Sex, Drugs, and Rock and Roll

Billboard has a review of Ex-Korn guitarist Brian Welch's book, "Save Me From Myself." I remember first laughing when I heard that a member of Korn had accepted Jesus Christ as his personal savior, because I had heard their music and recognized the sense of darkness that came from it. But I guess in the end, it's the people whose lives have been most destroyed by sex, drugs and rock and roll that might feel the need for God the most.

From the review:

One refreshing piece of Welch's tale is that he doesn't claim life became perfect when he was saved. He has still drifted, trying to determine his path as he sought spiritual mentors, donated to charity, sued his band over money before making peace with them, battled another crippling depression and had a crisis of faith. He will also perk ears with his belief that "All of the man-made religion crap in this world has to die . . . All that prideful, controlling religious crap is what drives young people away from churches." That message might convince the rebel crowd that he's not a holy roller out to shove doctrines down their throat.

I think the Korn story is a powerful one because, like many rock band redemption stories, it brings into stark relief the potential relevance that a life of faith can still have in today's culture. It's a great encouragement to have high-profile stories of transformative faith, because it's a sign that maybe, maybe God can still changes lives in our secularized, sex-saturated culture.