Do you remember the 2005 movie, “The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe,” which starred Tilda Swinton as the White Witch? Based on the book by C.S. Lewis, it’s actually a Christian religious fairytale. And the group that scored the music for the award-winning film is a Christian rock band named Jars of Clay.Â
You may have heard that two weeks ago, Jars of Clay lead vocalist Dan Haseltine invited the wrath of those who think they’re God onto himself, merely by offering his opinion supporting same-sex marriage via a few innocuous yet impassioned tweets.
Let’s take a look at a few, in case you missed them:
The treatment of people as less than human based on the color of skin is crazy… Or gender, or sexual orientation for that matter. — Dan Haseltine (@scribblepotemus) April 21, 2014
Not meaning to stir things up BUT… Is there a non-speculative or non “slippery slope” reason why gays shouldn’t marry? I don’t hear one. — Dan Haseltine (@scribblepotemus) April 21, 2014
I’m trying to make sense of the conservative argument. But It doesn’t hold up to basic scrutiny. Feels akin to women’s suffrage. — Dan Haseltine (@scribblepotemus) April 21, 2014
I just don’t see a negative effect to allowing gay marriage. No societal breakdown, no war on traditional marriage. ?? Anyone? — Dan Haseltine (@scribblepotemus) April 21, 2014
Because most people read and interpret scripture wrong. I don’t think scripture “clearly” states much of anything regarding morality. — Dan Haseltine (@scribblepotemus) April 22, 2014
Also sad that a guy can’t ask tough questions w/o being pounced on. What year is this? #galileo #salemwitch 🙂
— Dan Haseltine (@scribblepotemus) April 24, 2014
Almost immediately, Haseltine faced Christian radio stations blacklisting his music, vowing to never play Jars of Clay again.
He endured the wrath of the same professional hate-mongers who almost daily attack gay people and LGBT civil rights supporters for who they are and for what they believe — namely, equality.
Among the most-vile attacks came from one of the religious right’s most vile creatures:Â Michael Brown.
In a rambling diatribe infused with links to a treasure trove (for him) of anti-gay religious books he’s written, Brown tore into Haseltine and gay people, of course comparing same-sex marriage to incest. Speaking to Haseltine, Brown wrote:
You also asked, “Just curious what ‘condoning a persons [sic] homosexuality’ does. Does it change you? Does it hurt someone? What is behind the conviction?â€
Do you not realize that couples involved in consensual adult incest (and other relationships) are asking this exact same question? What do you say to them?
There of course were others from the self-knghted kingdom of faux-religion who took arms in a religious right crusade against the Christian rocker.
Hate group head Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council just couldn’t resist:
Christian band Jars of Clay was supposed to be setting out on a 20th anniversary tour — but if the latest controversy is any indication, not many fans will be celebrating. Lead vocalist Dan Haseltine made sure of that last week by singing a different tune on same-sex “marriage.” The firestorm is just the latest evidence of Haseltine’s slow walk away from orthodoxy that made the band famous.
Of course, that’s just a tiny excerpt of “God’s” wrath Haseltine has endured.
So just days later, he apologized for causing a ruckus — God forbid “orthodox” Christians are invited to actually debate humanity and equality — and for the “venue” he chose — Twitter.
But he didn’t retract his own personal beliefs, namely, what’s wrong with same-sex marriage.
In my questions and dialogue with people on Twitter, it became evident that the issue I had chosen to discuss was far too personal, nuanced, and deeply connected to faith and our human condition to honor the amount of wrestling that others have done on this topic. And though they were my questions and it was a dialogue provoked by me, it bled into the Jars of Clay world, and my other band mates felt people’s dismay, frustration and the projection of my views and ideas back on to them. It is not theirs to shoulder.
It was a poor choice of venue on my part. I chose some of my words poorly. And I was unable to moderate the conversation in such a way that it kept everyone’s views with a shared validity and civility as I had hoped. And so, I am not going to continue the conversation on that forum. I do apologize for causing such a negative stir.
In the coming days, I will begin posting some questions on my blog (www.danhaseltine.com, and even doing some interviews around this topic, as I believe there can be healthy dialogue and better understanding even if there is not shared agreement. I am dedicated to being a life long learner. With a full heart- Dan
Isn’t this what Christianity is supposed to be about? Finding ways to be better human beings, more loving and generous and understanding?
Michael Brown and Tony Perkins are among the worst examples of Christians and Christianity. Dan Haseltine seems among the best.Â
Image via InstagramÂ
Hat tip:Â On Top