you find that you’re fighting performance fatigue. I think that’s why it’s good to put songs away once in a while. It’s tough though, because sometimes your audience has come to hear the one song you need to rest. What I’ve learned so far is to listen. Listen to the song again, and not just simply play it. Listen to the folks who sing it back to you and why they sing it. Remember back to when you wrote the song and why you still play it today…If I can get to that place, I usually find that even a 20 year-old song can get me to shed a tear.

Why Inside Out Faith? What brought it about?

Talk to any person who once held a prejudice against another and you will discover that it was probably a direct and meaningful encounter with the “other” that radically altered their perspective. Inside Out Faith is about actively encouraging faith communities to directly encounter, foster and affirm lesbian, gay, bi-sexual and transgender people. “Coming out” in and around religious communities can be a terrifying prospect if you don’t know who your friends are. In some religious communities the costs are without limit. When I came out in 2010, the response from the religious communities was very vocal and very divided. One way to describe it is as a storm of radical affirmation and disparaging condemnation. The most challenging dynamic in these religious environments seems to be breaking the silence. Some still hold prejudices because they do not realize that some of their favorite neighbors are gay. Some people think that gay people are completely devoid of meaningful faith. Yet, when the light is shed on those who dare to share their story, most of us begin to recognize that we are not as different from each other as we think.

What responses have you received from sharing more of your story on this tour and in general?

The funny thing is, the more you talk with folks the less sexuality or gender becomes the focal point. The truth is, just about everyone I meet has had some kind of judgmental and condemning experience with the church, and yet that is often the place we go to make sense of our lives. Not many of us are willing to hang out in a place that doesn’t accept us in some measure of who we really are or who we hope to be. Sure, the topic that usually brings us all together is how the church treats gay people, but the conversation usually leaves us all scratching our heads as to how we got to be so cruel to one another. You don’t have to be a Christian to get how messed up that is. Many Christians are embarrassed by it and many others are so angry they can’t even step inside a church. The simple truth is, when we give someone permission to be who they are it often frees them to experience true joy in their spirituality. Most people are just looking for a welcome place to practice their faith.

In another interview I heard you mention that you think our sexuality is interconnected with our spirituality. Could you expand on that?

I wouldn’t presume to speak for everyone, but I would say that for myself, there is a connection. At some point in time, when I am considering who I am spiritually, I have to be willing to integrate all the different things that represent me. My faith, my doubt, my belief, my gender, my passions, my talents, my fears, my flaws…each little thing has its own life and has the opportunity to drastically shape the whole “me”. But none has the right to be imbalanced. I’m glad that you made the distinction between sexuality and sexual orientation though, because that is often the rub for most people who practice a religion. Sexuality often gets lumped into a category of shame and lust, extrication from which can be a deeply personal and spiritual journey. My body is the last boundary between myself and the rest of the world. I need to know the limits of that boundary. Where it is flexible and where it is not. Where it is safe and where it is in need of protection. For me, that’s pretty intense spiritual work.

What are you currently learning in your relationship with God?

That if I cannot find love for my neighbor, I cannot begin to fathom god.

Who is Jesus to you?

He is hope fulfilled.

What gives you joy or excites you?

I love it when I meet someone whose face lights up when it finally dawns on them that they matter. It’s a real gift to be present when someone realizes that not only are they important just for being themselves, but they are significant to the greater community around them. Being an agent of compassion, kindness and justice for others begins in realizing the significance of our opportunity as individuals to effect that change.

Much love.

www.themarinfoundation.org

Interviews

LGBT

Living in the Tension Gatherings

Previous Post

May 27, 2012

Living in the Tension, Tues. May 29

Next Post

June 4, 2012 An Eye Cannot Hear

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Book Reviews Bridging Opposing Worldviews Culture Don't Drink and Drive Faith Guest Posts I'm Sorry Campaign Interviews Language Laura Statesir LGBT Living in the Tension Living in the Tension Gatherings Love Is an Orientation Love Is an Orientation Blog Love Is an Orientation Book Love Is an Orientation DVD Melinda Guerra Memory My One Sentence Bible Newsletter Our Last Option Parents & Families Politics Quick Quotes Quotes ReEngaging Civility Sexuality Speaking The Marin Foundation Theology Uncategorized Us Versus Us Videos Warren Perry Youth and Campus Ministry

Select a Month June 2016 May 2016 December 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010 June 2010 May 2010 April 2010 March 2010 February 2010 January 2010 December 2009 November 2009 October 2009 September 2009 August 2009 July 2009 June 2009 May 2009 April 2009 March 2009 February 2009 January 2009 December 2008 November 2008 October 2008 September 2008

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

What four things does the Pale Horse in Revelations bring upon the earth?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Silence, fire, blood, and pestilence Wrath, power, redemption, and judgment Storms, earthquakes, floods, and darkness Sword, famine, plague, and wild beasts

Related posts from Love is an Orientation