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Thread: Christian singer makes shocking announcement: "I no longer believe in God"

  1. #1

    Christian singer makes shocking announcement: "I no longer believe in God"

    The lead singer of a Christian rock band and the son of a pastor announced on Instagram that he no longer believes in God.

    "I've been terrified to post this for a while-- but it feels like it's time for me to be honest," Jon Steingard, the frontman for the band Hawk Nelson, wrote in the caption of a lengthy note on May 20.

    "After growing up in a Christian home, being a pastor's kid, playing and singing in a Christian band, and having the word 'Christian' in front of most of the things in my life — I am now finding that I no longer believe in God," he said.

    After Steingard switched from guitarist to lead vocalist in 2012, the band, formed in 2000 from Peterborough, Ontario, shifted from fast-paced punk rock to more contemporary Christian music with songs like "Drops in the Ocean," which he said he can "no longer sing" in good conscience.

    "This is not a post I ever thought that I would write, but now I feel like I really need to," Steingard wrote, explaining the loss of faith didn't happen overnight and it came with questions about God, the Bible, and his upbringing in a Christian home.

    Steingard received an outpouring of support from fellow Christian singers.

    "Love you bro. Always will," said Jeremy Camp, on whom the Christian film "I Still Believe" is based.

    Tenth Avenue North singer Mike Donehey wrote: "Man I love that you shared this. You know I'm always around to talk about our belief in God or lack thereof. Love you and always will."

    Former lead singer of Sanctus Real Matt Hammitt added, "To echo so many others here, I have nothing but love in my heart for your old friend."

    Last year, the author of the best-seller "I Kissed Dating Goodbye," Joshua Harris, renounced his faith in a shocking post on Instagram, writing, "I am not a Christian."

    Steingard did add, "I'm open to the idea that God is there. I'd prefer if he was. I suspect if he is there, he is very different than what I was taught."


    Christian singer makes shocking announcement: '''I no longer believe in God''' | Fox News

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  3. #2
    "After growing up in a Christian home, being a pastor's kid, playing and singing in a Christian band, and having the word 'Christian' in front of most of the things in my life — I am now finding that I no longer believe in God," he said.
    Should we be surprised by this?

  4. #3
    Administrator fuego's Avatar
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    When I read it to my wife she said he's choosing not to believe in God. I guess she meant from his background and how he was raised and the knowledge he has that it's not like he just doesn't believe, he's choosing not to.

    It reminded me of this verse that most Christians just quote the first part of:

    Hosea 4:6
    My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children.

    It's not just a lack of knowledge, it's a lack because the knowledge had been rejected.

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  6. #4
    Quote Originally Posted by FunFromOz View Post
    Should we be surprised by this?
    That was my first thought.

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  8. #5
    Do we know what he means by "believe"? Is it just mental assent to? Is it mental assent to what he was told God was like?

    As one place puts it, believing is "with ... assent of the mind, (and) a yielding of the will and affections, accompanied with a humble reliance on Christ for salvation"

  9. #6
    this is, and yet another, reason to not make "idols" / celebrities of musicians.

    Also, don't let them (or their songs) become the basis of one's theology.

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  11. #7
    I was looking at "generations" in Christians recently and these are some things I came across. The last is concerning, but its validity need to be realised.

    The Second Generation is characterised by:

    1. The second generation is marked by entrenchment
    2. They have a heritage to preserve
    3. They have a natural tendency to accept the status quo and to lose the vision of the first generation
    4. They do only what's asked of them. They don't expect sacrifice, but comfort
    5. They have a "tolerance" and feel "they need not be fussy about detail"
    6. (With the Israelites) They knew about God's deeds, but they did not know Him or acknowledge Him. They had lost touch with God.
    7. They can have a lukewarmness, a complacency, an apathy about amazing biblical truths that they have heard from their childhood, or from their teachers.
    8. They can take the truth for granted and not value it for what it really is.
    9. Two very concerning things we have to be aware of
      1. If this generation doesn't submit to the Lordship of Christ, the next generation might not know Christ.
      2. It is (actually) rare for the faith of parents to be handed down to succeeding generations.

  12. #8
    I posted this elsewhere but it seems appropriate for here:

    How do I know if I have truly believed and am saved?

    You confess Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior and trust in Him by faith (Romans 10:9)
    You confess sin; no longer indifferent towards it (1 John 1:9)
    Habitual patterns of sin are decreasing and fading (1 Cor. 6:11; 2 Cor. 5:17)
    You desire to be obedient to Christ (James 1:22)
    Your love for others is increasing (1 John 3:14)
    You hunger for God's word (1 Peter 2:2)
    You are filled with a desire to see others saved (2 Cor. 5:18-20)
    You love to serve the body of Christ with good works (Eph. 2:10; 1 Peter 4:7-11)
    You experience the discipline of God (Hebrews 12:6-8; Romans 1:18-32; Psalm 11:5)
    You are bearing the fruit of the Spirit; persevering to the end (Luke 6:43; Galatians 5:22)

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  14. #9
    An interesting book to read is "The Unsaved Christian". There are many in churches that have never experienced being born-again and discipled through relationships (versus cookie cutter curriculum).

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  16. #10
    Senior Member Romans828's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by FunFromOz View Post
    How do I know if I have truly believed and am saved?

    You confess Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior and trust in Him by faith (Romans 10:9)
    You confess sin; no longer indifferent towards it (1 John 1:9)
    Habitual patterns of sin are decreasing and fading (1 Cor. 6:11; 2 Cor. 5:17)
    You desire to be obedient to Christ (James 1:22)
    Your love for others is increasing (1 John 3:14)
    You hunger for God's word (1 Peter 2:2)
    You are filled with a desire to see others saved (2 Cor. 5:18-20)
    You love to serve the body of Christ with good works (Eph. 2:10; 1 Peter 4:7-11)
    You experience the discipline of God (Hebrews 12:6-8; Romans 1:18-32; Psalm 11:5)
    You are bearing the fruit of the Spirit; persevering to the end (Luke 6:43; Galatians 5:22)


    Thank you! - This pretty much sums it up (IMHO) - I copied and pasted this into a Word document, and will share it with my Ladies Bible Study group, and with my Brother-in-Christ, who is teaching the "New Believer's" class at our church (once we re-open).

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