2020-06-01 Coffee with Chris - Pray for talented people

John Steingard, lead singer and guitarist of the Christian band Hawk Nelson, recently announced that he no longer believes in God. This is not the first time an artist has made this type of announcement, as we have seen with figures like Kanye West. It is important to understand that being in the Christian music industry is still an industry, and artists are trying to make a living. We should not put them on pedestals or expect them to be theologians. Instead, we should pray for them and be there to support them as they navigate their own faith journey. It is also important to remember that these artists, regardless of their faith, are still human beings with their own struggles and temptations. We should not judge them, but rather pray for them and offer guidance when needed. Let's be understanding, discerning, and focused on our own personal faith rather than relying solely on music or celebrities for our theology. Good morning and welcome to Coffee with Chris obligatory coffee mugshot here. Today I want to talk about something pretty serious and timely. Normally I don't talk about something so timely in these videos, but more something conceptual. But I think we can draw some important concepts from this. So I'm just staring at my computer screen over to the side here reading not the first but several articles now talking about a recent news item. So John Steingard, a name you're probably not familiar with, but you're probably more familiar with the name Hawk Nelson. A lot of people think Hawk Nelson is a person. Hawk Nelson is not a person. Hawk Nelson is the name of a band, a Christian band that's been around for a number of years. People of my generation knew them as a Christian punk rock band, punk pop band, I guess you could say, you know, back in the early 2000s, that sort of thing. And we, you know, went and we heard a lot of their music growing up. Bands like similar to Reliant K, that kind of thing. And in fact, I went to a concert of Hawk Nelson at one time. They're also Canadian band. They were local-ish to where I grew up in Ontario. And yeah, John Steingard, he is a singer, guitarist in the band Hawk Nelson. He's been with Hawk Nelson for a long time. He's not the original singer to the band. When I was growing up, Jason Dunn was the founding lead singer in the band that he left about eight years ago. And then John Steingard took over as lead in the band. So the reason he's been in some articles lately is because he's come out to say that he no longer believes in God. This isn't the first time we've seen something like this, though. There's been a number of artists over the years, just as we've seen a secular artists who have, you know, shifted and devoted their music and their lives to God. People like Kanye West. And for those who may be less familiar with the band, you by name, you would be familiar with songs like Diamonds, which we even sing in churches. We know God's making diamonds out of dust. It's often times confusing for us. How can somebody who's writing songs even in church suddenly stop believing? And he outlined some of his concerns in an Instagram post where this all kind of stems from. In the first place, he outlined some of his concerns, some of his thoughts. We all have struggles of belief. But what I want to say is I appreciate so much Jason Dunn, the original lead singer, of commentary on this situation. He mentioned that about eight years ago when he left the band, it was actually for the same reason. And this was not something that he publicized at the time. He left the band because he was having he didn't feel like he believed in God either at the time anymore. We went on to say was that about two years, two or three years ago, he came back to faith. He came back to believing in God because of his own personal experiences with God when God really met him in a personal way. And that's awesome. What he said, he's very, you know, very calm about the situation, not accusatory. He's saying that he while he doesn't agree with John Stangard, he understands where he's coming from. And he's he's he supports him figuring it out. And basically what he's saying is we need to pray for John, but we shouldn't be worried that he trusts that he will come around and that God is speaking to him even now. You know, and I think sometimes because he's saying he is an example of that somebody who fell away from God and came back to God in an even more real way. We need to let people have questions. You know, sometimes we fear so much that people will fall away from God that we don't allow them to question their faith. We say, no, no, no, don't don't start asking crazy questions. Ask some crazy questions. We should trust that the answers that God provides will come through. We need to give those answers as people ask the best we can without forcing them on people and having patience and most importantly praying for those people. We need to pray for those people. So instead of judging John, let's pray for him. Another big thing, and I don't think a lot of people, I don't think a lot of Christians understand this personally, that Jason, the original lead singer pointed out to, he says a lot of people don't understand that when you're in the Christian music industry, it is an industry. Just like the secular music industry, it is an industry and it's there to make money. And that's not bad, but it is a thing. And that when we're dealing with the gospel, with the free gift of salvation, you can feel like you're peddling the gospel. You can feel like you're profiteering from the gospel because you are trying to make money. This is your livelihood, these songs and things like that. A lot of people don't understand that. They might not understand why can't we perform a worship song without a copyright license. Churches actually have copyright licenses to be able to perform songs. It would actually be a breach of copyright laws for us to perform those songs without it. Because it's still an intellectual property. It's still a thing. And people do make money off of these things. Is it wrong for them to make money off of Christian music? No, it's not wrong for them to make money off of Christian music. Apostle Paul said, don't muzzle the oxen while he's treading out the grain. In other words, allow people to have a livelihood so that they can put these messages, these good songs, these whatever it may be out there to minister to people. But to understand, this is what Jason is honing in on, is that it is an industry. And sometimes when you're in a scenario where you're in that industry, people look up to you. And you don't have as much accountability. And you are just trying to make money sometimes. And you can lose focus, lose sight. So beyond that, I think we can also realize and understand that a lot of people who are making these songs, even songs that we sing in church, were a bunch of 15, 16 year olds in a garage band who grew up in church. And now all of a sudden, they want to battle the band. And they've been launched to fame. And with that, regardless of whether you're in the Christian music industry or the secular music industry, there are temptations that come with that level of fame and lack of accountability. And being thrust into that fame so young, we've seen what's happened to a lot of child stars that don't have the accountability that's necessary for that fame. And a lot of that training and growth and all these kinds of things that are needed. And the same thing can happen just as much in the Christian music industry. And so we also have to understand that when they struggle and stuff, that we put them up on this pedestal of, you know, as leaders in spirituality, you know, kind of thing, the way we would maybe put up, you know, big theologians and stuff like that. These are not theologians, these are regular lay people, like, you know, like, like most of us that are, they're out there singing about God, because they happen to have a gift for music. And so we should not be putting them on the pedestal, nor putting that pressure on them to be theologians, but instead be discerning ourselves and not getting our theology from a song or a band, but from the Bible and what it says. And to be praying for these people who are put in positions that are positions of influence that are often mistaken for authority. And it's not an authority position to have that position of influence of writing these songs, performing these songs. But it is a position of influence where people, especially young people, tend to look up to musicians and celebrities and influencers that are not authorities on the subjects that they are going about. You know, there's a difference between, you know, a huge award-winning director and a YouTuber who also is in the category of video, but they are not an authority on the subject. You know, and so we have to make those distinctions, have that understanding, that grace for people, but really be praying for them, because it's hard to be put out on that forefront, especially starting out from such a young age, and people assume because they've been at it for so long that, you know, that they don't have questions of faith, that they don't have these struggles. Of course they don't have these struggles. They're out here writing worship songs. They're still human beings, and they're human beings that may not have been taught and equipped for these things. So let's be praying for these people. And if you know young people with the talent, don't start panicking. Don't start panicking and forcing things on them, but be there for them. Ask them how they're doing. Ask them what they think about life, and be there ready to help answer questions and help them, not force them to an answer, but to help them along that journey of discovery that they have to make themselves. We believe and we know where that true answer lies, but we have to let them arrive there between them and God and do the best we can to support them, to pray for them, and always be ready to give account for the hope that we profess and to give an answer for that. So anyways, those are my thoughts on this answer. Keep John Steingart in prayer, and all of these different people, and the people in your life with a talent that you see rising. So anyways, God bless.