Pillar: For the Love of God
02-26-2008
by Kevan Breitinger
Just as our telephone interview started Pillar’s Rob Beckley car was struck in a parking lot. It’s a measure of the guitarist’s gracious spirit that we were able to continue on with our conversation within minutes.
Pillar (Rob Beckley): I’m sorry, I didn’t want to be rude, but that came out of nowhere.
CMCentral (Kevan Breitinger): No problem, brother, I’m just glad it was as minimal as it was.
Yeah, me too.
I’ve been listening to the new album a lot, and digging how message-driven it is. It sounds like you’ve landed comfortably after processing where you fit in the music industry.
Yeah, its been so cool to come from the middle of nowhere, a small town in Kansas, and find people respecting what we have to say and what we’re about. It’s very humbling to find people thinking highly of you. All those things leave us very encouraged, to say the least, about this record. The fans hearing previews online are freaking out. They love it and we love that.
Yeah, that must be gratifying. I guess I was thinking more of the way you’ve had to work thru industry labeling. The album is so in-your-face with the gospel and particular aspects of the gospel it made me think that you’ve really come to terms with a lot of that process.
I’ve always been of the same mindset when it came to writing the lyrics. None of that ever changed for us. The messages in the songs have always been there, but this record is more about encouraging believers to have a passion for why they believe. To deal with the, I guess you’d call it that postmodern I-think-therefore-I-am mindset. We need to know why we believe. I’m not saying we need to know the Bible all the way through to be able to say why you believe what you believe, but Christians need to have a reason for why they believe what they believe.
I’ll use this example because it’s so awful, but once when we were playing in California, an organization was picketing our concert. A guy stood outside holding a sign that said “God kills babies. He’s a God of wrath.”
Weird. What were they picketing the band for?
They told me I was going to hell because I’ve prayed and fellowshipped with non-believers. I asked him, ‘is that not what 
we’re called to do?’ I went out and spoke to the guy but it was very disturbing, because he had very deaf ears. My arguing with him was not going to change a thing. His philosophy was that Christians are afraid to tell people about hell. And as we were talking, a girl pointed at him as she walked by. She was about 15, and she said ‘you’re wrong. My dad’s a pastor and you’re wrong.’ That was the sum total of her argument to the guy.
And I thought, this guy is out here so strong in his beliefs, even as he’s twisting Scriptures into what he wants it to be. But her point was that she was a Christian and she was right because her dad was a pastor. And we think, ‘I go to church, so I’m a Christian.’ Or I only wear Christian T-shirts, or listen to Christian music, so I must be a Christian. None of those things equal salvation or make you a devout follower of Christ. The way everybody calls themselves Christians has basically become a religious preference on an application. The word ‘Christian’ has become so defaced it doesn’t even mean anything anymore.
To me all of those thoughts combine bring me back to the point of this record: to move people to get passionate about Christ. Our mission statement is that we want to lead people to become devoted followers of Christ. We want to partner in helping people become wholly devoted in following Christ, not just wear the T-shirt. Ultimately, the game in For The Love of The Game, is our passion. The game is our pursuit of Christ, which Paul described as a race. I kind of got the idea from The Message which talks about being in the stadium, watching the athletes. The game of life is a fitting metaphor because it’s so real; we win or we lose. We’re on one side or the other, there’s no in between. The love mentioned in the album’s title is our commitment, our passion and dedication. All of those things play into becoming more fully devoted.
Basically what I hear you saying is that you want to help believers sharpen their focus.
Absolutely.
And this album is so very focused. I know from reading about you and talking with you that you are intelligently engaged with the culture, and it comes across on the album also. Are you guys big readers?
Only myself and our bass player really read, and he reads a lot of fiction. Rob Bell is probably my favorite author. I love both “Velvet Elvis” and “Sex God,” and his new DVD, “Everything Is Spiritual.” I watched it about 6 or 7 times now, with my jaw on the floor.
Yeah, I saw him on that tour, in Philadelphia, and it blew me away too. What a mind!
I don’t think I’d be able to watch it live. I have to stop and rewind it over and over. I wonder, what does he do in his spare time (laughing)?
Oh yeah, to have all of those facts and figures in his head! He came out there with a Sharpie and a white board and just went to town for like an hour and a half, completely holding your attention.
Yeah, that blows my mind. “Velvet Elvis” really led me to embrace who I am in Christ. Just because I play rock and roll for a living doesn’t mean I’m not a true follower of Christ, despite what the most conservative Christians may believe. Those things used to make me so upset, but they don’t matter anymore. I couldn’t figure out why some Christians were so mean. And why are some people so hateful about the way they supposedly “hold you accountable?” As a creative person these kinds of thoughts start to influence you, one way or the other. You can let it get you down and suppress your passion, or you can let it stir you up to go out there and get pumped up.
I know I can’t please everybody, so therefore I don’t try. I do what I’m called to do the best that I can, and if somebody has a problem with that, they can take it to God. I don’t have the time to try to placate every single person who has a problem with the music we play, or where we play it, or the way I look.
Wow, that perspective is helpful to me personally, Rob. And it goes right along with the perspective of the new album.
Absolutely. That pretty much sums up “Reckless Youth.” If people want to consider you an outcast? Show them even more how willing you are to be an outcast. You don’t have to break the earthly rules, but break through the molds of what people think Christians are. I say this very tenderly because we grew up in small churches with a lot of elders and not many youth. Our worship team consisted of an organist. I remember at times being turned off by the church as I was growing up. One time I showed up for a youth event and some lady just chewed me out and made me go home because I was wearing a hat.
Wow.
Years down the road in the army I learned that it’s a matter of courtesy and respect, but at the time I didn’t know it, and it made me never want to go back to that church again. You start having all these horrible, negative thoughts, and now I look back and say with the most tender of hearts to people of that mentality: I’m never going to please them or understand them. Some of them might say, ‘good for you. You’re going out and sharing the gospel to a new generation in an aggressive way, and we respect that. We don’t understand that, but we respect it.’ But some of them are never going to understand it.
That’s what “Velvet Elvis” is about and that’s what “Reckless Youth” is about. The definition of reckless is to act without regard to consequences. I’m going to live out my faith recklessly despite what anyone else thinks. We say to young people, if it’s Biblical and your parents approve, you be as reckless as God will allow you to be. Break the mold that the Pharisees hold over us. I’m writing a book called “For The Love of The Game,” and each chapter covers a song title.
I’m guessing it’s as passionate as you sound right now, and as passionate as the new album comes across, and that’s what we need right now. I’m glad you’ve crafted your message as powerfully as you have and are taking it out there past the church walls.
Well, you talk about going out past the church walls…. In the past we kind of moved out like a silent thunder, going out into new places and trying to just love people. And people constantly ask you if you’re a Christian band, or are you a Christian in a band? Anymore I just say I’m both. I’m a Christian, I’m in a band, and it’s a Christian band. We love God. If that makes us a Christian band, so be it. I’m going to play wherever I can, and the message will always be the same.
In the past we didn’t want to offend anybody; we just wanted to love people and play our music. Now we feel like, if you don’t like what we have to say, don’t stick around. If you want to get pumped up about God, come to a show. I realize that I can’t force anybody into believing what I believe.
Well, that’s an athletic point of view and it’s also Christ-like. You’re not apologetic, and you’re not aggressively offensive. You just are who you are in Christ and that’s a beautiful thing.
Exactly.
I appreciate you speaking as honestly as you have. Thanks for your time.
No, thank you.
Comments
No comments have been written about this yet. Be the first below!