David Bazan at the Opolis

Last night, a few of the members of the AOK made the trip down the Norman to see America's foremost former-Christian indie rocker sing his heart out about faith and doubt, alcohol use and abuse, love and sex, and various other struggles. Awhile back, the Chicago Reader wrote up the definitive profile on Bazan's loss of faith and how he was unborn-again as a secular solo artist -- freed from the stigma 'Christian rock' and all the baggage and mediocrity it represents. I won't recapitulate that history here.

At several points during the show, Bazan answered questions from the audience, some more insightful than others, mostly about the theory and practice of rock music. One particularly perspicacious lad inquired about the process of writing Curse Your Branches (Bazan's openly agnostic solo debut) and the reply was too good to avoid being paraphrased here.

He said that didn't want to write an album where he came off as "up his own ass about religion" but whenever he tried to soften the message or redirect to other topics, the words just wouldn't come. Once he decided to be forthright about his internal struggles (despite the risk of alienating Christian fans) the songs came hard and fast, and the skeptical theme and wistful tone of that album emerged organically.

How is this relevant to us as unbelievers in the Bible Belt? Three points arise from Bazan's personal and artistic experience:

1. Being honest about your worldview, even when in an unpopular minority, relieves the inner tension between how you see yourself and how you present yourself.
   


2. This resolution in turn frees you to express yourself more creatively and effectively, and provides those around you with the chance to indulge in much needed doubt.
   


3. Coming out as an unbeliever might not ruin your life half so as much as you'd think. If a successful Christian musician can kick off his solo career by asking his (mostly evangelical) fan base to question everything, can't those of us living ordinary lives be a bit more honest with our friends and family when it comes to matters of religious faith?

Finally, it needs to be noted that Bazan's most recent album wasn't particularly about religion. Once he got processed through his faith-based struggles, he managed to move on to new ones. So, in time, shall we all.