Allie Beth Stuckey slams rerelease of 'LGBTQ-affirming' Avalon song 'Testify to Love': 'We are not nicer than God’
Allie Beth Stuckey slammed the rerelease of Avalon’s classic song “Testify to Love” as an “LGBTQ-affirming anthem,” emphasizing that Christians cannot claim to be “nicer than God” by rejecting biblical teachings on sin and sexuality.
In a May 18 episode of her “Relatable” podcast, the 34-year-old conservative author and speaker addressed the rerelease of the 1997 song, newly recorded by Michael Passons, Melissa Greene and outspoken gay country artist Ty Herndon.
“For years, I sang these words while hiding who I truly was,” Passons said in a statement to GLAAD announcing the re-release of the song. “To record this now with Ty, Melissa, and this incredible group of artists — standing fully in my truth — is a full-circle moment I once thought impossible. It serves as a testimony that love does not exclude.”
Kicking off her podcast, Stuckey called Passons' announcement “bad news,” adding: “Now we are being told retroactively that ‘Testify to Love’ by the CCM band Avalon is actually an anthem of queer love. Yes, I am not joking that this is now an LGBTQ-affirming anthem.”
“[There's this idea that] passages that positively affirm the holiness of marriage between one man and one woman and the exclusive holiness of sexual activity within that marriage between one man and one woman, it's just too much to bear and actually, we as these fallible people, we have a better answer. We have a better and bigger and wiser and more loving perspective on how humans should behave and what sin is and what it’s not," she said.
However, Stucky stressed that Christians should not assume they are more compassionate or morally enlightened than God when wrestling with biblical teachings.
“The truth is, is that we are not nicer than God. We don’t know better than Him. We’re not more compassionate than Him,” she continued. “And if something to us seems wrong or seems cruel or seems confusing when we go to the Word of God, the problem is not with God. It’s not with His Word. It’s with us.”
“Our first instinct should be, OK, maybe I don’t understand something. Maybe it’s my understanding that actually needs to be expanded and actually needs to be deepened. Maybe it’s not God that needs my reproof. Maybe it’s me who needs reproof,” she added. “And so God, give me the wisdom to understand even though this is really hard for me.”
Passons, a founding member of the popular 1990s Christian group, has said he was dismissed from Avalon in 2003 because he was gay and claimed the song has "always" been about "LGBTQ affirmation."
"Avalon showed up at my house and told me I was no longer in the group," he claimed in 2020. "And it was all because of who I am."
"They came alone, but they had been speaking with management and record label before they visited my home," Passons continued, adding that he was "blindsided" by the decision.
Greene joined Avalon in 2002 before departing in 2009 to serve as an associate pastor at GracePointe Church, an LGBT-affirming church, in Nashville, where she remained until 2017. According to Passons, Greene initially supported the group’s decision to remove him, though she later became LGBTQ-affirming and developed a close friendship with him.
"I'm also deeply grateful that we have grown so much together, that I have changed so much over 18 years, and that he is finally able to encourage others with his peace and freedom," she wrote in 2020 of Passons.
Greene later officiated Herndon’s 2023 wedding to his husband, while Passons participated in the ceremony as a groomsman.
“Testify to Love" was a huge success for Avalon, staying atop the charts for months and includes the lyrics “For as long as I shall live, I will testify to love/ I’ll be a witness in the silences when words are not enough/ with every breath I take, will give thanks to God above/ for as long as I shall live, I will testify to love.”
Ahead of the rerelease, Passons shared an Instagram video expressing hope that listeners would experience the song differently this time around.
“I hope you feel something new when you hear me singing now,” he said. “To those who can’t listen anymore, maybe because it reminds you of a time you believed in love, before life or people made it complicated, this is especially for you. Because I still believe love, real love, is free of judgment, bias, or prejudice.”
Current Avalon members Janna Long, Greg Long and Jody McBrayer have not commented on the re-release of “Testify to Love.”
In an op-ed, professor of biblical studies at Boyce College, Denny Burk, wrote it would “be unfair to [Avalon] for fans to allow this inspirational song to be ruined by apostates who care nothing about the Christian faith represented in the song.”
“The song belongs to Avalon and to the ages, and it has nothing to do with affirming sexual perversion,” he wrote.
“The bottom line is that two former members of Avalaon who have deconstructed their faith are now trying to co-opt ‘Testify To Love’ for their deconstruction narratives. Don’t let them do that. Feel free to listen to Avalon and the original version of 'Testify To Love.' There is nothing 'affirming' about this song, and there never will be."
