Christianity and punk rock aren’t typically found in the same sentence – let alone the same mosh pit. But for the Rev. Bertie Pearson, an Episcopal priest and former punk-rock drummer, they’re totally compatible.
“They’re both about a hopeful vision for the world,” he says. “A rejection of materialism and inequality and injustice. They’ve shaped my whole moral value system.”
A parish priest at two Episcopal churches in San Francisco’s Mission District, Pearson discovered punk rock at 10 (“It radically changed my life”) when his sister gave him his first Black Flag and Dead Kennedys tapes. He bought his first drum set at 12, played in several punk bands and also drummed in salsa and electronic-music bands.
It would be interesting to know what a ‘contemporary worship service’ would sound and look like in this parish! 🙂
Actually, I agree with him and like punk music for the same reasons. It asks good questions and challenges society. My all-time favorite album remains Green Day’s “American Idiot” for its very hard look at all of the hypocrisy and social problems we seem to ignore.
Punk questions constantly but doesn’t propose solutions, which is one of the biggest criticisms of the genre. So, if one would take the punk criticism and offer Christian answers, I think that could be quite compelling. I used to tell my students, especially those who were into rebellion, that the most counter-cultural but fulfilling lifestyle would be that of a devout and earnest Christian and maybe we should all really try it sometime!
The first thing we have to do is to learn how to ask questions. Worse luck for us; it’s hard work. Being wounded and raging doesn’t amount to either a question or a challenge. Ultimately, Jesus is the answer to the question that is every human life; but first you need to learn how to ask the question. Any fans of the grail myth out there?