Last summer, Brad Arnold had the opportunity to tell 680,000 people that Jesus loves them—and he’s not even a pastor. He’s the lead singer of rock band 3 Doors Down, as well as a former alcoholic.
Since rededicating his life to Christ, Arnold has boldly shared his faith with secular audiences. As ChurchLeaders reported, last August the singer asked a Pennsylvania crowd to repeat these words from the Apostle John: “I am the one that Jesus loves.”
Speaking to Pastor Allen Jackson on the “Culture and Christianity” podcast, Arnold described the overwhelming response to that message. “I expected some pushback,” he said, but “I got none.” Instead, concertgoers say his words are refreshing and life changing. Someone even wrote to say that Arnold’s words prevented a suicide.
Brad Arnold of 3 Doors Down Talks About Faith
In the Jan. 10 podcast episode, which has been viewed almost 20,000 times, Brad Arnold talked about his upbringing, the road to fame, and his return to the Lord. The youngest of seven children, he grew up in Mississippi and attended an Assemblies of God church. He credits a sister for introducing him to ’80s Christian rock music, including Michael W. Smith, Petra, Carmen, and Steven Curtis Chapman.
Arnold, 46, co-founded 3 Doors Down at age 15 and wrote the band’s hit song “Kryptonite” soon afterward. By the time he was 20, the band had signed with Universal Records and was touring, which Arnold admitted was “a lot” for someone that young. The rock lifestyle led to drinking, which eventually became problematic.
At his lowest point of addiction, Arnold called born-again country musician Charlie Daniels, who urged him to come home to Nashville, Tennessee, and attend rehab. While Arnold was “working the steps” of recovery, a man talked with him about God and offered a wakeup call. The man asked Arnold why, if he loved God, he was serving himself, not God. Then he asked why, if Arnold loved his wife, he was “trying to kill her husband.”
The past nine years of sobriety have been “the best years of my life,” Arnold said. For the last five years, he has attended Jackson’s church. He credited the pastor with encouraging him to “lead with my faith and to not be a comfortable Christian that sits in a pew…and lives how they want.”
Lead Singer Brad Arnold Is Grateful To Share Jesus’ Love
A few years ago, Brad Arnold heard Jesus say, “I want you to tell them that I love them this summer.” Because he had learned not to question Jesus, he obeyed—even though he didn’t know “how to go about that at a rock concert,” when half the people were “standing there with a beer in their hand.”
Then Arnold saw a post referencing John’s description as the disciple Jesus loves. “I was like, that’s a good something that I can build on,” said the singer.
