Kevin Max, a member of the Grammy award-winning Christian band DC Talk, recently stirred up controversy after he identified himself as an "exvangelical", leading many to think he has departed from the faith.
In a tweet over the weekend, Max wrote the following, "Hello, my name is Kevin Max & I'm an #exvangelical".
Good night, we are all going through this.
— kevin max (@kevinmax) May 15, 2021
The singer added that he has been "deconstructing" his faith "for decades."
"I've been deconstructing/Reconstructing/progressing/whatever you wish to call it for decades, I've been in the outsider/misfit/seeker club for a long time now.... thank you for welcoming me in, but I've always been here," he said.
I’ve been deconstructing/Reconstructing/progressing/whatever you wish to call it for decades, I’ve been in the outsider/misfit/seeker club for a long time now.... thank you for welcoming me in but I’ve always been here. Happy Saturday all. Thank you for your comments.
— kevin max (@kevinmax) May 15, 2021
In a post responding to comments that he has left Christianity altogether, Max added that he follows "the universal Christ", though he did not clarify what that means exactly, CBN News reports
"I have no idea how many people's blogs or podcasts are using that announcement for further division, but I'm here for The Grace," he contended.
He further elaborated his post by sharing the lyrics for one of the upcoming songs from his new band, Sad Astronauts.
"It's OK to be estranged / from everything that you were taught /and it's OK / to unpack all the hopeless baggage that you bought / I know the sun it never shines / in the same place twice / and I know that life is better / with a trusted vice / but you will change / when you cave / to the universal Christ," the lyrics read. "And it's OK for you to lose / the shame from all the churches [sic] abuse / and it's OK / for them to see / you don't believe in man's inerrancy / I know the sun it never shines / in the place you hide / I know you think it's better / shrouded in secrets and lies / but you'll change / when you embrace / the glowing universal Christ."
On Monday, Max posted another tweet describing himself as "anti-war, pro-peace, anti-hate, pro-live, pro-LGBTQIA, pro-BLM, pro-open mindedness, anti-narrow mindedness, pro-utopia, anti-white nationalist agenda, pro-equality, pro-vax, pro-music, anti-1%rs, pro-poor, pro-misfit-pro-Jesus, etc …"
Anti-war, Pro-Peace, Anti-Hate, Pro-Love, Pro-LBGTQIA, Pro-BLM, Pro-open mindedness Anti-narrow mindedness Pro-Utopia, Anti-White Nationalist Agenda, Pro-equality, Pro-Vax, Pro-Music, Anti-1%rs, Pro-poor, Pro-misfit, Pro-Jesus, Etc....
— kevin max (@kevinmax) May 17, 2021
This is not the first time Max has been outspoken about his views concerning matters of faith. Last summer, he released a solo album, Radio Teknika, which featured a song titled "Jesus, I love you, but your followers freak me out."
In an interview with the Decent Christian Talk podcast in December, the vocalist spoke on his journey of deconstruction and encouraged others to "embrace it".
"When you give into the fear of, 'Oh my gosh, I'm asking questions,' or, 'Oh man, I don't know if I believe this anymore,' you're giving into the same fear that you know kept us from progressing as people for so long," Max said. "The total totalitarian fear that's constant, in my opinion, in a lot of evangelical churches have made people regress over time."
"I feel like anybody out there going through it, they should just embrace it," he continued. "If they're a believer, they should have these deep conversations with the God they believe in and really struggle with it, talk to Him about it."
Max went on to say he believes God "cares about my progression and asking questions and wanting to know what is real and what isn't real."
"I don't think the God that I believe in is going to just all of a sudden ignore me because I don't believe every single thing that's written down somewhere," he added, referring to Scripture.
Photo courtesy: ©Getty Images/Terry Wyatt/Stringer
Milton Quintanilla is a freelance writer and content creator. He is a contributing writer for CrosswalkHeadlines and the host of the For Your Soul Podcast, a podcast devoted to sound doctrine and biblical truth. He holds a Masters of Divinity from Alliance Theological Seminary.
