In 2005, Brian ‘Head’ Welch shocked fans and bandmates alike when he left the nu-metal band Korn—which he co-founded—in pursuit of something that most people would consider a lot less glamorous.
The guitarist had found Jesus, and he quit the band to dedicate his life to his newfound faith. God knew what He was doing, even when it seemed like Brian didn’t. At the time, he was battling an addiction to methamphetamine, Xanax, sleeping pills and alcohol. He desperately needed a change.
Since finding Jesus and leaving the band, Welch has overcome his addictions to drugs and alcohol, made it on his own as a solo artist and successfully raised his (now teenage) daughter, Jennea. He eventually re-joined the metal band in 2013.
Welch recently shared a photo of himself after a show posing with fans who asked him to pray for transgender people.
On his Instagram he writes: “Got to speak and pray with these precious ones in Northern California – at least 2 of them felt a touch from Jesus. A sincere request from my friend on my right: ‘Brian, do you love transgenders? Then, please pray for us transgender people. We need prayer bad.’ And I will.”
After posting the photo, Welch was inundated with negative responses from “Christians” who lashed out at the guitarist for embracing such a group of people.
Welch was disappointed in the feedback, and shared in a powerful statement that some “Christians” are making it hard for him to bring his fans closer to Christ. He handled the comments and backlash with total grace and class:
“Regarding my post about transgenders yesterday: Most comments were amazing thanks.
To the few people that were running their mouth about Sodom and Gomorrah and the sin of homosexuality, please open your hearts and read this carefully: God looks at the heart and man looks on the outside. What I do and what we all need to do is find out what is inside people’s hearts.