Two former members of the multi-platinum Contemporary Christian group Avalon have re-recorded their hit single “Testify to Love,” claiming it as a gay anthem.
Avalon was formed in 1995 and quickly racked up the accolades. They were nominated for 23 Dove Awards and won 6, including New Artist of the Year (1998) and Pop/Contemporary Song of the Year for “Testify to Love” (1999).
They went through numerous lineup changes over the years and ultimately rebranded themselves as Avalon Worship in 2022, with original members Janna Long and Jody McBrayer still in the group, along with Greg Long, who joined in 2003.
However, founding member Michael Passons, who left the group in 2003 and came out publicly as gay in 2020, has joined forces with gay country singer Ty Herndon to re-release the hit song. Another former member, Melissa Greene, who was part of the band from 2002–2009 and who officiated Herndon’s gay marriage, is also featured on the track.
The song features an “all-star chorus of emerging LGBTQ artists and advocates,” including Jada Cato, Andrew Mitch, Jessica Rose, and Bryan Rub.
Notably, Passons says he was ousted by other members of the group after being caught in a compromising sexual situation with another man, saying, “they threw me out at the first hint that I violated a scripture in Deuteronomy.”
Current Avalon members Janna and Greg Long are worship leaders at an SBC church in Texas, and there is no indication that they’ve ever intended their song to be a gay-affirming anthem.
Melissa Greene said about the song on her Substack:
It is a song about love without exception, love that reaches every corner of creation, love that testifies through every star in every sky. …this is not just our reclaimed anthem, but also part of the soundtrack of my life and journey. It is about the love we testified to before we knew what it cost, the lines we crossed to find out, the places we had to leave because we realized they no longer honored all, and the people who let us back in.
Likewise Passons told GLADD
For years, I sang these words while hiding who I truly was. 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.”
