About a dozen years ago, a young woman with outlandish attire appeared on the entertainment scene. At first, I thought Lady Gaga was a Madonna copycat, but as I watched her over the years, I found her to be a bright, articulate woman who has a social conscience as well as outstanding singing, acting, and songwriting skills. Her list of achievements is long and impressive.
I’d like to give her a new award that I’ve made up: the Good-News Singer Award. The award has no monetary value, but it would recognize how Lady Gaga has shared and lived out the primary message of Jesus: the powerful, transforming message of unconditional love offered to every human being on this planet.
Why am I sharing this?
The January 23, 2019, edition of USA Today featured an article entitled “They Said What? The Stars’ Best Quotes.” I immediately recognized a photo of Lady Gaga, so I read on: “‘To Mike Pence, who thinks that it’s acceptable that his wife works at a school that bans LGBTQ, you’re wrong . . . You’re the worst representation of what it means to be a Christian.’—Lady Gaga during a show of her Las Vegas residency Saturday after the vice president defended his wife, Karen’s, new teaching job at a private Christian school that bans LGBTQ employees, gay students, and the children of gay parents.”
Wishy-washy is not a word I’d use to describe Lady Gaga, especially when it comes to the LGBTQ community. She is bisexual and is a great defender and supporter of this community.
I wondered what made Lady Gaga is so insightful. So I googled her. She came from a humble family and attended a Roman Catholic school in New York City. She was a good student but apparently a bit of a misfit. But so was Jesus.
I also know this: Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta, now known as Lady Gaga, has heard the good news about Jesus’s primary message: Everyone is welcomed into the kin-dom of agape—no exceptions.
Mike Pence belongs to a cult that uses Jesus to justify its deep-seated biases and prejudices against the LGBTQUI community, people of color, anyone who does not subscribe to their brand of religion, women who are not submissive, and so on. This cult’s list of “unacceptable” people is very long.
I want no part of Pence’s religion—and neither would Jesus.
I want Lady Gaga’s understanding of Jesus.
I hope she calls me soon to schedule a date for her acceptance of the Good-News Singer Award. I can promise her that allwill be welcomed, no matter where they are on their life’s journey. I can also guarantee that the attendees at the event will be wonderfully diverse.
However, no one from Pence’s cult will be there.
Will you be there?