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Rocker forsakes band to follow Christ

sermonindex Feb 25, 2005

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (AP) — A founding member of the Bakersfield multi-platinum band Korn is leaving the group to focus on his religious beliefs."Korn has parted ways with guitarist Brian 'Head' Welch, who has chosen Jesus Christ as his savior, and will be dedicating his musical pursuits to that end," read a statement posted this week on the band's Web site.Welch told The Bakersfield Californian that his decision to leave Korn might be surprising to some."My old friend called today and said he was called up by another friend of mine who said, 'Who brainwashed Brian?'" Welch quipped. "Man, you guys don't even know ... A lot of people think I'm crazy. I don't care."Welch said he was becoming increasingly disenchanted with himself as a Korn band member, producing heavy metal music that invoked dark and morbid images.--Can anyone valify this? if this person is making a true decision for Christ? let us pray for him and the people he could influnence.. namely mainly young people that listen to this music.

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jeremyhulsey Feb 25, 2005

It appears to be true praise God. Several internet news agencies have a simalar story and Korn's official website concurs. Here's what I found on Yahoo's music news site.Ex-Korn Guitarist Quits For His Kid02/24/2005 5:00 PM, LAUNCHLAUNCH Radio Networks Former Korn guitarist Brian "Head" Welch said that one of the reasons he left the band was to set a better example for his six-year-old daughter, according to the Bakersfield Californian. Welch said, "I just grew up a little bit...I've got to think of my kid. I just want to do the right thing." Although Korn's management offered to let Welch bring his daughter on tour with him, the guitarist was not interested: "What parents would want their kids to go on a rock 'n' roll tour, a heavy metal tour?"Welch's departure from the band was made official on Tuesday (February 22) when Korn issued a statement that read in part, "[Welch] has chosen the Lord Jesus Christ as his savior, and will be dedicating his musical pursuits to that end. Korn respects Brian's wishes, and hopes he finds the happiness he's searching for."A founding member of Korn for thirteen years, Welch told the Californian that he's not surprised by the reactions to his departure: "My old friend called today and said he was called up by another friend of mine who said, 'Who brainwashed Brian?' Man, you guys don't even know...A lot of people think I'm crazy. I don't care."Welch admitted he was increasingly disturbed by the dark image that Korn projected. "Those guys in the band, they're not bad guys. They're just a bunch of kids getting marketed how these guys in the big corporate firms want to do. It makes us look like bad people, but we're really just a bunch of kids who never had a chance to grow up."Welch will discuss his reasons for leaving this Sunday (February 27), when he addresses the congregation at the Valley Bible Fellowship in Bakersfield, California, where he recently began attending services.Korn is currently in the studio, working on their seventh album, and have no immediate plans to replace Welch.I hope and pray that he grows in the Lord to become a strong Christian and a testimony of God's grace.In Christ,Jeremy Hulsey

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crsschk Feb 25, 2005

Praise God.Most certainly will be praying for Brian. This is right out of the same mold for me. Though not one of my favorites in those days, still out of that same genre. This is incredible in that it will give pause to a lot of minds. For those who may not know... We are talking extremely heavy metal, you know the kind that get's the label of 'satanic'. Definitely dark themes and whatnot, but got to wonder how much mainstream...won't go there. It's just that whole perception...This is great news, a huge leap for him no doubt.Much prayers indeed.

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CJaKfOrEsT Feb 25, 2005

According to the group's management, Welch has rededicated his life to Christianity and he felt it necessary to leave the group due to moral objections to the band's music. ..."... I distanced myself from Korn for probably a year and a half, two years. I just wanted to fade away, it was crazy. I was so gone," I think that the fact that Welch has distanced himself over time, potentially shows that he is making a rational choice to follow Christ. At least it shows that this isn't some fad he's trying, ala Bob Dylan, Van Morrison, and KRS-One, among others.However, it would be wise to judge the fruit in his life, rather than making a "knee jerk" endorsment of "Cool. Welch is a christian".

