HOUSTON, TX – When youth group members Tyler Greer and Tiffany Hudson sang a duet of "Your Love Is Amazing" during the offering on February 8, they unintentionally launched South Houston Community Church into bitter controversy. Conservative church members have compared the performance to the now infamous Superbowl halftime stunt by Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake. Many in the church have resisted that comparison, however, calling it "irresponsible" and "unfounded."

The uproar began immediately after the service, when four-term board member Oliver Perry took Pastor Mark Rivers aside and lodged an animated complaint. When Pastor Rivers failed to respond immediately to the objection, Perry began a grassroots effort with several other disgusted church members. Less than a week later, the members filed a formal grievance with the church board.

The grievance cited "inappropriate dress," specifically that Hudson's skirt was "well above the calf" and that Greer lacked a tie. A second point of contention was the teens' "excessive lateral movement during a song of praise," which the group claimed was "inappropriately similar to dancing."

But the clause that incited the bitter controversy referred to the end of the song, when Greer and Hudson joined hands while repeating the song's final line, "Your love makes me sing." According to the complainants, this action was too far over the line and was "sexually provocative." The final sentence of the grievance speculated that the Superbowl halftime show, during which Justin Timberlake tore off a part of Janet Jackson's costume and exposed her bare breast on live television, might have inspired the so-called Offensive Offertory.

Some speculate that the church's conservative critics are only grasping at straws, seeking ground from which to launch the latest in a string of attacks against the use of contemporary music during Sunday worship. South Houston Community Church, like many other American churches, has been struggling to keep its music program relevant without isolating its older members, who prefer hymns. In the case of the offertory duet, these members may have been aggravated by the use of the vocal track tape, long a source of contempt for some church members. One critic noted that Jackson and Timberlake also sang to a vocal track during their halftime routine.

Thanks to this event, the rift at SHCC is now deeper than ever. The parents of the offending teenagers have threatened to leave the church unless the grievance is withdrawn. The parents also seek a public apology from Perry and several others, who the parents say have damaged their children's reputations. Perry, for his part, has ruled out that possibility, saying he is merely looking out for the good of the church body: "If no one else will stand up against this lewdness, I surely will. If we don't nip this in the bud, one day we will see bare breasts on stage, and Lord knows no one wants to see that!"