'I get so many messages on social media that have all been encouraging,' Brad Arnold said. 'People are hungry for it.'
3 Doors Down singer talks about sharing God's love with fans
Brad Arnold, singer for the band 3 Doors Down, talks about what led him to share a message about Jesus at a recent concert.
Rock singer Brad Arnold of the band 3 Doors Down says he has no plans to stop sharing the love of Jesus with his fans, which he calls the "greatest thing" he can do with his platform.
"I don't really talk a whole lot on stage, to be quite honest," Arnold told Fox News Digital. "But — if I'm going to use a moment on stage to talk, then I want to give glory to God. And I want to take a chance to tell people that Jesus loves them when there may be some people that may not hear it from another place."
3 Doors Down, perhaps best known for its 2000 hit song "Kryptonite," was performing at Hersheypark Stadium in Pennsylvania on August 23, when Arnold, the band's lead singer, decided to share an uplifting message about faith, that quickly went viral.
"This world surrounds us with a message that we’ll never be good enough, we’ll never be strong enough, we’ll never be beautiful enough, we’ll never be rich enough. Whatever the case may be. Certainly that we'll never win. Social media surrounds us with those messages all the time. It’s driven down our throats every day, that we’ll never be good enough and that nobody really, really loves us," he began, according to video footage of the event shared on YouTube.
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Brad Arnold of 3 Doors Down performs in front of a sold out crowd during the first night of "The Better Life 20th Anniversary Tour" at Rose Music Center on July 17, 2021, in Huber Heights, Ohio. (Photo by Stephen J. Cohen/Getty Images) (Getty Images)
"My friends, I just want to take a second to tell you, that’s an absolute lie," he continued.
"You are loved. You are enough, and you will win. Not only can you win, but you will win. You’ll always be enough for one reason. And that’s because Jesus Christ loves you," he told the tens of thousands of people in the audience.
"Honestly, I had my apprehensions about it because I didn't know how it would go over," he told Fox News Digital." And furthermore, when I was praying about it, I was like, 'God, I don't know what to say.' He's like, 'don't worry about it. I'll tell you what to say. I'll put the words in your mouth.' And he has every night."
Arnold says he's been sharing similar messages during concerts since last year and the reception has been surprisingly positive.
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Singer Brad Arnold of the rock band 3 Doors Down performs at 2023 FOX & Friends' Summer Concert Series on May 26, 2023, in New York City. (Photo by Slaven Vlasic/Getty Images) (Getty Images)
"I get so many messages on social media that have all been encouraging. I expected a few people would be like, ‘shut up.’ But none of that. People are hungry for it. It's a message of hope," Arnold said.
While he knows not every one of his fans may be receptive to the religious message, he still sees it as an opportunity to "plant a seed."
"You see some looks on a few faces in the crowd roll their eyes, you know, like, 'I don't want to hear this.' But, you know, they're still hearing it," he said.
The singer, who is nearing nine years of sobriety, says he relates to people who don't feel like God can love them because of the struggles they're going through. But he's also seen what God can do in his own life.
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(L-R) Chris Henderson, Brad Arnold, Justin Biltonen and Chet Roberts of 3 Doors Down perform at 2023 FOX & Friends' Summer Concert Series on May 26, 2023, in New York City. (Photo by Slaven Vlasic/Getty Images)
"I was an alcoholic for probably 17 years. In January, it'll be nine years since I've had a drink. And I give that completely to God because I know that I couldn't do it. I tried to quit myself for years and I couldn't do it. And finally I went to treatment and I gave it to God. And I'm not taking it back. And I didn't want to hear it when people told me at first, but people planted seeds in my life, and they grew over time," he explained.
"I'm not trying to shove religion down their throat or anything like that. I just wanted to simply tell them that Jesus loves them because this world needs it. This world, to a lot of people, is a really, really dark place. And it's not for all of us, but for a lot of people it is. And to shine a light in darkness is the greatest thing that I feel like that I can do with my platform," he continued.
As 3 Doors Down wraps up their "Summer of '99" tour with Creed, Arnold says the band is debuting a new song that encourages listeners to keep going when times are tough.
"We have a new song that we're playing at the shows, and it's called ‘Never Look Down.’ Really it's a very positive song. The hook line of the song is, 'When you're on the edge just keep your eyes up and never look down.' And I think that's important for us to do is just keep our eyes above the horizon and stay positive and keep pushing forward," he said.
Kristine Parks is an associate editor for Fox News Digital. Read more.
