This week, Ray Boltz, went public about being gay. Boltz, a CCM recording artist, is best known for his hit single, “Thank you”. Boltz, never went public until now stating on his website, if people “knew who I really was, I would never be accepted.”
How should the church and the CCM community respond to Boltz? Should this revelation make any difference for the church in being able to enjoy his body of Christian music?
Bill Reichart is a husband, daddy of two daughters and a pastor at Big Creek Church (pca) in North Atlanta. Bill received his Masters of Divinity from Reformed Theological Seminary in Orlando. Before pastoring a church, he worked with college students in the northeast for over 16 years. He really enjoys movies, science fiction/fantasy writing (yes he’s been to a Star-Trek convention!), the Simpsons and theology books - not necessarily in that order. He has always been fascinated with the intersection of culture and his faith. 
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Was it really necessary for that pastor’s blog post to end with “How sad for him and his family”?
@Lars – It IS sad if he’s got a family and children, he’s divorced his wife.
I don’t care whether you’re gay or not, divorce is something God doesn’t approve of, it’s equivalent of leaving a widow and orphans is it not?
Forget being gay, does God really want Christians to divorce? No, no, no and no! God has told us men to treat our wives like he treats the church. God likens his people to a bride. He told a prophet to marry a prostitute to signify this fact!
Therefore, if you get married you have a duty to your wife. Using the excuse I’m gay or whatever is a total cop-out.
I’d similar look down on him if it was a choir girl he was leaving his wife for, or his dog. I don’t care what anyone says, it’s divorce that is wrecking families not homosexuality.
Alex Fears last blog post..[Dumbing Down] BBC, Try Harder…
I agree with Alex that, regardless of the homosexuality, the fact is that Boltz did divorce his wife, and that is certainly something to be dismayed about.
That being said, I think that Between The Trees posted some good thoughts on the whole situation. I especially liked this excerpt, which deals with whether or not the man’s music can or should still be used in church:
Actually, the article doesn’t state that Ray divorced his wife. It says that he and his wife divorced this year. How do we know that she wasn’t the one who divorced him? And as for leaving behind orphans — his kids are all adults. It’s not like he’s now dead to them.
@Jason
Good point about David and Solomon. I had an old youth pastor who cheated on his wife and lost his job, but I still have some preaching tapes of his from before that time and it was inspiring.
@Liz
Does it matter who divorced who for it to be a sad situation. For divorce to work both adults have to be in agreement anyway, no matter who laid the papers.
Though divorce may affect younger people more, you can’t deny it doesn’t affect adults. Or do you think when children grow older and leave home they don’t care what happens to their parents? They don’t go back and visit for holidays or help them with things as they get older?
Alex Fears last blog post..[Meme] 6 Random Things
I have been reading some of the comments on Ray Boltz and I must say that the Church of Jesus Christ has to come into a certain maturity. Homosexuality is a sin, so is lying, stealing, pride, etc. All sin is sin in the eyes of God. Mr. Boltz needs deliverance from a devil called a “perverse spirit” of which homosexuality is only one of the manifestations of this spirit. The “perverse spirit” is one of the “strong men” mentioned in the Bible along with a “spirit of whoredom”, a “lying spirit”, a “spirit of error”, a “deaf and dumb spirit” (of which epilepsy is only one manifestation), etc. Persons who are into porn and pedophilia are also victims of this “perverse spirit”. A very large portion of Jesus’ ministry was in deliverance, and that is what is sorely lacking in the house of God today. This is so as we have been drenched with excesses in this ministry from people immersing themselves in it who do not have the requisite relationship with God, thus making this service misunderstood, hated, and to a very large extent, unavailable. These people have a devil for everything, whereas the bible gives clear directions in this area.
I think that Mr. Boltz should be approached by Christians who are able to minister to him effectively. Should he consent to their offer of deliverance, he should be ministered to and given the necessary follow-up ministry for his restoration. In the event Mr. Boltz refuses ministry, there is nothing much that can be done outside of praying that the Lord opens his eyes.
Outside of this, we will follow the pathway of the religious, which cohstitutes a very large amount of Bible quoting from afar, lots of love in writing, man’s opnion, condemnation and guilt. This will end up becoming a throbbing mass of pure form and no substance.
We have enough of that. Let us turn to the Lord and do what he would have done in the situation. There is help for Mr. Boltz. I hope it will be offered and he will accept it.
Audrey
men of God and brethren, please let us not be ignorant of the antics of the enemy to destroy the plan and the purpos ofGod of the church.Mr. Ray has outrightly gone the waypuhe devil wants. Her fails to realise the much great harm this has caused the body of Christ, being a star who has got lots of admirers and fans. the extent of damage cannot be quantified i am sure. When a star falls,so does a lot of people , of which nothing can be done about.But good news to MR Ray boltz. God is merciful snd willing to accept him should he repent. There is nothing like homosexuals in the kingdom of God. This is a horrible aborminable and shameful sin that he needs to consider. Remember soddom and gommorrha were destroyed for this same sin, so lease for mercy’s sake and for God’s sake, Ray reconsider..
