Christian music fans worship and pray during the Main stage religious service at the Cornerstone Festival in Bushnell, Illinois, on July 3rd, 2004. The Cornerstone Festival is a Christian Music Festival organized by "the Jesus People USA", held annually on the Fourth of July weekend in centrak Illinois since 1984. Thousands of Believers gather for 4 days of music and worship, with over 200 bands representing all styles of the current musical landscape.
Jesus Christ Hardcore
Jean-Marc Giboux | United States
Photographer: Jean-Marc Giboux
Exhibit Title: Jesus Christ Hardcore
Location: United States
JESUS CHRIST HARDCORE
“If it weren’t for Jesus, I’d probably be dead by now,” confesses 35-year-old Pastor Cleetus Adrian. Although he was born into a Christian home—his father ran a church—it didn’t keep him out of trouble. After years of self-destructive behavior in the hardcore punk scene, fueled by anger and anti-establishment rebellion, he was ‘born again’ at 24, filled with the Holy Spirit.
He cleaned up his act, married his wife Nichole, and began considering a calling to preach the Gospel. The spirit of rebellion remained deeply ingrained in him—after all, Jesus was a rebel too—and Cleetus realized there were many like him: born again but still disconnected from established churches. Determined to reach these people, he decided to open the Deliverance Bible Church without formal ministry training. Armed with a Bible in one hand and an electric guitar in the other, he simply went for it.
American Christians are notably entrepreneurial in finding ways to reach out to diverse groups of people.
I am a photojournalist based in Chicago, specializing in documentaries often centered around religion, particularly exploring faith and its impact on the human body and mind within societies.
This story was captured a few years ago, but it remains profoundly relevant today, especially in light of the significant role Christian religion played in the election of DT.
jmgiboux@earthlink.net
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