In defense of a saint...

[NathanATX]

In defense of a saint...
Some woman thought she should send me a copy of this guy's post on how he dissapproved of Cynthia Clawson because she affirms gay & lesbian people as children of God whenever she travels and sings at various churches. This guy is gay, but he has bought into the "ex-gay ministry" deception and is now trying to change his sexual orientation. I pray he makes it through that damaging & self-destructive phase quickly and safely. Only when we honor ourselves as children of God who have been created just as we are, gay & straight, with love and intention will we have true freedom.

A photo of Cynthia Clawson

I personally think Cynthia is amazing and brilliant. Her voice will lift you beyond the gates of Heaven. She radiates love. Here is a letter she wrote last year in response to all the attacks she was receiving.

A Personal Mission Statement from Cynthia Clawson

I am a Christian and have been for most of my life. I was a girl when I experienced what I believe was a call to share the good news of who Jesus is and what He did for me. I first sang about this good news when I was three years of age; and now at 56, I am still singing. Because I recognized that I had been given a talent, I felt that I should cultivate it so I went to a Baptist University and majored in vocal performance and minored in piano. I began getting invitations to sing everywhere, and I accepted every invitation I could.

I am humbled that I had a chance to sing the gospel in India, Viet Nam, Japan, Holland, England, Ireland, at a Billy Graham Crusade, on The PTL Club, on the 700 Club, for the Southern Baptist Convention, for Karla Fay Tucker before she was killed by the State of Texas, at a night club on the Strip in Los Angeles, on some of Bill Gaither’s Homecoming videos, on the Crystal Cathedral’s Hour of Power, a night club in Houston, and at Radio City Music Hall during the GRAMMY Awards. The list is long because I have been singing somewhere different every week for thirty years. The total number of concerts is in the thousands, and the number of people who have heard me is in the millions. That amazes me, and I can only explain it by pointing to God who has called me, guided me, and comforted me all along this journey.

Let me assure you that it has been a challenging mission to answer to God’s calling to tell the good news to all that will hear. Since I will sing wherever invited, I have found myself singing in places when my theology, my moral values, and my political inclinations sometimes differ from my listeners, but I simply sing about the Good News that God loves us. I point them as best I can to Christ. That is my calling. God convicts, woos, and transforms lives by His grace, I don’t. That statement alone is enough to make me want to sing.

I am amazed that there are those who would not want me to sing for all people, especially homosexual people. I sing for divorced people and we all know what Jesus said about divorce! No one ever emailed me about that! We also know that Jesus never said anything about gay people. Not one word! How important could it have been to Him if He did not mention it? I dare say that I sing in churches full of sinners every time I stand to sing, and I never make it my business to question any group about their values or morals before I enter their churches. When people protest about me singing to gay people, I have to wonder: Do they not know that Jesus hung out with, ate with, and drank wine with disenfranchised people? Those who object to where I sing are free to think what they please, but they did not call me. I have a higher calling. As a singer doing my best to follow Jesus, I have sung the gospel if at all possible wherever invited just as Jesus did in preaching to the Pharisees and those that the Pharisees judged. Some repented some did not, that is between God and them. And what I have been called to do is between God and me. And a person’s sexual orientation is between God and them. It is none of my business. I am just a gospel singing, homosexual loving, heterosexual wife of one, mother of two who is caught up in all this violence. And, yes, I do think we are treating one another violently! This fight is not homage to our Savior who is the Prince of Peace.

I would ask for prayers from those who will pray for me. I am willing to sing the good news of God’s love anywhere I am invited. I am sad to say that I feel that there are not many Christians who will go with me. I won’t sing to condemn anyone; I won’t preach hate and exclusivity. I will sing at the very gates of hell if I am called to do so, and I would think that all of you who call yourselves God’s children would gather together in support of this holy mission. However, if no one joins me in going in love to the outcasts, I will go walking hand in hand with Jesus who seems to prefer spending time with outcast than to spend time with all the religious hypocrites spewing out hate, fear and condemnation. My desire in being a disciple of Christ is to be obedient. I am obedient because I am deeply in love with Him! I want to be true to God’s calling on my life, and if I am wrong in including all people, should I err in this attempt, let me fail on the side of the grace and mercy. Let me stand beside the oppressed, broken, disenfranchised, and the outcast because that is where I think that Jesus stands. And when I die and stand before the Father with Jesus next to my side as my advocate, I am not afraid for God to tell me that I erred on the side of compassion and love. I am not afraid to hear Him tell me that I was not judgmental enough. I am not afraid to hear Him say to me that I loved too much and too many. I trust with all my heart that it is Jesus who shapes my life and not the writers of these angry, cruel, hateful emails. The hate stings, the threats frighten, the whispers humiliate, but I have taken up His cross and His burden is light! My recordings are already removed from many Christian bookstores, and not played on many Christian radio stations, but I have my church, where I serve as the co-pastor with my husband, praying for me. I have dear friends in the ministry who support and encourage me. I have thousands of people buying my CDs and supporting my ministry. And, dear reader, I have God’s assurance through Jesus Christ – the criterion through which I read scripture – leading me to share the good news with all who would listen to my attempts.

