A South England church plant was established by three friends who shared a love for heavy metal music, in the hopes of calling on more people to believe in Jesus. Established by Rob Byrne, Roger Kiralfy and George Papachristodoulou, the church called Fire and Blood hopes to dispel the assumption that heavy metal music and Christianity oppose each other.
"I was exploring metal and the Christian faith and how they can work together," Papachristodoulou explained to BBC. "I think that God placed me in the area to start a metal community based on the Christian faith."
Papachristodoulou remarked that "Everything the metal culture stands for is very close to the Christian ethos." The trio of Christian metal-loving fans said that there has been a "misconception" about heavy metal music being incompatible with faith.
Byrne, who serves as a second-year ordinand in the Church of England, explained that when a person encounters music that makes him or her "feel, for whatever reason, is leading you away from God, then I'd discourage that person from listening to it." He added that music is "always going to be a personal thing" and that it's "not a genre-specific thing."
The Christian Headlines reported that Fire and Blood church meets in a nightclub called Tap N Tin every first Sunday of the month. They also use The Metal Bible in their services. The Metal Bible, as per its website, features a New Living Translation of the New Testament and was developed for Christians who are metal fans.
It also features testimonies from Christian artists in Christian and secular metal bands, including Korn's Brian Welch, Stryper's Michael Sweet, Tourniquet's Ted Kirkpatrick and Iron Maiden's Nicko McBrain.
Contrary to common assumption, it is atheists and not Christians who are more likely to criticize the heavy metal church, Papachristodoulou explained, admitting that they've had "some quite interesting conversations on Facebook."
In the U.S., Christian music stars have become influencers with a wide following. Take for example Skillet, a band which is set to headline the 2022 Winter Jam from Jan. 7 to March 27 next year. The band and its frontman John Cooper has long been vocal about their Christian faith and conservative views.
According to the Tennessean, Cooper recently shared his excitement for the upcoming 2022 Winter Jam, saying,"Due to the times we are living in, I think Winter Jam will have more energy, more passion and will be more encouraging than ever before. We are ready, the fans are ready - let's kick off 2022 as a year of victory instead of defeat!"
Skillet will be joined by R&B artist Tauren Wells, Christian rap favorite KB, "American Idol" finalist Colton Dixon, and worship rockers I Am They and Winter Jam founders, Newsong. Pastor and speaker Shane Pruitt is also set to be on hand at the event, which will feature a "pre-jam" with Abby Robertson and Bayside Worship.
