Hawk Nelson Responds to Lead Singer's Apostasy, and Their Response is Terrible
James 1:5-8 says, "If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord. He is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways."
Last week, I wrote an open letter to Jon Steingard, [former?] lead singer of the Christian rock band Hawk Nelson, who announced through a letter he posted on Instagram that he no longer believed in God. The band made a public statement a couple days ago, also via Instagram. (This seems to be the chosen medium to proclaim apostasy. Last year, evangelical celebrities Joshua Harris and Marty Sampson both announced on Instagram they were no longer Christians.)
In Jon's letter, he admitted he'd been faking it for some time. He presented various questions about Christianity he said no one could answer for him. They were very basic ideas, like, "Why does a loving God allow evil?" and, "Why did Jesus have to die?" The answers are very easy to find, and Jon, who grew up in church and was raised a preacher's kid, has no excuse for his ignorance.
The Bible answers these questions, of course, and the answers I gave Jon were backed with Scripture. But admittedly, the Bible is a big book and many deep doctrines can be complicated. Thankfully, we have great historic church confessions as helpful guides, like the Westminster Confession or the 1689 London Baptist Confession of Faith. Just a simple reading of a basic catechism (click here) answers what Jon claimed to be insurmountable quandaries.
But Jon is not interested in those answers. Otherwise, he would seek the Lord instead of making a public spectacle of himself on Instagram. The attention his letter received also brought a lot of traffic to my blog since I responded so early. I did tag Jon in my letter, and he replied a little over an hour after I published it. Via Twitter, he said the following:
"Hey, man. You seem really angry. I’m sorry—I clearly offended you deeply. Christian or not, I suspect we would have always seen things differently. I wish you the best man." —Jon Steingard
Let me make three points about this reply. First, notice what he did not say. He did not say, "Thank you for taking the time to answer my questions," because Steingard doesn't actually want answers to his questions. His questions about Christianity were more like implications than inquiries. He's pointing a finger at God to say, "You are the reason I don't believe!" But as I cited from Romans 9:20, "Who are you, O man, to answer back to God? Will what is molded say to its molder, 'Why have you made me like this'?"
Secondly, I did not express anger, and if that was Jon's takeaway, I find it difficult to believe he actually read the letter. I clearly qualified my comments as stern yet affectionate and loving. He responded by poisoning the well, making it look like I'm full of bitterness whereas he wants "the best" for me. On the contrary, the bitterness is Steingard's. His letter was dripping with it.
Third, while I was not angry, I was most certainly offended. Steingard, by his own admission, lied to people (though he did not use the word "lied," nor did he confess to any wrongdoing). He used Christianity to make money though he himself did not believe it. He also admitted there are other false teachers just like him who are scared to "come out" as unbelievers. So of course I'm offended, and so should any Christian be regarding those who malign the faith (see Jude 1:4).
But even worse than you or me being offended, God is offended. He is not sitting on His throne over heaven and earth patting Steingard on the back and saying, "Oh, Jon, it's okay." Scripture says, "If a man does not repent, God will whet His sword" (Psalm 7:12). He will judge the godless, and Jon Steingard, by his own admission, is godless. "It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God" (Hebrews 10:31). Those who truly love Jon will warn him and tell him to repent.
But that's not what has been happening. According to the numerous news sources that have picked up the story of Jon Steingard's "deconversion," he has received mountains of support across the music landscape—including artists Jeremy Camp, Tenth Avenue North, and Sanctus Real. They aren't rebuking his apostasy. There's been no public call to repentance. He has renounced God, and professing-Christians are supporting him for it.
Jon has even responded to this "outpouring of support" by saying, "Thank you all for the love. I feel it more than ever."
Imagine that. A bunch of "likes" on Instagram is more meaningful than the love of Christ. Lord, have mercy.
Jon's supporters include his bandmates, the other members of Hawk Nelson. Just a couple days ago, they released a statement expressing approval for their lead singer. The following is that letter in bold. My comments will follow. (I also responded to this letter on today's podcast, which you can listen to here.)
