Kristin Chenoweth was born and raised in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma just outside of Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Chenoweth is a devout Christian, having been raised a Southern Baptist (she is now a non-denominational Christian[1] ). Her career as a singer began in churches, where she was often invited to sing[2] and she fondly remembers singing for the entire Southern Baptist Conference at the age of 12.[3]
To this day, Chenoweth proudly proclaims that she reads The Bible regularly and prays often.[4]
But she is disturbed by a current social stigma attached to Christianity–that being that American Christians are often intolerant and bigoted. She said:
I think it's important to remember that Christianity was based in love and tolerance and forgiveness and acceptance. I don't want Christianity to be a negative word anymore… there is a group of Christians out there who want to be more open and understanding and tolerant and loving of all kinds of people, even the people that don't believe in God at all.[5]
Chenoweth's willingness to be so outspoken about her faith is a risky move in the entertainment industry–but she seems to be sweet and adorable enough to pull it off. Plus, she is controversial in the Christian community, by her own admission,[6] because of some of her political views, so…
The Real Message of Christ
Chenoweth has made it no secret that she's pro-gay rights and marriage equality despite some other Christians' opposition:
I don't believe gay people are going to hell. I believe that judgment is left to the one upstairs and I believe Jesus is all about love.[7]
Her support of this issue has caused outrage with some of the American Christian community, even resulting in Chenoweth being un-invited to perform at the Women of Faith Conference in 2005.[8]
However, her Twitter feed is devoid of political endorsements, (outside of pro-gay messages) likely because her liberal views would further alienate Christian fans. That didn't stop her, though, from donating $500 to Obama's 2012 reelection campaign.[9]
And it's not difficult to categorize Chenoweth–she's described herself as a "nonjudgemental, liberal Christian."[10] So we'll just go with that.
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