For Today, however, present a different case - one that, to put things bluntly, borders on extremist. En masse conversions of concertgoers, leading attendants in prayer - all of these things are fixtures of a typical For Today concert. That's saying nothing of their incredibly conservative lyrics.
Make your choice. Now is the time. But, as for me, I call down fire.
God, rain fire. I believe that God will raise the dead, and He will use
these hands to do it. I believe that God will heal the sick. And He has
sent me forth to say: “He alone is God. Prepare for His victory.” (from 'Elijah (the Forerunner)' on Portraits (2009))
And then this happened:
Oh my. And the best part is that it keeps getting better. Here's the response the band had for Reynolds' rant:
"For today has always and will always be a band that is about loving
people, we have no hatred towards any people regardless of what they
believe or how they live. We may not agree on everything but Jesus loves
you and died for you. And so would we." (via AP)
No comment on what Reynolds said, just vague statements as the band attempts to cover their ass with the old 'let's agree to disagree'. As a non-Christian (agnostic, to be exact), For Today has always left a bad taste in my mouth. I have no problem with religious folks - the Devil Wears Prada, one of my all-time favorite bands, are devout Christians - but it's when people let their faith completely claim them and start spouting shit like this bigot that I draw the line.
To conclude, let this be a warning - it's easy to idolize and worship band members, but the reality is that these are fallible human beings who may hold homophobic, racist, or any other prejudiced views. Be smart.
Edit (1/11): Evergreen Terrace backs me up. In a response to Reynolds' hissy fit yesterday, the band had this to say:
"This scene has always and will always be about acceptance. Homophobia
and intolerance have no place here. Unity isnt just a hashtag. This isnt
a platform for extremism and ignorance. Read lyrics. Fully understand
what bands youre supporting with your hard earned dollars. Dont
perpetuate hate, myth, and intolerance. Fucking evolve." (via Metalsucks)
Couldn't have put it better. Rou Reynolds (Enter Shikari) shared his two cents on the band's website:
"The thought that we actually toured and shared the same stage as this musician in 2011 now makes me feel a bit nauseous[...]there is obviously no place in our modern metal, punk, hardcore, rock (whatever you want to call it) scene for homophobia[...]Let me tell you now, a person’s right to spirituality, and a person’s
right to believe in a God (whichever one they choose), is a right I
would always ardently fight for. It would be a terrible day if freedom of belief is ever taken away. But when religion begins to dictate education and curriculum or starts
calling people evil for harmlessly fulfilling their romantic destiny, it
needs to simply fuck off[...]anyone wishing to label and exclude other humans as ‘sinners’, for
simply loving the human that they wish to love, does not even deserve to
pick up an instrument. (Source: http://www.entershikari.com/some-thoughts-re-homophobia-music-abuse-of-religious-texts/)
That's saying nothing of the amount of flak the band has gotten from bands like Trivium, Twitching Tongues, and even Touche Amore. Never have I been more proud to be a metalhead.
EDIT (1/12): Mike Reynolds has left For Today to enroll in (I wish I was kidding here) bible college with his wife. The two hope to join missions to the Middle East (Source: http://altpress.com/news/entry/guitarist_mike_reynolds_no_longer_in_for_today ).
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