I agree with Alex as well. Did the pastor have to say he felt sorry for his wife and family? Well, thank God that he did. I had never heard any of Mr. Boltz music until tonight. My son told me about the song the anchor holds and I found it on the internet. I continued to look for Ray’s music and I found thank you. I thought how beautiful how annointed and then I looked up on the screen and I saw a sentence that went something like this. Boltz comes out! and I thought comes out of what? I was shocked when I read the article, but more than that I felt grief. Grief for a woman that thirty some years ago stood before her heavenly father and pledged her life (the only one she has )to a man of God. She bore four children for him. What happens to her dreams now? How will she get thirty three years back? I think selfishness has ran amuck here. Didn’t Paul have a thorne in his flesh? Since when is God’s grace not enough to carry us? Mr. Boltz sex is a act of the flesh. You are not suppose to be functioning in the flesh. I feel so sorry for your family because I don’t really care how you whitewash and yes family should love you and forgive you but God’s word does not change.
This is an abomination to God. I trust in him to reveal to all of us the attitude to take with this and I know one of those would be to pray for you and your family. God can annoint a rock so I will continue to listen to the beautiful songs of Mr. Boltz and I will take what I can use and leave the rest.
From the purest place I still have in my heart regarding the church. All of my life people have come to me with Thus saith the Lord and then I tested it against the scripture. Most of it didn’t stand the test.
Annette Thomas
I find it hard to believe a person who for all this time couldve hid this from so many. He Was and still is one of my favorite artist. I’ll still listen to his music when i hear it and have it . BUT I do not condone his homosexual life style. I have a brother who is gay I LOVE him in christ but I do not uphold his sin. The BIBLE clearly states
Leviticus 18: v22
“Do not lie with a man as one lies with a woman; that is detestable.”
1 Corinthians 6 v 9-10
“Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters, nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.”
how more clearer than that can you get God hates and His word says it why do people need to argue about what God’s word says
I am amazed at the so-called “insights” being delivered in the comments section. The scripture is clear on the point that homosexuality is a sin. Not only is it a sin but it’s called an “abomination”. We can feel all we want to for Ray but in the final analysis his is living in sin and he’s unrepentant about it. He’s compounding his sin by continuing to proclaim a gospel message he doesn’t live. If this were a pastor or a lay church leader, that person would be rightfully fired and removed from ministry until he or she repented. Even then, he or she would forfeit the right to speak for God.
As for David and Solomon and their adulterous lifestyles, they paid a heavy price for it. The sword never left David’s house and the child born to Bathsheba died. Solomon eventually came back to the Lord but after much suffering. Ray’s sinful choice can’t be justified by the antics of those two men. Ray is living in sin and the Church must proclaim that or our message of salvation is meaningless.
John White
Of course Christians will continue to be selective on their obedience regarding Old Testament laws. You won’t see many women in church with their heads covered and it’s fine for many to get merry with a few bottles of wine over dinner and later looking down at a tramp in the street with with carton of wine. Swindlers, liars, cheats, greedy the lot of them. Live in a nice house, go to a happy clappy church and you’ll get into heaven, Yeah, right.
Ok, time to bring some clarity to this forum. IF one believes the Bible, one cannot justify alternative sexual orientations. Romans 1:18-32, among other passages, is plain in tabbing homosexuality, among many other sins, as an abberrant, shameful lifestyle.
In America, gay rights is largely a political issue. Studies show that people who trend toward the LGBT mindset are often unstable or unsatisfied in their lives, due to one reason or another. They are looking for fulfillment, acceptance, or a change of pace. So they gravitate toward a “hot button” social issue and side with the underdogs, so to speak.
MOST Americans, spanning all social levels, do not accept LGBT as a normal way of life. Check any major poll on the topic. Therefore, it is safe to say that homosexuality is not the norm and should not be given any creedence in the courts of law or public opinion.
Sorry, Ray Boltz, but your fan base and most of America just doesn’t “feel” your decision.
I am a christian who finds true peace in music, everything from the old hymns to mercy me, and everyone else, for years i listen to Mr Boltz music but stopped when i heard that he “came out”. i am now starting to rethink my decision, i have friends and family that are gay and it is true that we need to pray for them the only one that can change them is them. His music touched me and allowed me to walk closer to God as a new christian. Do you think we should listen to his music
A lot of bitterness there, Paul. Sounds like you have lumped all of Christianity into one small faction. Many of us go to passionate, active, compassionate churches, not “happy-clappy” ones. As far as obedience of Old Testament laws, someone needs to sit down and explain the cross to you. That was the changing point in history. Man is no longer bound by obedience to the law – he now has the opportunity to receive God’s gift of grace. Now, the Law is just a set of guidelines that one may follow to live an upstanding and blessed life.
Jason, all this talk of should we or shouldn’t we listen to Ray Boltz anymore is caused by a misguided attitude toward music in the first place. Truth is truth. Whether Adolf Hitler or George Washington preaches liberty and justice for all, it is still liberty and justice for all. Whether Ray Boltz or Michael W. Smith sings about the goodness of God, God is still good.
I personally don’t own any of Ray’s music, though I have heard many of his past hits. If I happened to have “I Pledge Allegiance to the Lamb” on my iPod, I wouldn’t go delete it now. However, I also would not go purchase any of his music currently, because I don’t want to support his warped idea of a ministry at this point, and I don’t want him to think his fan base is still with him.
He made a ridiculous decision, and I won’t support it. But I also will not throw out the good that he did do earlier in life.