We Are Not Nicer Than God: Allie Beth Stuckey Torches Avalons Hijacked Testify to Love After Gay Singer Says It Was Pride Music All Along

Former Avalon Member Michael Passons Re Records 1997 Christian Hit With Country Singer Ty Herndon and Melissa Greene to Claim the Song Was Always LGBT Affirming

Conservative commentator Allie Beth Stuckey has delivered a brutal takedown of the rerelease of Avalon's 1997 Christian hit "Testify to Love" as what the new recording's creators call an "LGBTQ affirming anthem."

"We are not nicer than God. We don't know better than Him," Stuckey declared on her Relatable podcast, episode aired 18 May 2026.

How a Beloved Christian Worship Song Got Re Recorded as Pride Anthem

The rerelease comes from former Avalon member Michael Passons, who recorded the song with country artist Ty Herndon and Melissa Greene. Passons claims he was dismissed from Avalon in 2003 because he was gay and asserts the song's message "always" represented LGBT affirmation. Greene, who left Avalon to serve at an LGBT affirming Nashville church, officiated Herndon's 2023 wedding.

Stuckey rejected the retroactive reinterpretation point blank. "When biblical passages seem difficult, believers should examine their own understanding rather than question Scripture." Biblical scholar Denny Burk characterised the rerelease as an attempt by "apostates" to co opt the original song's meaning. Avalon's current members have remained publicly silent.

The Crusader's Opinion

Stuckey nails it in eight words: "We are not nicer than God." For three decades the affirming wing of American evangelicalism has built a rhetorical industry around the idea that loving people requires bending Scripture to fit them. The Avalon rerelease is the latest installment. The original "Testify to Love" was a love song to Christ. Passons, Herndon, and Greene have wrapped it around a pride flag. Christians should keep singing the original. We do not need a single chord rewritten to obey God's Word.

Take Action

• Listen: Allie Beth Stuckey's Relatable podcast
• Read: Denny Burk's commentary on biblical sexuality
• Donate: CHANGED Movement supporting those leaving LGBT identity
• Share: Stuckey's "we are not nicer than God" quote
• Pray: For Michael Passons, Ty Herndon, and Melissa Greene to encounter Christ