Last week, the band Haste The Day issued a statement on their website announcing that they have asked their guitarist Jason Barnes to leave the band.

They write on their MySpace blog:

“For a while Jason has been searching and searching for real meaning in his existence. After several months of reading literature and talking with friends, Jason had determined that he felt there was no God and certainly no Jesus. We as a band do not have problem with those that do not believe in Jesus, nor do we cast judgement on those that do not believe in Jesus … We would call ourselves a Christian band and for that reason, we felt we couldn’t have someone in the band who didn’t agree with the band’s foundational drive.”

Before you all go leaving comments about judgemental Christians and how unloving that decision was, consider the fact that this is a band that shares a message about Jesus and God, and hopes to use the message to bring others to the same beliefs.
In short: CHRISTIAN BAND.
In other words: It makes sense that the members of this Christian band would need to be Christians. That’s not always true with all Christian bands. But this is the way that Haste The Day operates, and I for one don’t have a problem with the decision.
I’m guessing Jason understands; I would imagine that a guy who doesn’t believe in God or Jesus would get tired quickly of singing about how great God and Jesus are. (I’ve been trying for a few days to confirm the story with their publicist and to see if Jason had a statement, but everyone’s tied up touring and with festivals. I’ll keep you posted, because I think Jason needs to share his thoughts as well.)
The band explains that they love Jason, that the decision came with much prayer and discussion, and that it didn’t happen overnight.
If nothing else, the announcement confirms for me that indeed, some Christian bands take that label seriously and that they’re committed to their calling, even when it means making tough decisions. I hope Jason’s searching brings him peace and that he knows that walking away from God doesn’t mean God walks away from us. And I hope he knows that his bandmates still love him regardless of what he believes.
The band’s latest album, Dreamer, hits stores in October. The first single from the album, “68,” will premiere on their MySpace page on August 1.
For more about Haste The Day, visit their MySpace page.