Billy Corgan commits to open faith witness in music

Billy Corgan, frontman of Smashing Pumpkins, announced on his podcast The Magnificent Others on September 23 that he is a Christian and has decided to speak openly about his faith in his music, despite long-standing concerns that doing so would damage his career. Speaking with Stryper's Michael Sweet, Corgan said he had been watching Sweet and Grand Funk Railroad's Mark Farner be public about their Christian faith, which motivated his own choice. Corgan acknowledged he had previously told Rolling Stone that "God is the third rail of rock and roll," meaning discussing faith openly could end a music career. He explained his decision: "I made the decision that I was gonna talk about God honestly, at least God in my life or believing in Jesus as my Lord and Savior. And if it was gonna hurt me, I didn't care." Corgan noted this was not entirely new territory for him—his 2003 band Zwan built its biggest song, "Jesus, I," from an old hymn—but said he is now willing to be more specific about his Christian belief. He framed his commitment as a matter of personal integrity: "If I can't be willing to be honest with who I am, well, what am I asking a fan to believe in?"

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Source: Relevant Magazine — https://relevantmagazine.com/culture/billy-corgan-decided-to-talk-about-following-jesus-even-if-it-cost-him-his-career/