"One of our best friends, one with whom we have walked, worked and lived alongside for 20+ years revealed some of his innermost feelings on his faith journey this past week.
"Our mission as Hawk Nelson has always been to inspire and encourage all people with the truth that God is FOR them and not against them. In that message's most simple and purest form, that THEY matter."
I would think that the mission of any Christian band would be first to exalt Christ and make Him known, wouldn't you agree? Jesus' mission on earth was not to "encourage all people" and tell them, "God is for you, not against you." On the contrary, Jesus told them they were under condemnation, and only He is the way of salvation.
In John 6:38-40, Jesus said, "For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of Him who sent me. And this is the will of Him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that He has given me, but raise it up on the last day. For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in Him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day."
Jesus' mission was to do the will of His Father. Likewise, the Father's will should also be our greatest desire. His will, according to Jesus, is that we look upon Christ and believe in Him, and that we live according to the word He has spoken. Jesus said, "Whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother" (Matthew 12:50).
But that's not Hawk Nelson's primary objective. In fact, they're primary purpose is a lie. Did you not see that in what they said? Again, they say, "Our mission as Hawk Nelson has always been to inspire and encourage all people with the truth that God is FOR them and not against them." Is that true? Is God for everyone and against no one?
God has said, "This is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word" (Isaiah 66:2). We read in Psalm 34:15-16, "The eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous and His ears toward their cry. The face of the Lord is against those who do evil, to cut off the memory of them from the earth."
As I stated in my letter to Jon Steingard, on the day of judgment, there are many who will say, "Lord, Lord, didn't we do many mighty works in your name?" And Jesus will reply, "Depart from me, you workers of lawlessness. I never knew you" (Matthew 7:21-23). Only those who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ have received the favor of God. But Romans 8:9 says, "Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to Him."
I care for you too much to tell you otherwise. But that is not the heart of Hawk Nelson. Their letter continues:
"So now we turn that truth towards one of our own. That God is still FOR Jon and he still matters. Why? Because that truth doesn't change just because we question it.
"How we treat one another when they are at a different stage in their journey based on their life experiences is part of a bigger conversation. We are called to love one another unconditionally, as God loves us. We should also encourage and challenge one another in our Faith, seeking truth."
Where does it say in the Bible, "We are called to love one another unconditionally, as God loves us"? The Bible does not say that God loves everyone unconditionally. In fact, that is a lie from the pit of hell.
"Whoa, what did you just say?"
I know. I'm aware this lie goes deep. Bear with me. This really is a life or death issue.
The term "unconditional love" comes not from the Bible. It was coined by a 20th century German psychologist, socialist, and atheist named Erich Fromm. In his 1956 book The Art of Loving, Fromm suggested that a father's love is conditional (contingent upon success, good behavior, etc.), but a mother's love is unconditional (not forfeited by failure or bad behavior). You may have heard this argument before. Now you know where it comes Fromm.
I agree that dad is often the disciplinarian and mom is the nurturer, but I disagree that this translates into "conditional" and "unconditional" love. Whether one accepts Fromm's categories, anyone should realize that just as a child needs both a father and a mother, love must be both tough and nurturing. But far be it from our world to have some common sense. Instead, our soft-men and feminist-dominated culture has gone the way of deciding discipline is harsh and unloving, and we're all supposed to be effeminate saps. The cultural theology has also come to demand this of God.
This is why my rebuke of Jon Steingard is seen largely as unloving, but a response like Hawk Nelson's is considered loving. However, it's Hawk Nelson's that is steeped in a secular cultural ideal, not biblical truth.
Now someone might say, "But wait, doesn't the Greek word agape literally mean 'unconditional love'?" I believe that view comes from C.S. Lewis in his book The Four Loves. It's true that agape is one of several Greek words for love, but it simply means to esteem or take pleasure in. It doesn't mean "unconditional love."
