Dan Haseltine, front-man for the
Christian band Jars of Clay, this week tweeted support for marriage
equality.
“The treatment of people as less than
human based on the color of skin is crazy... Or gender, or sexual
orientation for that matter,” Haseltine, 41, tweeted Monday to his
nearly 16,000 followers
“Not meaning to stir things up BUT …
is there a non-speculative or non 'slippery slope' reason why gays
shouldn't marry? I don't hear one,” he
messaged. “I just don't see a negative effect to allowing gay
marriage. No societal breakdown, no war on traditional marriage. ??
Anyone?”
Haseltine continued on Tuesday:
“Interesting how Christianity was both a proponent of slavery and
the force behind abolishing it.”
On Thursday, Christian conservative
Michael Brown jumped into the fray, saying that Haseltine's actions
“really boggles the mind.”
“Does this gifted artist not realize
that the only reason we're talking about redefining marriage today is
because we are well down that slope already?” Brown, a vocal
opponent of gay rights, wrote in an op-ed published at
CharismaNews.com.
“Redefining marriage declares a
massive war on 'traditional marriage' and yes, it leads to all kinds
of societal breakdown,” Brown
argued. “Do you think that God's order for marriage and
family, established plainly in the Word and recognized by virtually
all societies in history, can be thrown aside without consequences?”
In tweets Thursday, Haseltine appeared
to respond: “The bible may be infallible, but mans finite
understanding and human, short-sighted interpretations are quiet
fallible.”
“Those who have engaged their gay
friends while disapproving of their lifestyle. Have you asked them
if they feel loved or understood by you?” he added.
Haseltine, who is married and the
father of two, attends an Anglican church in Nashville, Tennessee.