Drag Queen Attends Christian Music Awards to 'Express Queer Joy': 'This Is Shameful'
A drag queen and a self-confessed “heretic” were at the Dove Awards on Oct. 17.
And, according to Newsweek, they made sure to let the world know.
54th annual dove awards, here we come. pic.twitter.com/USPiTnIT5n
— Derek Webb (@derekwebb) October 17, 2023
If you haven’t read the back story, it started back in July when Christian singer and founder of the Let Us Worship movement, Sean Feucht, criticized singer Derek Webb for collaborating with drag queen “Flamy Grant” (a twisted play on the name of former Christian singer Amy Grant).
If you’re wondering the end goal of the deconstruction movement in the church, then look no further than former worship leader @derekwebb‘s new collab with a drag queen.
These are truly the last days. https://t.co/sgvzGFoRgu
— Sean Feucht (@seanfeucht) July 26, 2023
Webb was part of the well-known Christian music group Caedmon’s Call in the 1990s, but according to a recent tweet, he no longer “identif[ies] as a Christian.”
i am making music with my old band again.
i am in a new band with friends writing ‘hymns for heretics’.
i don’t identify as a christian.
i work part-time at a church.
i am making an album called, ‘the jesus hypothesis’.
this is all true, it all belongs, and it feels right.
— Derek Webb (@derekwebb) April 27, 2022
In response to Feucht’s tweet, Matthew Lovegood (the gay man who dresses up as “Flamy Grant”) challenged his followers to take his song “Good Day” to the number one spot on Christian iTunes, which they did. I’m sure the LGBT community found it very amusing.
And to keep the mockery going, Lovegood and Webb both decided to show up in drag to the Christian music awards.
Lovegood and Webb weren’t nominated or even invited, and they would never have dared try this stunt at a Muslim event — or an event with any other established religion. They not only decided to make a stunt of it, but they also invited their followers to join them in the nosebleed seats at Lipscomb University in Nashville, according to Baptist News Global.
When asked by BNG why they were doing this, Lovegood called it “a sort of banner-wielding, exploratory scouting expedition.”
“We’re not going to stir up trouble or demand a single thing. We’re simply going to be present, to express our queer joy, and to celebrate in our little corner of the room,” Lovegood said.
Which is why they made sure to get so much publicity ahead of the event.
Of course, there was also the possibility that some Christians may be willing to accept this new version of Christianity, and Lovegood was keeping that door open.
“It will be very interesting to see who comes to talk with us, who doesn’t, and what kinds of new relationships and opportunities might develop just from simply being in the room,” he said.
“[L]ooks like we’ll need a Christian alternative to the Dove Awards,” said the hilarious yet sadly appropriate social media post from Joel Berry, the managing editor of The Babylon Bee.
looks like we’ll need a Christian alternative to the Dove Awards pic.twitter.com/TlMSBxQxYw
— Joel Berry (@JoelWBerry) October 18, 2023
Another X user just commented, “Gross dude. This is shameful,” which said it all.
Gross dude. This is shameful.
— Justin Kates (@JustinKatesTx) October 18, 2023
But the presence Lovegood and his followers at the event makes it necessary to point out two things.
First, there will always be a push for Christians to compromise, to condone, and then to accept sin in all its forms.
Second, the real Christian award ceremony doesn’t happen here on this earth. There’s no way to gatecrash it. No number of number-one singles can buy you an invitation, and there’s only one way to win it — by grace through faith.
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