In Luke 11:43, Jesus said, "Woe to you Pharisees! For you love the best seats in the synagogues and greetings in the marketplaces!" Well, the Greek word there for "love" is agape. I think we would all agree that the love the Pharisees have was not unconditional. The reason they loved the best seats in the synagogues was precisely because of they wanted the benefits.
God's love is not unconditional. To point out the obvious, does God love birds the same way He loves people? Of course not. Jesus even said so: "Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?" (Matthew 6:26). If God's love was unconditional, He'd love birds and people the same.
But God's love for people is also not unconditional. The whole need for preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ "presupposes a condition of estrangement between God and man," said Dr. R.C. Sproul. "The Bible says we are God's enemies by nature. This enmity is expressed in our sinful rebellion against Him. The common contemporary view of this is that we are estranged from God, but He is not estranged from us. The enmity is all one-sided. The picture we get is that God goes on loving us with an unconditional love while we remain hateful toward Him."
But the cross of Christ contradicts this understanding. "Yes, the cross occurred because God loves us. His love stands behind His plan of salvation," said Dr. Sproul. However, Christ did not sacrifice Himself on the cross to placate us. He sacrificed Himself as a propitiation to satisfy the wrath of God. "The effect of the cross was to remove the divine estrangement from us, not our estrangement from Him. If we deny God's estrangement from us, the cross is reduced to a pathetic and anemic moral influence with no substitutionary satisfaction of God."
God receives you on the condition that Christ has atoned for your sin. The Bible is clear that you receive this justification before God on the condition of faith (Romans 3:21-25). Again, "Whoever believes in Him is not condemned. But whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed int he name of the only Son of God" (John 3:18). Not everyone is under the love of God. Whoever does not follow Jesus remains under His wrath (John 3:36).
As Dr. Sproul has also said, "People aren't afraid of the wrath of God anymore because 'preachers' are out there telling people God loves them unconditionally." That is what Hawk Nelson has presented to Jon Steingard and to the millions of they're adoring fans. The letter continues:
"Are we the authors of our own salvation and eternity? Has God provided a way to salvation for us through Jesus? These are the questions that we each must ask and explore."
The answer to the first question is "No." The answer to the second question is "Yes." Hawk Nelson doesn't give even simple answers to questions they present. It does not even appear to me that they even presuppose those answers. They're so ambiguous and so vague, how can they claim their mission is to "inspire and encourage all people with the truth" when they don't speak truth?
Ephesians 4:15 instructs us to "speak the truth in love." If you love people truly, then you will tell them the truth. If you withhold the truth, that's not loving. Proverbs 13:24 says, "Whoever spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him is diligent to discipline him." But Hawk Nelson continues to pedel a universal love of God that includes everyone:
"In the Bible (Romans 8:38) Paul writes, '…I am convinced that nothing can separate us from God's love… Neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.'"
That is the New Living Translation, which is one of the softer translations of the Bible (I recommend the ESV or NASB). That aside, who was Romans 8:38 written to? It was written to Christians. So the promise in Romans 8:38 is only true of believers. It is not true of unbelievers, like Jon Steingard. As I quoted earlier from this chapter, "Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to Him" (verse 9). Hawk Nelson concludes their letter this way:
"The same Lord is Lord of all, and gives richly to all who call on Him, for, 'Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.' Ever thankful and grateful for how God has used this band, the music and the relationships and how He continues to do so."
The verse they quoted but didn't reference is from Acts 2:21 and Romans 10:13. Yes, everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. But the whole point of Jon Steingard's letter is that he doesn't even believe God exists! Therefore, he is not saved.
Did Hawk Nelson not actually listen to to their friend? I typed out his entire letter and responded to him word-for-word. Yet some accused me of not listening at all. The following are some of the responses I received to my open letter:
"Don't be like this. Listen to people when they give reasons for their de-conversion. Don't be presumptuous... You accused Jon Steingard of lying, not just of having been formerly mistaken. You're assuming that you know his former intentions and experiences better than he did (or my intentions and experiences when I was a Christian for 20 years of my life)." —Chad (Arlington, VA)
Chad, I believe I read Jon's letter more intently than you did. He not only admitted that he was faking his Christianity and making money off of it though he didn't truly believe, he also said, "I am stunned by the number of people in visible positions within Christian circles that feel the same way as I do." For what his word is worth, many others are lying about their faith and making money from it.
