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Christian Band Stryper Experiences Rebirth
http://www.newmanmag.com/

The members of the rock band have returned to faith and are again using their music to proclaim the gospel

At the pinnacle of their success in the 1980s, the legendary Christian band Stryper had sold millions of albums and achieved what had eluded other charismatic musicians—airtime on MTV and a Top 40 song, “Honestly.”
But pride and the lures of fame and fortune proved too tempting for the hard-rocking quartet. After releasing a secular album, Against the Law, the band lost much of its Christian following and eventually drifted from its evangelistic calling.

“We kind of fell away from our original desires—our hearts’ desires—and started getting involved in the things of the world and heading back to our old ways,” frontman Michael Sweet, 44, said.

Today the members have rededicated their lives to Christ and recorded their second new album since reuniting in 2003. The band, consisting of brothers Michael and Robert Sweet, Richard “Oz Fox” Martinez and a new bassist, Tracy Ferrie, will release the new project, tentatively titled Murder by Pride, this summer, with a U.S. and possible overseas tour to follow.

“Sometimes we are murdered by our pride, and our own pride overtakes everything else in our life and we are blinded to that,” Michael Sweet said. “So many times our pride overtakes what we are supposed to do as believers.”

The members of Stryper, whose name was inspired by the verse in Isaiah 53:5 that says “by His stripes we are healed,” admit today that they rebelled against the church when Against the Law was met with strong criticism from anti-rock crusaders.

They stopped distributing Bibles at their concerts. They allowed alcohol on their tour bus. Lead guitarist Oz Fox got a tattoo, triggering letters from people questioning his faith. The tattoo is the logo from the To Hell With the Devil album, which sold more than 1 million copies.

“During the whole time with Stryper, I still didn’t quite understand whole, complete dedication to the Lord,” said Oz Fox, 46, of Alta Loma, Calif. “There was always some kind of half-heartedness, half dedicated to God, but the other half was doing what we wanted—trying to go for the rock stardom, going for the house, going for the gold. And so that led to the fall and breakup of the band in 1992.”

In the ensuing years, each of the band members faced hardships. They played in various groups, released solo albums, gave guitar lessons and worked at various jobs. To support his family, Oz Fox got a job at a warehouse in Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., working there until 2005.

At different points, the band members rededicated their lives to Christ and now attend Calvary Chapel churches. They say they are beginning to see God bring restoration personally and professionally.

Last year, Sweet was asked to sing at a benefit concert in memory of Brad Delp, lead singer of the popular band Boston who committed suicide in March. At the request of Tom Scholz, the songwriter, guitarist and creative force behind Boston, Sweet sang the band’s song “Higher Power.”

“It was a really neat blessing in my life,” he said. “I felt like it was God tapping me on the shoulder, saying He was still here. Honestly, it felt often like he was not. It was the toughest time in our lives.”

Sweet invited Scholz to play on Stryper’s Murder by Pride album, which features a new version of Boston’s “Peace of Mind.” Sweet expects the song to be the first single released to radio stations nationwide.

As 1980s music resurges in popularity, Stryper are again taking the gospel to the world. And they have re-initiated the practice of tossing pocket-size New Testaments to audiences. “We are here today as living testimonies to the power of Christ and strength of Christ,” Sweet said. “He’s our redeemer.”
Troy Anderson

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