In my late teens and early twenties, I was a major fan of wrestling entertainment. Among my favorite wrestlers happened to be Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. As a wrestler, he had some of the most memorable “one-liners” in the business. The reason for this is because many of his catch phrases coincided with scripture that reminded me of who we are and what we should be like as Christians. I’m especially fond of the phrase, “Know your role!” This one in particular has served me well, as it reminds me that we as Christians all have our own unique role to play.
To emphasize this, I draw your attention to the teachings of the Apostle Paul, who said to the Corinthians, “For just as the body is one and has many parts, and all the parts of that body, though many, are one body – so also is Christ.” (1 Corinthians 12:12) This passage of scripture always humbles me and reminds me to consider the various roles that other denominations of the Christian faith serve, as well as each individual saint within the community of faith, which we call the Body of Christ.
I’ve often emphasized this to people using the example of a disco mirror ball. This might seem unusual, but it often makes my point come across in a somewhat crude way. You see, a disco ball is covered by little tiny mirrors. Each mirror on the ball has the capacity to reflect the light that it catches. However, none of the mirrors reflect the light the exact same way at any given time. They each catch the light, in whatever spectrum hits upon them at any particular moment. Each mirror is unique in that way. They each serve their role to light up the room.
I was thinking about this whole concept as I began hearing many people speaking about the recent debates surrounding contemporary Christian singer and songwriter Lauren Daigle. She happens to be a Christian who has come under recent scrutiny after a statement she made on iHeart radio. On “The Domenick Nati Show”, she was asked a specific question regarding homosexuality. This followed a recent appearance Lauren made on The Ellen Show.
She responded to questions about whether she thought homosexuality was a sin. Many have lambasted her for not emphatically saying that it is a sin, but instead stated, “I can’t honestly answer on that. In a sense, I have too many people that I love that 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.”
It seems that many other people in the faith community have something to say about the lane that Lauren is in. While some might come to the conclusion that her response shows a lack of faith, naivete, or being lukewarm; others could just as easily perceive her response as one who has chosen to allow the power of Scripture to speak for itself and the Holy Spirit to do the drawing.
When Jesus modeled what discipleship looks like, He walked peaceably among men throughout the three-year ministry that He ministered. Paul shared this sentiment with the Romans that this was desirable for Christians (see Romans 12:18). One might say that Lauren has chosen to stay in this lane of discipleship.
Like the mirror ball, no two Christians are alike; nor are the ways in which they choose to be a light for Christ. It would seem that God has given each of us grace to find our own course for this, as we each tune into the Holy Spirit GPS who guides us. If the Holy Spirit has graced Lauren in choosing to love without strings towards the world in which she must be a light, how is it that we as fellow Christians want her to drive another religious lane like Pharisee Way, because we think our way is better than the way she has been led?
Can we honestly say that her lane is a danger to the Kingdom? As a singer, Daigle appears more comfortable to say that wise men still seek Him and not me as their source for truth. In a day and age when Christians have had a bad reputation for being seen as hypocritical, homophobic, and hyper-spiritual, she seems to have found a balance between being relevant and sincere. Let’s allow Lauren Daigle to stay in her lane and follow the Holy Spirit GPS and we will stay in our lane and do the same.
