Bill Gaither Issues Statement Regarding Misrepresentation
Photo to Right:
Marsha Stevens, second from left (an open lesbian who's
career is singing Gospel music) with her wife,
Cindy. The man to the right of Marsha is Southern Gospel
Music legend, Bill Gaither. Marsha had just performed on
the show at a Gaither Homecoming concert. Far right is Mark
Lowry.
ALEXANDRIA, IN (Press Release)
- Apparently, a visit by Marsha Stevens to a Gaither
Homecoming concert in 2002 is being misrepresented and
misused by her and others. Marsha Stevens is an outspoken
lesbian singer-songwriter who operates an organization
called Born Again Lesbian Music (BALM Ministries). Her story
is a sad one.
In 1969, as the 16 year-old leader of what many consider to
be the first contemporary Christian music group, Children of
the Day, Marsha wrote "For Those Tears I Died," which
quickly became one of the most popular songs of the
so-called Jesus Movement. Featured on "Maranatha's "The
Everlasting Living Jesus Music Concert" album, her song
became one of the best known Christian folk songs of the
decade.
Gloria and I, along with hundreds of churches around the
country have sung that song for years. Unfortunately, in
more recent years Marsha publicly declared herself to be
lesbian and took her music and work in a very different
direction from where it started.
In December 2002, we had a Gaither Homecoming concert in
Phoenix, where someone told us she was in attendance and
asked if she could come backstage and say hello. Mark Lowry
and I greeted Marsha and her partner and someone snapped a
photograph of the four of us, a picture Marsha has exploited
on her Web site ever since. False reports of what transpired
at the concert have also surfaced on various Web sites so we
pulled the videotape of the concert and reviewed it. Here is
exactly what happened.
Gloria and I were celebrating our 40th anniversary that
night and we sang a number of songs that had been special to
us over the years, including, "For Those Tears I Died." I
mentioned, from the platform, that the woman who wrote that
song "is here tonight." I then said that I love that song
because someone "may have seen a grownup with a Jesus that
maybe is pushing you away, that wouldn't let you in. And you
were never good enough. The only Christ I know is the Christ
in that song, with His arms out very wide, saying, "Come to
the water, That's the only Christ I know -- come as you
are."
We then continued the concert without any further mention of
Marsha or this song. Any other report of this concert is
simply and sadly false. I regret that this brief exchange
has apparently been used to suggest some sort of endorsement
of Marsha and her current life and work. Clearly I do not
endorse or support either, though I believe God can, and
does still use this song to minister to people. I pray for
Marsha and encourage others to do the same. ~Bill Gaither
