Maverick City's Chandler Moore apologizes for ‘inappropriate’ wedding photo, slams critics
Maverick City Music frontman Chandler Moore married Hannah Poole this month and has offered an apology to those offended by his posting of a photo from the wedding that some found “inappropriate.”
The couple wed on their one-year anniversary of meeting, June 8. Moore shared several photos of the "special" ceremony, including a motion photo of his wife dancing on him.
“@hgracemoore knows how to twerrrrrrrk. #hallelujah JEEESUS,” the popular worship leader captioned the picture.
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His timeline filled with people criticizing the photo for being sexual and suggestive. Moore said people even began to speak against his marriage.
Someone said Moore knew that his post was “salacious & ungodly. Carnal behavior.” Another chimed in, noting that “Modesty is something you’d expect from someone with such an anointed platform. Marriage is beautiful. Sex within a marriage is beautiful but this is unnecessary. We’re called to a higher standard.”
While on his honeymoon, the singer felt the need to address the photo and those who criticized it.
"I won't give too much context, because it's not necessary but for those who actually care... My wife was dancing on me. We weren't doing a 'sexual act,'” Moore explained in his latest Instagram post.
“As I said in caption, she was dancing. There was great music being played. We took a pic while dancing. That's all. If it offended you that I posted it, I apologize.”
The 26-year-old went on to say how saddened he was by all of the “negative demeaning” comments he and his new wife received as a result of the post. Moore said the animosity came their way because they were “dancing in some ways believed inappropriate.”
“Some people literally said we would struggle in the future, we would have a rough marriage,” Moore shared of his feedback.
“No part of that is Christlike," he added. "The first principle of correction is... you need proximity to someone to give healthy correction. 100% of those who posted publicly or commented literally do not know me. They know what they think about me. That's it. Lol”
The worship leader for one of the most popular worship groups today revealed that he is “accountable to several leaders,” and they correct him on a “daily basis.” However, he maintained that to speak against his “marriage is ungodly.”
The South Carolina native said he does not care if people “shame” him but is appalled by what people have said about his wife.
“To have people who call themselves Christians speak against my wife, our marriage and our union is super heartbreaking,” he concluded.
Admired worship leader Israel Houghton, who attended Moore’s wedding, chimed in on the controversy on Instagram.
“I’m blown away by the ‘saints’ in these comments. But if you go to their pages there’s plenty of inappropriate posts. Guys- this was a Private Celebration of their love. Unless they know you personally they’re not going to take anything you say personally. They chose to make this public by way of the photo booth. Please stop,” Houghton urged.
“We wonder why people don’t want to come to our churches... it’s because of the ‘saints.’ Stop it. Let these lovebirds live. Unfollow if you’re offended. But also take some of your offensive pics down while you’re at it. God bless you as you go."
Houghton urged: “If you’re a Christian - please stop fighting other Christians. Thanks.”
Houghton, who recovered from a scandal of past infidelity, is now remarried to mainstream talk show host Adrienne Bailon. He received backlash for coming to Moore’s defense. Users argued that they thought Moore's post was an "error in judgment" and that worship leaders should be held to higher standards on social media because they should lead by example.
The couple wed in Fort Worth, Texas, and shared photos of the occasion exclusively with People magazine. The “Jireh” singer took to Instagram, testifying that the ceremony was a spiritual experience for him and his bride while they were exchanging vows.
Maverick City Music has been releasing a plethora of worship music recently.
The group won Top Gospel Album at the Billboard Music Awards for their April 2020 release of Maverick City Vol. 3 Part 1.
Their collaborative album with Elevation Worship, Old Church Basement, also made history recently, setting a new worldwide record for the most first-day streams for a Christian and gospel album on Apple Music.
The album cover was also featured on a giant billboard in New York City's Times Square.