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markm Feb 25, 2005

There is certainly a danger in these high profile conversions. The wolves start circling (some in sheep's clothing). Bob Dylan's conversion comes to mind. Pray that Brian spends enough time in the desert to gain the strength and foundation to weather the coming storms. That he will have a relationship so close to God that human relationships can not break it. What an opportunity for him to reach a thirsty audience. Pray that he waits on God's timing to take advantage of it.

sermonindex Feb 26, 2005

this...Pray that Brian spends enough time in the desert to gain the strength and foundation to weather the coming stormsthats really great news, lets pray together,please dear Jesus, please protect our brother from the forces that will gather to subvert Your will, please give our brother the strength in the Holy Ghost and let Your seed fall on good soil in that boys heart and soul, please don't let him be the rocky soil man, and in Jesus Name we lay claim to the souls of the band Linkin Park and ask that You Dear Jesus bring them to You and for Your Glory, amen

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jeremyhulsey Feb 26, 2005

Brian Welch, former guitarist for Korn, has a web-site that is going to be up at any time. I'm sure his testimony will be interesting. Here's the link: www.headtochrist.comThe website is not up and running yet, but it should be very soon.

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_Disciple_ Feb 28, 2005

Now it is online, you can download his testimonyHulsey wrote:Here's the link: www.headtochrist.comThe website is not up and running yet, but it should be very soon.

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MarkDaniel Mar 1, 2005

Glory to Jesus! And prayers for this soul too!

sermonindex Mar 1, 2005

Pray that Brian spends enough time in the desert to gain the strength and foundation to weather the coming storms. That he will have a relationship so close to God that human relationships can not break it. Amen, we need to pray for this brother that he would be free of all bondages of his old life and be a shining testimony of what Christ can do. A friend here at bible college shared that he used to listen to 'korn' before he was saved and after he was saved he used to pray for them, so when I told him about this news he was amazed.

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PreachParsly Mar 10, 2005

Here is an article and here is a website that you can listen to his testimony http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/news/050309c.aspEx-Korn Guitarist Finally at PeaceBy Chris MitchellMiddle East Bureau ChiefCBN.com – ISRAEL - The lead guitarist for the heavy metal group Korn recently shocked the music world when he announced that he was leaving the band.Brian Welch had become a born-again Christian. He followed his announcement with a trip to Israel, where he was baptized in the Jordan River. Welch came to the banks of the Jordan River to be baptized along with members of the Valley Bible Fellowship churches. It marked the end of one life and the beginning of another. Pastor Ron Vietti said, "We're telling everybody that we've chosen to die with Christ. What we're doing is we're burying you. And you're dead. When you come up, [you will be] a new person like Jesus was a new person, when He was resurrected from the dead."Welch's announcement that he became a follower of Jesus Christ rocked the heavy metal music world. Korn is one of the most popular heavy metal groups in music today. It has earned multiple platinum albums and has loyal fans around the world. But Welch says his journey from a rock star lifestyle to his new life is incomparable. Welch said, "I've done hard drugs, I've done soft drugs. I've seen everything. I've done what teenagers dream about, especially guys. I've seen all that, and no drug or nothing compares with walking with the Lord."Welch's visit attracted attention from press around the world, and a curious question from CNN about baptism. CNN asked Welch, "Do you really think your whole being is going to be changed in just in a few minutes?" Welch replied, "Yep. It's going to be changed. It's going to be changed." Watch. Interview me afterwards. You'll see. You'll see peace. I believe that."After Welch was baptized, he told CNN, "I told you right before. Remember? I told you I was angry. I'm not angry anymore. I just want to serve God, and do what He wants me to do, and that's to teach people that this is real. I just want to see kids, whatever, come to the Lord."Welch says God delivered him from both an addiction to methamphetamine and an empty lifestyle, a story that reminds some of the time Jesus said, he who is forgiven much, loves much. Welch commented, "I came to Him and I seeked (sic) Him with everything I had. Everything I had. Because nothing else worked in the world. No money. I have all kinds of money, and nothing worked. And that's why this is so important to me, because He came through 100 percent." Pastor Vietti has been a pastor for 30 years, and says Welch's faith is genuine. He remarked, "This kid's the real deal. I think if I've ever seen one, he's the real deal. He's got such childlike faith."Vietti says Welch's testimony has already had an impact. Vietti interviewed Welch recently at Valley Bible Fellowship in Bakersfield, California. The interview, which can be seen on the church's Web site, reached a lot of people with the Gospel. Vietti said, "We interviewed him during the service. The word got out. MTV was at church. I love it when MTV comes to church. MTV and CNN. We've been contacted, and we had about 250 people saved last Sunday. And a lot of them had Korn shirts on. Some of them drove 33 hours from Indiana. Some came from Florida. Between a half a million and a million hits on our Internet in two to three days. So it's had a bigger impact that I thought it would have."Vietti knows the pitfalls for celebrities accepting Jesus Christ, but he hopes Christians around the world will pray for Welch. He also believes godly discipleship will be vital. "I think it's my duty to latch onto Brian and stay close to him, and it isn't hard to do because he wants to stay close to me, and he calls me several times a day. So, I think discipleship is going to be key."Welch has already begun writing music about his new found relationship with Jesus Christ. Pastor Vietti believes Welch has a great potential to reach millions of young people with the Gospel.

