Christian Singer Criticized for Saying She’s Not Sure if Homosexuality is a Sin

After appearing on the Ellen DeGeneres Show, Christian singer Lauren Daigle has come under fire from conservatives for refusing to give a (pardon the pun) straight answer on whether or not homosexuality is a sin.

Daigle’s response came when she was the featured guest on “The Domenick Nati Show” on iHeart radio last week.

Nati, a celebrity publicist, posted the ten-minute telephone interview with Daigle to YouTube, titling the video “Lauren Daigle Doesn’t Know If Homosexuality Is A Sin.”

He asked Daigle, 27, who’s known for the hits “How Can It Be” and “You Say,” a direct question due to her recent performance on The Ellen Show, “do you feel that homosexuality is a sin?”

“I can’t honestly answer on that,” Daigle responded. “In a sense, I have too many people that I love that they are homosexual. I don’t know. I actually had a conversation with someone last night about it. I can’t say one way or the other. I’m not God.

So when people ask questions like that… that’s what my go to is. I just say read the Bible and find out for yourself. And when you find out let me know, because I’m learning too,” she continued.

By trying to please all sides, Daigle has basically pleased nobody. She’s intentionally vague about the topic. But it’s entirely possible that she’s telling the truth and not just giving an answer that would protect her career, especially as she tries crossing over into the mainstream. If Daigle grew up on evangelicalism, she may still be sorting through her feelings on the issue (along with other things).

She also deserves a break here. She’s a singer, not a pastor, not a commentator, not a critic. She’s a musician being asked to talk about a hot-button theological issue while being in the public eye. It’s like asking an athlete to give an opinion on Donald Trump; it’s not that they don’t have thoughts about it, but they didn’t pursue this line of work in order to give themselves a platform for their political views. Daigle didn’t solicit these questions.

It’s almost unfair to condemn her — at least for now — for not having a well-thought-out response when she isn’t claiming to speak on behalf of Christians in any real capacity. Keep in mind, too, that the Christian music industry is notorious for chewing up and spitting out people who don’t conform to a specific kind of Christianity. Her choices are to call homosexuality (or at least same-sex relationships) a sin and alienate her potential secular fan base or say it’s not and alienate the very people who make up her current base.

While the answer may be obvious to us, she deserves time to figure this out for herself and reconcile her faith with her beliefs.