It’s always refreshing to meet Christian artists who approach their music as a ministry that goes far beyond what happens onstage. Rush of Fools is just such a band. These Alabama guys are kind and down to earth; they’re normal. But when I met with them earlier this week, more than anything I sensed a sincere love for God that compels them to share Him with others not only through their music, but also by partnering with other ministries.
One group the band is involved with is Freedom Begins Here, a media research group that tackles the epidemic of pornography and sexual addition in the church. Wes Willis says the band was looking for a ministry opportunity, and when they first heard about Freedom Begins Here they almost immediately knew they wanted to get behind it.
Willis points out that recent studies indicate that an astounding 50 percent of Christian men and 20 percent of Christian women in church are addicted to pornography. He clarifies that these people are “not struggling, but full-blown addicts. … And those are the only ones saying that they are. That just breaks our hearts.”
But what is even more upsetting for the band is that the church is supposed to be a place where people can go to get help. Willis says that someone can go to church and admit that they are addicted to drugs or alcohol and the church will respond. But sexual or pornography addiction gets swept under the rug because the church is unequipped to address this issue. That’s where Freedom Begins Here comes in. This ministry offers packets to churches for individuals or groups, and it provides information to walk churches through the process of healing.
Kevin Huguley says their involvement has been fun but challenging. They feel their role is to be a megaphone for Freedom Begins Here, though the band’s goal isn’t to get people to confess that they’re porn addicts at concerts. “It’s all about starting the conversation about love, about beauty, about sex about pornography,” he says.
They want to be a small part of helping the church come together to start talking about and addressing this issue. Huguley adds, “By not addressing it you’re more or less in the end saying this is too big an issue for Jesus. This sin is greater than what the cross did. And we know that’s not true.”
On the Wonder of the World tour, the band certainly felt the enemy coming against them for speaking out against this issue. Willis says things would happen that would show that Satan didn’t want them talking about this addition. “He knows people are struggling with it and he enjoys that,” Willis says.
The response from people has been overwhelming. The band has received numerous messages, e-mails and letters from people thanking the band for giving them an outlet for help. “That’s all we wanted to do,” Willis says. “We didn’t want to solve it; we just wanted to show this outlet so people could get some help.”
The group is also partnering with the ministry OneVerse, an organization that helps missionaries overseas get support to translate the Bible. Huguley says that as a worship band they desire to write lyrics based on biblical theology, but they would not have anything to sing if they didn’t have the Word of God.
Rush of Fools supports OneVerse because it is passionate about helping missionaries in other countries translate the Bible. Huguley is quick to point out the numerous organizations doing great things to help feed the poor and find homes for orphans, but admits that the band has a personal attachment and passion to further anything involving Bible translation. “The Word of God changes life,” he says. “It changes a person that is going to be eternally separated from God to spending eternity with Him.”
For more information about the ministries Rush of Fools supports, visit http://freedombeginshere.org/ and http://www.oneverse.org/.
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