Lady Gaga: “A Christian Woman”

By David Ettinger

Self-Proclamation
A few nights back while performing in Las Vegas, music superstar Lady Gaga stopped her show to take issue with Vice President Mike Pence and his wife Karen.

Ms. Gaga was upset that Mrs. Pence teaches at a private Christian school which – in accordance with biblical mandate – bars LGBTQ students and employees. Such a breach of Ms. Gaga’s sensitivities incited her to say: “You [Vice President Pence] say we should not discriminate against Christianity. You are the worst representation of what it means to be a Christian.”

Then, in an effort to substantiate her credibility, added: “I am a Christian woman, and what I do know about Christianity is that we bear no prejudice and everybody is welcome.”[1]

Though there is a boatload of material here for several blogs, I just want to look briefly at Lady Gaga’s claim that she is a Christian. Of course, I can’t speak for her definitively, but I want to in the more general sense examine the “qualifications” of being a Christian.

Basic Beliefs
So what does the Bible tell us is required to “qualify” as a Christian? To begin with, there are very specific beliefs all Christians must adhere to:

1. That Jesus Christ is God (John 1:1-4; 10:30; Romans 10:9; Colossians 1:16).

2. That all men and women are born sinners (Psalm 51:5; Isaiah 53:6; Romans 3:23).

3. That all men and women are destined for eternal damnation because of that sin (Matthew 3:7; 10:28; John 3:36; Romans 2:8; Revelation 20:14-15).

4. That Jesus Christ, through His death and resurrection, provided forgiveness from sin and the promise of eternal life; and that He is the ONLY way to that eternal life (John 14:6; Acts 4:12).

5. That in order to receive Christ’s free gift of eternal life, one must confess the name of Jesus, repent of their sins, and become His obedient follower (Romans 10:9; Acts 16:31; 1 John 2:23; 1 John 4:2, 14).

Can Lady Gaga mark a check next to the five above categories? Can Mike Pence? Can you or I?

Good Fruit and Bad
In Matthew Chapter 12, Jesus is in a dispute with the Pharisees, those who claimed to be godly and righteous, but in reality were far from God. The people of Israel were confused as to the spiritual standing of these men who preached one thing but acted in an entirely contradictory way.

Like Lady Gaga, they claimed to be God’s people but their actions and behavior violated God’s commands. How do we know for sure who is of God and who isn’t? Jesus made it simple by saying: “Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is recognized by its fruit” (Matthew 12:33).

What is this “fruit” Jesus spoke of? There are several answers, but I think the best is “obedience.” Jesus placed a premium on it, as He tells us in John 14:23-24: “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. Anyone who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me.”

What does it mean to obey Jesus? It means to not only obey the specific commands He gave during His ministry on Earth, but the commands of ALL Scripture as “they belong to the Father who sent me.” ALL Scripture, the apostle Paul tells us, is inspired of God (2 Timothy 3:16) and must be obeyed.

Cherry-Picking
As to Lady Gaga’s claim that as Christians “we bear no prejudice and everybody is welcome,” this is true in one sense. Christ died for the sins of the world (John 3:16) and all people are invited to repent of their sins, confess His name, and devote their lives to follow Him. This, however, is not what she meant.

What Christianity does NOT allow is for people who claim to be Christians to “cherry-pick” Scripture and live any way they see fit, embracing their sin rather than repenting of it, and claiming that God accepts ALL people exactly as they are.

This is heresy of the worst kind, and, I fear, the very heresy that such “Christians” as Lady Gaga and the “Christian Left” subscribe to. In these last days, may God open the eyes of all those claiming to be His but are only deceiving themselves!

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[1] https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/lady-gaga-calls-mike-pence-the-worst-christian-during-concert-over-wifes-job-at-anti-lgbtq-school

Tagged: christian living, Christianity, Commentary, Culture, Current Events, Deceived Christians, Entertainment, False Christianity, In the News, Lady Gaga, The Bible, The Holy Scriptures

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