As you may have read, the band Korn recently made the following unusual announcement on their web site:
Korn has parted ways with guitarist Brian ‘Head’ Welch, who has chosen the Lord Jesus Christ as his savior, and will be dedicating his musical pursuits to that end. Korn respects Brian’s wishes, and hopes he finds the happiness he’s searching for.
The press release goes on to say that the band is holding together and is hard-at-work at their next project. Korn is a hard rock band which represents all we have come to expect from such groups. Lyrics from the song “Deep Inside” seem to adequately represent the band.
Deep Inside, It can’t hide!
Feeling so lost and betrayed
why does this happen to me everytime
Stuck in this place, where I can’t escape
Screaming and clawing from deep inside
…
I can’t stand all this f—–g Pain
Please god just go away
Please god just make the pain…
Or take a look at this musical gem:
I am the falling of my happiness
it is no more
Stop loving, I’m still hating
till I can not hate no more
I’ve had to suffer
I cannot wait for more.
No loving and no praying
All my hate is for the taking
I’m, I am filthy
wasted piece of —-
I am disgusting
take me, away
Wonderful, cheery music, isn’t it? And to think how many teens listen to this. Contrasted to this type of disturbed, drug-fueled hopelessness, we now have Brian Welch claiming that he has become a believer. It is not very unusual for celebrities to claim to be believers, or even to have had an experience where they think they have been saved, but more often than not, it seems the old life comes calling and they soon fall away.
Interestingly, a visit to Welch’s personal web site shows that the only content is a picture of him with links to his two-part testimony which he presented before the congregation of Valley Bible Fellowship in California. Apparently he has recently left with his pastor for a tour of Israel. His testimony was very interesting and seemed to show that he “gets it.” It certainly seems, based on his testimony and the comments of his pastor, that there have been substantial changes in his life over the past weeks. And he is just bursting to do all he can to help the church and to reach out to his fans. Obviously only time will tell if this is a genuine conversion, and I do trust that this one is. We would do well to pray for him as it will not take long for the old man and the old life to test and tempt him, seeking to draw him back to the hell he has come from.
