Lady Gaga has attacked the faith of Vice President Mike Pence and his wife Karen, calling it the 'worst representation of what it means to be a Christian'.
The pop star stopped a performance of 'Million Reasons' during her Las Vegas concert on Saturday to blast Karen Pence's new job teaching at a school that upholds traditional Christian teaching on marriage and gender identity, and does not allow LGBTQ teachers or students.
The office of Mrs Pence announced last week that she would be teaching art two days a week at the private Immanuel Christian School in Springfield, Virginia.
The announcement provoked outcry in the liberal media and on social media, where she was accused of being a bigot and treating members of the LGBTQ community like second class citizens.
Lady Gaga, who has used her fame to advocate for LGBTQ rights, said in her rant that Christians should not be prejudiced against others.
'And to Mike Pence, who thinks it's acceptable that his wife work at a school that bans LGBTQ, you are wrong,' she continued.
'You say we should not discriminate against Christianity; you are the worst representation of what it means to be a Christian.
'I am a Christian woman and what I do know about Christianity is that we bear no prejudice and everybody is welcome. So you can take all that disgrace Mr Pence and you can look yourself in the mirror and you'll find it right there.'
Evangelist Franklin Graham said Mike and Karen Pence had done nothing wrong in living out their Christian faith.
'Lady Gaga, Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta, may be a very talented singer and actress, but her comments about Vice President Mike Pnece and Second Lady Karen Pence are misguided and unfortunate,' he said on Facebook
He continued: 'As Christians, following Christ means following the teachings of God's Word. The Bible makes it clear that homosexuality is a sin—among many others—and they all have a cost.
'We are to seek to live our lives in obedience to His Word. He set the rules, not us; He is the one who defined sin, and out of His love and mercy, He provided a remedy for sin—all sin—through repentance and faith in His Son, Jesus Christ.'
He added: 'I know Vice President Mike Pence and Mrs Pence, and, to me, the way they conduct their lives and exhibit their faith make them the best kind of Christian. What a blessing they are to our nation!'
Mike Pence also issued a statement in which he said the reaction to his wife's job represented an attack on Christian education.
'My wife and I have been in the public eye for quite a while, we're used to the criticism, but I have to tell you to see major news organizations attacking Christian education is deeply offensive to us,' he said, adding, 'this criticism of Christian education in America should stop.'
Others have also defended Mrs Pence against the attack, arguing that she was simply exercising her religious freedom in taking on a job that reflected her beliefs.
David French, senior fellow at the National Review Institute, said: 'The intolerance directed at Karen Pence for working for a church ministry that expresses the orthodox Christian view of human sexuality is deeply troubling. A Christian working for a Christian ministry is not a scandal.'