If you can, pray for me and for all the homosexual people who have been demonized, ostracized, and denied basic human rights by self-righteous Christians. I will in turn pray that God will touch the hearts of those who are so angry at me, so that they will see the homosexual person the same way Jesus did as He hung on the cross with such love, such grace.

Your sister in suffering,
Cynthia

[keltic63]

I have always loved Cynthia's singing. I have her Christmas CD and it is truly one of my favorites. How about her singing "Softly and Tenderly" in the movie "Trip to Bountiful" it's enough to tear your heart out! Reading this has just catapulted my opinion of her even higher!

oh, and I remember seeing her sing on tv a few times and thinking "this is as tough to watch as Judy Garland." very expressive, sometimes tortured movements, but What an incredible voice to go with this incredible spirit!!!!!

[pnggrad79]

When I heard that Cynthia Clawson was a guest singer at Cathedral of Hope in Dallas, I was stunned, but thrilled at the same time. In my mind her stepping foot in a gay church, would be close to Billy Graham doing so. About the same time, Brennan Manning was scheduled to go to Glory Tabernacle in Long Beach, our sister church, and again I was aghast. I became acquainted with Brennan Manning's book The Ragamuffin Gospel back in the late 90's and it literally took my breath away because for the first time I learned from this book about grace, NOT the lip service that most fundamentalists give it, but real grace from our Lord Jesus Christ. It was so radically different from the grace I learned about in my stodgy, legalistic Baptist church. Believe me, they practice anything but grace, at least defined by the Bible. Anyway, to have him come to Glory Tabernacle was astonishing but not really considering his message in the book and his subsequent books. I encourage you to read The Ragamuffin Gospel, The Signature of Jesus, The Wisdom of Tenderness, and several others. This man is good and he has captured the heart of what Christianity should be all about and not what it is today. Congratulations Cynthia and Brennan. Finally, we are getting SOMEONE to listen to us.

[NathanATX]

those books sound great!

[keltic63]

shocker: I stopped by the christian bookstore at the mall to see if they had any of Cynthia's CD's. NOTHING! and the clerk hadn't even heard of her! just another reason to shop the 'net

[NathanATX]

Cynthia has endured some pretty major attacks because of her views.

There was practically a witch hunt a number of years ago. I forgot what exactly caused it, but the christian music world shut her out.

If that hadn't happened she would have been bigger than Amy Grant ever was.

[Daniel]

As I'm writing this, I'm listening to Cynthia Clawson sing.

A friend from the opera house I work for reintroduced me to her music after a silence of many years. My friend John is new to the company and grew up Baptist. A professional singer, his husband is going to seminary. Imagine two queer guys standing around in 1830-ish costumes -we're appearing in the same opera- and talking about the past. One thing we have in common? Cynthia Clawson.

I've had a songbook of her music- the cover has a picture of her standing in a white caftan and turban- since I was a student at Evangel in the early 1980's. But when I left school, while I kept the songbook, I left her voice behind. I went on to other things: classical music- relationships- more music- NYC- Love- Marriage- Buddhism and Other Things- more and more music.

Oh God. This woman is Music personified. And Honesty, Integrity and Depth of Soul. Such is the power of the voice. Or what can come through the voice.

Cynthia- if you are reading this- which is a very very long long shot- I've fallen in love all over again.

This opera cow loves you. Your voice pierces the dark night with a numinous luminescence that stills the soul.

Namaste

[Daniel]

[u-dog]

<<< sitting quietly while the goose-pimples slowly subside >>>

[sailaway58]

Good post. What a great woman!

[BrentRichards]

Wow, at so many levels.