Furthermore, do not neglect understanding who my audience is. I was not writing to a teenage kid in a youth group who is teetering between belief and unbelief, or to a mother whose child just died and she is struggling to see God in her circumstance. I was addressing an adult man who is almost my age, who is a famous Christian, who grew up in church, who is a preacher's kid married to a preacher's kid, and yet he does not know even basic Christian truths like why there's evil in the world or why Jesus had to die. That's inexcusable. How could he ever have called himself a Christian?
Jon Steingard never knew Jesus Christ. I know that because of what his letter said and because of what Jesus said. You were never truly a Christian either. You must repent of your sin and put your faith in Christ, or you will be judged with the godless at the final judgment (Revelation 21:8).
"[Jon] finds scripture to be fallible, so quoting verses at him won't work. I'm a believer, but I too take issue with scripture. The Bible may have 'divine inspiration' but it was ultimately written/rewritten by imperfect man. His concerns are valid and enforced by many modern Christians." —Kelcey (Dallas, TX)
His concerns are valid and enforced by many unbelievers pretending to be Christians, just like you. I will not stop sharing the gospel, the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes (Romans 1:16). Unfortunately, you think God is so puny, man's will is more powerful than God's, and God has been unable to preserve His word. But what does the Scripture say? "For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit" (2 Peter 1:21).
"Gabriel, there is more then one way to God, and maybe Jon Steingard has found another way. God seeks you where ever you are regardless of religious ideals and doctrine. Instead of judgement you should be giving him support." —Kaelyn
You might be shocked to hear me say that I agree every road leads to God. But only one way leads to eternal life with God. Every other way leads to the judgment of God. Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes unto the Father, but by me" (John 14:6). Jesus also said, "The one who rejects me and does not receive my words has a judge; the word that I have spoken will judge him on the last day" (John 12:48).
"You were very up-front about your 'stern' tone. I’m curious why you chose to use that tone rather than one of understanding. Your tone implies that you cannot fathom the idea that someone may have questions about God and our relationship to Him, which I’m sure you disagree with." —Bob (Atlanta, GA)
How does a "stern" tone lack understanding? First, understand what is being said; then, respond in the appropriate tone. What tone are you suggesting I take? In Matthew 23, Jesus called the Pharisees sons of hell producing more sons of hell and white-washed tombs full of dead men's bones. Both of those labels fit Jon Steingard. So if you think a tone that is more like Jesus would be the right approach, I agree.
"Your letter wasn't bad. There was a ton of biblical truth in there. However, you mentioned he could lead others astray. This as you know is impossible in light of God's sovereignty. As you rightly mentioned, what can he as a man do?" —Sean (Louisianna)
If it's impossible for a false teacher to lead others astray, what's the point of warning about false teachers? Even Jesus warned against false teachers. In Mark 8:15, He said, "Beware the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod." The sovereignty of God is not fatalism. I as a pastor have a responsibility to identify wolves, call them out, and defend the flock of God (Acts 20:29-30, Titus 1:9). I know that God is sovereign, and He works all things to the council of His will. And His will, as revealed in His word, is that pastors warn the flock against false teachers.
Again, I cannot reiterate passionately enough that the state of Jon Steingard's heart grieves me. I am frustrated by the words of Hawk Nelson who seem more concerned with their public image than saving dying souls. I write these things not to thump my own chest and proclaim my own goodness. I have no righteousness of my own but the righteousness of Christ He has graciously given to me. I am a sinner saved by grace through faith in Jesus. I write this so that you also may know Jesus truly, and you will be saved.
As I quoted from the beginning, if you lack wisdom, ask of God. He will give it to you. But ask in faith with no doubting. Know what God has said in His word and believe it. As Hebrews 11:6 says, "And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that He exists, and that He rewards those who seek Him."
