Edward Guthman of the San Francisco Chronicle has the story of a former punk rock drummer who became an priest:
Christianity and punk rock aren’t typically found in the same sentence – let alone the same mosh pit. But for the Rev. Bertie Pearson, an Episcopal priest and former punk-rock drummer, they’re totally compatible.
“They’re both about a hopeful vision for the world,” he says. “A rejection of materialism and inequality and injustice. They’ve shaped my whole moral value system.”
A parish priest at two Episcopal churches in San Francisco’s Mission District, Pearson discovered punk rock at 10 (“It radically changed my life”) when his sister gave him his first Black Flag and Dead Kennedys tapes. He bought his first drum set at 12, played in several punk bands and also drummed in salsa and electronic-music bands.
Longtime readers of the Cafe, and members of the Diocese of Washington will remember that their former bishop, the Rt. Rev. John Chane, was a former rock drummer.