Imprisoned As I Lay Dying Singer Claims Other Christian Bands Fake Faith

Take this one with a grain of salt considering its source, but I'm sure there's some truth to the following.

'Shock' doesn't even begin to describe the collective feeling of confusion and bewilderment that reverberated throughout the music community when Tim Lambesis was arrested May 7, 2013. Lambesis, the As I Lay Dying frontman who was sentenced to six years in prison for conspiring to kill his estranged wife in May, now claims that his band eventually faked their faith in order to continue to appeal to Christian fans.

Speaking at length to Alternative Press in the days ahead of his sentencing, Lambesis described his obsession with the gym and steroids, as well as his views on philosophy and relationship with religion. Although often touring with a circle of Christian bands, the singer said:

We toured with more “Christian bands” who actually aren't Christians than bands that are. In 12 years of touring with As I Lay Dying, I would say maybe one in 10 Christian bands we toured with were actually Christian bands. I actually wasn't the first guy in As I Lay Dying to stop being a Christian. In fact, I think I was the third. The two who remained kind of stopped talking about it, and then I’m pretty sure they dropped it, too. We talked about whether to keep taking money from the “Christian market.” We had this bizarrely “noble” thing, like, “Well, we’re not passing along any bad ideas. We’re just singing about real life stuff. Those kids need to hear about real life, because they live in a bubble.”

As I Lay Dying have released six studio albums. Although originally stating the band were Christians, it has been noted that Lambesis showed growing scepticism in interviews regarding faith in recent years. Before he was sentenced, Lambesis announced a side project, Pyrithion. Many fans believed the lyrics featured on the project's debut EP were satanic, however he was quick to address the accusations: "I wanted it to represent a point of views that aren't necessarily my own, a way to get people thinking and to be more philosophical," Lambesis said in a YouTube video.

He seems to be coming back to his faith, based on several quotes.  This quote in particular is revealing:

Q: There’s the saying, “God answers all prayers, but sometimes the answer is no.” But there’s also, “Be careful what you wish for, because you just might get it.”
A: I did fall flat on my face. I hit rock bottom. I lost everything. The trauma, the solitude: It made me the person I think they hoped I would eventually become. I know I have a long road ahead of me. I know that making amends will be a difficult process. But if they are open for it, this story of tragedy turning into redemption, it’s a story that’s just as much in their hands at this point as it is mine. They wanted to see me go through whatever it took to make me a good father. Now I have, and I’m not allowed to be a father.

Christian Film The Song Defies Categorization

Faith-based films tend to wear their Christianity heavily on their sleeves. "Son of God" centered on the life, death and resurrection of Christ. In "Heaven Is for Real" a four-year-old claimed he met Jesus. "God's Not Dead" depicted a Christian college student challenging atheism.

"The Song," the latest faith-based film to hit theaters and set to open this September is taking a different approach. With  a protagonist who struggles with greed, fame and staying faithful to his wife, "The Song" may challenge audience notions of a stereotypical Christian film.

That's part of the plan, Tony Young, the movie's producer, told The Christian Post.

"Our film is a redemptive tale inspired by the life and writings of Solomon, on his quest for fame, fortune, love, acceptance and ultimate satisfaction and certainly our film is made by people of faith, but I think the term 'faith-based' film means different things to different people," explained Young. "I believe when most people hear that term today, they think of films that are more 'conversional' in nature as opposed to 'conversational,' which is what we are trying to create in our films."

The inspiration for the film's story comes from the life of Solomon. The film follows the music career of aspiring singer songwriter Jed King as he rises to fame following the release of a hit song, which he writes, inspired by his love for his wife. As he finds his stock rising, King, who has long struggled in the shadow of his father, the musically successful and ethically troubled David King, soon finds himself and his own career at a crossroads.

The moral complexities in the life of Solomon are part of what made the content of the film interesting for Ramsey.

"One of the things that intrigues me about the Wisdom Literature section of the Bible, specifically the works by Solomon, is just that he deals with really gritty, rough, not sugar-coated issues. Song of Solomon, Ecclesiastes-- it's very unlikely you're going to see any verses lifted out and made into a cross-stitch to hang on your mom's wall," he said. "I think he's really intriguing that way."

"The way I look at it as a believer myself, I feel like reality and Christianity are not separate spheres and that includes sex, that includes self-destructive things we engage in to find meaning and satisfaction," he added.

When adapting Solomon's story to a 21st context, Ramsey said he and his team considered "how these issues worked themselves out in a modern context."

"In our culture that kind of polygamy isn't chic and that kind of idolatry isn't chic and fashionable, but there are certain approaches and beliefs about sex that are chic and fashionable and there are different worldviews that are chic and fashionable that are in their own way idolatrous, so what does that look like in the modern era? How can you bring them into the story in a way that reveals new insights into a timeless and old story?" commented Ramsey.

Young believes that the movie's message and music will give "The Song" far-reaching appeal.

"We think this film will appeal to a broad range of audiences…particularly anyone who enjoys movies with great music, an engaging love story, and an overall message of what truly satisfies in life," said Young. "We feel like these things are equally appealing to both Christians and non-Christians alike and will play well with both audiences because the acting, production values and storytelling are what the audience of a film are most focused on when they come to see it and all are great in this film."

The movie stars Alan Powell, who himself grew up as a pastor's son, as Jed King, Ali Faulkner as his wife Rose, and Caitlin Nicol-Thomas as King's fellow performer, Rose.

Grits' Golden Ooh Ahh

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Jamie Grace Holds Gold

Jamie Grace’s “Hold Me” featuring TobyMac recently received RIAA Gold certification for surpassing the 500,000 thresholds with downloads and on-demand streams.  She becomes one of four female Christian artists to receive this status.

 Gotee has fostered over the last 20 years five RIAA Gold certified albums and launched numerous successful artist careers in R&B, rap, reggae and rock such as Out of Eden, GRITS, Jennifer Knapp, Relient K, Jamie Grace, Capital Kings, Finding Favour and more.

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American Bible Challenge from Thursday night (6/12)  had 536,000 total viewers, up four percent from last week's 512,000 viewers.

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