In my recent interview with Orthodox priest, Fr. Christopher Foley, he recounts how many of his friends and acquaintances in the Christian music industry no longer practice the faith after going through an experience of ‘deconstruction.’
“ A lot of the people we knew in the Christian music scene… have just completely deconstructed and just left Christianity altogether, because I think the only thread that was holding them onto Christianity was that music scene. And I think when that music scene kind of has run its course and it's left people with nothing to really hold onto. That's been hard to see.”
This exit of ‘evangelical Christian’ musicians has become more notable as lead singer of Hawk Nelson announced in 2020 that he no longer believes in God. The original guitarist of the Newsboys also spoke about his atheism and alluded to the fact that many of the current Newsboys have their hidden struggles. Fr. Christopher was able to get to know many Christian musicians since he was deep in the scene himself through his band ‘Luxury,’ and it is these sort of people that he feels called to engage.
“But I also have this burden for folks like that… [My message for them would be] ‘You know, before you completely leave Christianity altogether, consider the Orthodox faith, because I think it will answer a lot of your questions and what you're longing for.’”
Fr. Christopher has found that many people simply need a safe place to ask the hard questions. They are going through a period of deconstruction and experiencing the same kind of grief of ‘doubting Thomas.’ In our interview, he pointed to a hymn that is sung in the Orthodox church:
“On Thomas Sunday we sing about “the most wonderful doubt of Thomas.” You know, we hymn it, you know, “doubt bore certain faith.” And so, I mean, in a way it kind of ties back to the, the deconstruction conversation… Deconstruction sometimes can be a healthy thing in order for it to bring someone back to faith.”
He has also found that it is good to give them some pushback:
“ What is this deconstruction… leading you to? Is there a sense of wanting to rebel and ask these questions? But what about… reclaiming faithfulness as an act of rebellion? It's easy to rebel; it's easy to deconstruct, but you know, it's much harder to remain faithful and ask the hard questions so that you can remain faithful. So I think it's good to be able to engage those conversations.”
Father Christopher is also seeing people who left Christianity years ago now return through the doors of the Orthodox Church. Some of them became agnostics or atheists while others became new age seekers, buddhists, or even muslims. One man said that if he knew Orthodoxy existed, he likely would have never left Christianity for Islam. All of them were looking for a more embodied form of worship within a tradition that had historical roots which could engage their deeper questions.
“We have about 75 people coming to our catechism class right now. And I'm asking these people, ‘Why are you here?’ And it's all the same. There is this desire for an embodied faith where Christ is truly worshiped with reverence and awe. And there is tradition to kind of sink their teeth into. It’s orthopraxy… a way of living one's life. That means having one's life changed and transformed by Christ.”
If you are interested in exploring more of Fr. Christopher’s story as well as the band ‘Luxury,’ you may be interested in watching the documentary below (as well as other interviews on NPR, Unbelievable podcast, and more).
“Parallel Love: The Story of a Band Called Luxury” (3 Band Members Now Orthodox Priests)
NPR: The Curious Tale Of The Band Luxury, Who Escaped Tragedy And Embraced Faith