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PreachParsly Mar 13, 2005

he has his own website now http://www.headtochrist.com/index.htmledit: sorry i didnt mean to be repitious. i just seen that someone already posted it

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PreachParsly Mar 13, 2005

Hey guys, I think everyone should go listen to his testimony. Dont focus on the theological statements or something that you might not agree with. Focus on the simple things. This guy doesnt know his Bible from anything. But he knows this :God changed his life. How many of you are that simple? I remember when I first was born again. I remember going to see some friends and then they asked me how i knew that Jesus was real. They questioned how i know i was right and thought the muslims, hindus, jews, and everyone else was wrong. All i knew was that He was real and died for me. Thats all I could tell them. Now look at us. We fight over theological issues. We strive for wisdom and knowledge but not obeidence. Have we left our first love? Please respond to this if you read this. If this thread just gets forgotten about I think i may start a new one. I really want everyone to listen to this and think about it "Have we left our first love?"

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MarkDaniel Mar 14, 2005

Dont focus on the theological statements or something that you might not agree with. Focus on the simple things. This guy doesnt know his Bible from anything. But he knows this :God changed his life.Amen, just like most of the first disciples of the early Church weren't well-versed in any scripture or theology either :) But they were being saved by the thousands!

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crsschk Mar 15, 2005

Thanks for bringing this up brother."The book of life" :-D Have listened to the audio a couple of times. Feel a certain kinship coming out of the same arena, even that same drug. But more so just to hear the simplicity...Haven't seen the video yet....yet!You've got some good points brother, definetly keeping him in prayer. There will be hard work ahead.

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Tears_of_joy Aug 18, 2005

Jesus heard the cry of this desperate soul.I just read this:"jesus is god. jesus is so real and anyone that doesn't believe that he is, should really find out on there own for sure before they just assume that he isn't. he will reveal himself to anyone that seeks him. before i found out he was real i thought god was a man made word to try and get people to be goody goodies. but after experiencing nothing but depression after 34 years of receiving everything that "the world" had to offer such as fame, endless amounts of money, women, drugs, cars, first class plane seats, people cleaning up after me, piles of jewelry, big houses, free beer, free clothes, ect, i had to find out for my self if he was real. i basically just said " jesus, if your real, change me because i don't like me." and he did. back in december i was snorting lines in my closet and praying at the same time. i remember holding a rolled up 100 dollar bill wiping the powder from my nose and i said "jesus......if your real please take this addiction from me. please make me want to smile again. please take these thoughts of killing myself away from me. if you are real please give my daughter at least one healthy parent. i don't want to die jesus. i don't want to wish i was dead while i live either. i hope you are real because i'm gonna end up killing myself for sure very soon if your not." i don't want to be another rock star overdose or rock star suicide. please help me. if you help me, i promise that i will live for you forever!" he answered every single word of that prayer. so i did what i said i would do. i quit my career and threw everything that i had in life up to him and said, "ok, now that I KNOW that you are real, take everything that i have on earth and give me back whatever you want me to have. also give me detailed instructions on what you want me to do for you for the remaining years of my life here on earth. i cry as i write this because i'm not exaggerating at all. i hated living and now i love my life. i don't live for me. i live for him and you. the instructions he gave me was to love the world and not to ever be afraid to claim his name. he told me that i was gonna become one of his prophetic voices. almost all of my songs are messages from god to the world. not from me to god like a lot of people are expecting. god wasn't mad at me before. he was right there feeling my pain with me and now he is feeling my joy with me. you see the strength that came inside of me that gave me the power to come out of the depression that i was in for so long was supernatural. i battled addictions to alcohol and drugs since i was a little kid. i went to rehabs and they didn't work. i spent thousands and thousands of dollars on shrinks over the years because i couldn't figure out why i wasn't happy and nothing worked. jesus is "the great physician" and he didn't charge me a dime and he's on call 24/7 365 days a year."

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PreachParsly Oct 21, 2005

This is old but I thought I would bring it back up. Check out his website again. HeadToChrist.com It is interesting to say the least! He has a forum on there. Just a warning its not edited and there is much opposition. From most of what I have read through on the forums most don't seem to be Christians. Don't forget to pray for him. He could do a lot for the kingdom of God.

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