The frontman of the legendary rock band Stryper says Christians nearly drove him and his bandmates away from the church some 30 years ago, but the church still hasn’t been able to overcome its critical tendencies. Lead singer Michael Sweet and his younger brother Robert became Christians after watching TV preacher Jimmy Swaggart, and a few years later began singing metal songs, Biblical lyrics, big hair, and yellow and black costumes. became famous worldwide. He threw Bibles at fans and charmed teens with his edgy lyrics.To hell with the devil). They were nominated for a Grammy Award.
They also received backlash from Swaggart and other Christian leaders, who claimed that Christian rock was “of the devil.” The rejection led the band members to question their own beliefs and faith.
Today, Stripers are still active and continue to spread the gospel. (The band recently released his 11-song album, his first acoustic album. To hell with an ampis a simplified version of the hit song, amazing graceA tour date is also scheduled for May 30. This year, Stryper appeared in the new film An unsung hero.)
Stryper also encourages Christians to incorporate more grace into their daily lives, and Sweet said the church could learn some lessons from Stryper’s history.
“People use the Bible about judging others and how we are called to judge others,” Sweet told Crosswalk Headlines. “And I think they misinterpret it and twist it into their own scripture. And we really need to be careful with that. What it means is that we have to hold each other accountable, but we can’t judge people with a hateful heart and a godless spirit, because that only drives people away from God.”
He further added: “We have to be very careful about driving other people away from God, and I feel like the church does that too often.”
Sweet said he sees this critical spirit often on social media, such as when he praised Judas Priest frontman Rob Halford, who is gay, for his singing. His post was followed by comments from fans criticizing Halford.
“He’s going to burn in hell — you know, all the comments on my page,” Sweet said, summarizing the post. “You know, Rob probably reads all these comments, right? That’s the kind of thing that blows my mind.”
He said such comments are a product of society’s self-centered mindset.
“We live in a ‘me’ world. It’s all about self-satisfaction. Everyone has their own opinion. … We all fall prey to that. But that doesn’t make it right. We all need to be very careful about that.”
Sweet admits that Stryper was a band that never fit into a box. Their music was too hard for Christian radio and too Christian for mainstream radio stations. The upcoming acoustic tour will provide fans with an intimate experience, he said.
“People of no faith come to our shows, and people of faith come. … Our goal was always to go out and play in the mainstream world — to go to bars and clubs and arenas with bands like White Lion. We were not a church band. It was never our calling.”
Although Stryper is known for its metal sound, all songs are initially performed on acoustic guitar, he added.
“What makes Stryper different from other metal bands or hard rock bands is that we have two guitars, three voices, three vocalists, so we can harmonize and we can get away with it sonically,” he said. “Some other bands don’t get away with it because they might have other people singing on the album. And live, we only have one or two singers, not three. So it makes it easier for Stryper to go out and get away with it. … [On the tour,] I’m going to tell you some stories about the song and the band’s process and history. It’s going to be really cool. And you’ll end up learning some new things you didn’t know. ”
Meanwhile, Stryper will celebrate their 40th anniversary with another album later this year. Sweet, unlike singers from other bands of his era, has been able to maintain his voice. Asked how he did it, Sweet laughed and said, “Some people say I made a deal with the devil. I made a deal with God.”
“My voice isn’t the same. … I can’t hit all the notes I used to be able to hit. [But] I’m so grateful that I can still sing and still be able to go out and do what I need to do. And I just thank God for that. God still wants me here and He still wants me to do this. And he supports me and keeps me going. ”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6syM7fU2sZ0
Photo credit: ©Flatiron Recordings
Michael Faust has covered the intersection of faith and news for 20 years. His story is published below Baptist Press, Christianity Today, christian post, of leaf chronicle, of toronto star And that Knoxville News Sentinel.
