Christian singer Natalie Grant has said that she and her composer husband have lost thousands of fans after they spoke out against racism amid the George Floyd protests.
Grant spoke in an Intagram Live broadcast, saying: "Maybe you're like me and you've said, 'I'm not a racist.' I mean, I'm not a racist. And if you are a white Christian in America, I'm going to guess you've probably actually said that."
She added, "What I am learning in humility is that just because I've never acted, or said, or bought into a racist rhetoric, that my silence doesn't make me not a racist, that my silence actually adds to the problem of racism."
Grant added that she and her husband, Bernie Herms, had read the Bible verse John 15:12 prior to creating their live video.
She said, "'Love one another.' To love as He has loved us because that love is this: that you would lay down your life for a friend.
"I don't think that only speaks to actually dying for a friend. Personally, for me, it also means laying down platform, reputation and taking a risk."
"What's funny is Bernie and I have actually lost several thousand followers in the last five days because we posted about this issue, which, for me, shows the very thing I'm saying — it's a heart issue.
"At the very center of the Gospel of Jesus Christ is a message of reconciliation. That's the center of the message of the Gospel."
Grant's husband posted on Instagram some of the criticism and abuse they had received, "You should just shut up...," "Stick to what your best at," "Just keep writing and singing your songs," "You're not helping," "You're just another out of touch liberal celebrity creating more division"."
Herms said, "I'm not a composer, I'm not a producer, I'm not a musician, I'm not an entrepreneur, I'm not a liberal, I'm not a conservative. I'm not an American Christian, I am a Christian American, in that order."
"[A]s a human being created in the image of God and called to be an agent of God's kingdom here on earth, I am outraged at injustice and racism."
