David Crowder on his ‘deconstructive moment’ by Leah MarieAnn Klett for Christian Today
Worship artist David Crowder, known professionally by his stage name Crowder, is one of the most prolific worship artists today, known for his prayerful tunes and thoughtful lyrics.
Since bursting onto the CCM scene in the mid-’90s, Crowder has earned three Grammy nominations, four Dove Award nominations, winning one for Rock/Contemporary Song of the Year with “Wildfire,” and countless other accolades. His fourth solo album, titledMilk & Honey, topped all four Billboard Christian Music Charts.
But the artist will be the first to admit his journey hasn’t always been smooth.
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“I got into what I’m doing because I was in a deconstructive moment,” the 50-year-old Texas native told The Christian Post. “I was at a place in time where I found a community of believers that felt like refugees, that we were setting down a lot of baggage that we had because of the institutional experience we’ve had with Church. Jesus is so not like that.”
“It feels like in our cultural moment, all of these difficult conversations, our response as followers of Jesus is the most adequate response you can have because it’s all based on grace. We’re known, seen, heard, loved by a Creator who knows your innermost thoughts. That’s a mind-blowing statement. And then, to be able to demonstrate in moments of heightened social turmoil, the grace to say, ‘The response right now is, I love you.’ And I haven’t seen a lot of that.'”
It was his own experience, the “Good God Almighty” singer said, that gives him empathy for his CCM peers — “many of them are my friends,” he said — that are grappling with questions of the faith. In recent years, notable Christian singers, from Hillsong’s Marty Sampson to Hawk Nelson’s John Steingard, have publicly renounced their faith after a period of “deconstruction.”
