A Christian singer has been roundly criticized by fundamentalists for appearing on The Ellen DeGeneres Show for exactly the reason you’d expect.

During an interview on the faith-based program The Wally Show, the host brought up how some commenters on his Facebook page weren’t happy with the thought of an evangelical singer appearing on a famous lesbian’s talk show. Singer Lauren Daigle didn’t flinch in saying she didn’t care about the criticism.

WALLY: I know there are some “oversaved” people who can’t get why you would do the Ellen show, and I know this because they posted on my page, and it has to do with Ellen’s lifestyle and stuff, but this is where we should be! Was there any hesitation for you on doing the show or no? DAIGLE: Oh no. Not at all. I think the second we start drawing lines around which people are able to be approached and which aren’t, we’ve already completely missed the heart of God… I don’t have all the answers in life… but one thing I know for sure is I can’t choose who I’m supposed to be kind to, or who I’m supposed to show love to and who I’m not, because that’s the mission, right? Be who Christ was to everyone as well.

Religious language aside (“lifestyle”?), Daigle’s response and the host’s reaction were refreshing, at least compared to what we’ve heard from other Christian celebrities who think associating with a non-Christian and suggesting what that other person stands for is acceptable — even in the secular world — amounts to some kind of heresy.

Daigle didn’t talk about whether she believes homosexuality is a sin, but it also didn’t seem to bother her to use Ellen’s platform to promote her own career. Why would it? At worst, she was using the platform to promote her own music and Christian brand. At best, Ellen’s orientation was a non-issue and Daigle was just grateful for the opportunity. Simply agreeing to be on a celebrity’s TV show doesn’t automatically imply endorsement for everything that person does or stands for — whether you’re a conservative author appearing on a late night comedy show or a liberal going on FOX News — even in cases like these where there really wasn’t any controversy to speak of.

If anything, Daigle might do better by catering to a secular audience over a strictly Christian one. As history shows, the Christian music industry has not been kind to artists who don’t toe the line when it comes to maintaining a certain image. Just ask Jennifer Knapp, Vicky Beeching, and Amy Grant.

(via RELEVANT)

