Lutheran Leavener: Prairie Pastor Plays Metal Music

WARMAN, Saskatchewan – Many pastors are talented singers and musicians in their own rights, but it’s not everyday that one drops an EP—especially one featuring metal music.

Rev. Peter Knelson is pastor of St. John’s Lutheran in Warman, Saskatchewan, but he also releases Christian Metal music under the name “Lutheran Leavener.” In late 2020, he released his first EP entitled Paradox.

“It explores some of the paradoxes in the Christian faith,” Rev. Knelson noted in a live YouTube release party. “This album has a lot of Lutheran bias in it. In fact, the whole album is really inspired by a quote from Luther.”

That quote? “A Christian is a perfectly free lord of all, subject to none. A Christian is perfectly dutiful servant to all, subject to all.”

The EP features six songs which discuss paradoxes in the Christian faith, including “Simul Justus Et Peccator” (Latin for “Simultaneously Justified and a Sinner”); “Now and Not Yet”; “The Cross and the Glory”; “Faith and Works”; “Kingdom of Earth and Kingdom of Heaven”; and “Law and Gospel.”

Album Art for Honey Lips and Deadly Feet

Since releasing the EP, Rev. Knelson has continued to work on his music, most recently releasing a song entitled “Honey Lips and Deadly Feet.” The song explores the nature of pornography and its impact on people today. “It is my form of waging war against pornography and the hyper-sexualization of our society,” he notes in a social media post. “It is an aggressive song but the aggressive tone complements this very serious issue. We have to stop basing our identity on sex. Only an identity in Christ will bring true peace.”

You can listen to Rev. Knelson’s EP “Paradox” and other songs on the “Lutheran Leavener” YouTube page. The EP “Paradox” is also available on iTunes.

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