Steve has been a christian since June 1978 when he took the first steps to delving into the possibility that Jesus was who he said he was!..official religion like christianity or islam or judaism seemed to me hypocritical and deceptive....up to this point in time, he had already explored eastern religions focussing mainly on TM, transendental meditation, under a Tibetan guru called Robsang Lampa who has since passed away but had written a comprehensive guide to any who would follow...I had always been interested in the occult as it was obvious to me there was more to our universe than what we can see with our eyes..the deeper I got into this I discovered an important basic fact...that there seemed to be spiritual forces of darkness or evil...which consequently led me to believe there had to be corresponding forces for good..it's just that I hadn't encountered them yet!...
If I was honest, I would have to say that becomming a christian was complicated...I felt I needed to understand basic concepts like sin, redemption, justification, sanctification, law, grace...all these words needed further explanation to enable me to understand the full profoundity of what Jesus actually accomplished through his birth, life death and ressurection. This probably took about a year of diligent study! before I can say I 'became a christian'
my biggest objection to becomming a christian was; 1) why did god allow so much suffering in the world?
2) religion seemed to be the main cause of war in the world.
3) I had never met a minister or follower who actually believed the 'stuff'
As a musician, probably the least painful option would have been to follow islam....and many professional and creative musicians have done exactly that.....christianity has treated artists and musicians very badly since the protestant reformation!...but sometimes, just because it's easy doesn't mean it's right! and throughout the ages governments and dictatorships have often killed off the artists and musicians...more recently the Russian and Chinese cultural revolutions....perhaps because they present a threat to their authority?
For me, the harder, and longer journey in Christianity has helped me to connect to the most creative being in the universe....God...and straighten out all the twists and faults in my own life....he has still a lot to do...he's not finished yet!
My advice to anyone seeking to understand the Big Picture....seek out a christian church that actually practices and preaches the gospel and start asking questions.....read the bible...start in the gospel of John and expect a meeting with Jesus........
If you would like more info or would like to comment email me at; info@nelsonvillage.com