The pro-life message does not often translate well into modern popular culture. Pop music, especially is often a direct contradiction of the life ethic and Christian morality.
But John Peters is trying to change all that. The musician from London Ontario admits the things he sings about are “touchy.” He pulls no punches and tells it the way he sees it.
Rock music is supposed to be counter-culture and by this standard Peters says his work is on the cutting edge.
“Music can really be used as an influence,” he says. “A lot of people listen to a song and say that’s a great tune. It does affect you in subtle ways.”
His music he describes as “a lot of different styles” but mainly “pop rock” in the genre of Canadian superstar Bryan Adams. It’s his message, which he describes “blatantly Christian,” which is so against the grain of normal top-40 fare.
The latest album, No Prisoners, is his first effort and it has been receiving some attention even with its radical Christian pro-life message. The second song on the first side, Society’s Child, deals directly with the abortion issue.
The song is written from the child’s perspective and Peters calls it a “pretty potent statement” and adds he is uncompromising. “You should write from your convictions,” he says, “from your heart.”
Some reviewers have zeroed in on his message rather than the music itself.
One reviewer, ignoring the song as a song, said “if you hold the opinion that a woman has as much choice as Peters has, then you might prefer to leave this one on the record shelf.”
If the reviewers have snubbed him because of the message, the song has been doing well at local radio stations. He has won contests and been a part of a compilation compact disk. His pro-life song was the first track on that CD.
He figures he will be busy taking his message on the road and anticipates he will have up to 150 concert dates in the upcoming year.
The purpose of his work, as well as making great music, is explained on the liner notes of No Prisoners.
Quoting from Corinthians, he says: “The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”
