Gideon's Army
Warriors of Love
Reviewed by Dean Ridings
It's a unique way of fulfilling the Great Commission - to carry the Gospel message to all people. But Gideon's Army, a contemporary Christian "rock 'n' roll" band, says it's quite effective in reaching the lost behind bars. The scene is the multi-security correctional Training Facility, better known as Soledad Prison, in California. A large gathering of inmates, escorted by prison guards, flocks to the show on the exercise field. On hand is Gideon's Army - the band some of the inmates "grew up with," (recalling the group's "missionary" trips to prisons dating back to the early 1970's). Joining the Army is a motorcycle show, sporting the best "bikes" of all time. "What this does is it breaks through the cultural barriers," says Mark Greves, who plays bass and sings lead on several songs for the group. "The guys who are into bikes are going to come, and they'll hear the Gospel. And the guys who are into music are going to come, and they'll hear the Gospel." The motorcycles have the spotlight first. They circle the field, as a commentator tells the eager crowd all about them. And then Gideon's Army takes center stage to perform for an hour. The Gospel message could not be presented any clearer: The lyrics are decidedly Christian, and the testimonies between songs are evangelistic. "Our music would probably offend a lot of people if played in their churches," says Greves. "But we don't play there. We go where God has built us up to go." Gideon's Army takes the Gospel message into prisons and youth detention centers in California and Nevada. The band performs on the outside as well. It has shared the bill with such well-known names as Sweet Comfort, DeGarmo & Key, and the Rez Band. Yet Gideon's Army is most comfortable performing for people who may not already be Christians. That's why the band goes into jails and prisons, as well as place like San Francisco's Union Square to give open concerts. "There's no deception with this band," says Jerry Anderson, who along with Greves, formed Gideon's Army in 1974. "Wherever we play, we're honest: We play rock 'n' roll music with Christian lyrics." Greves and Anderson write and sing most of the group's songs, and Anderson provides the driving rock beat on drums. "We have to use our time wisely," continues Anderson. "We'd rather spend time doing a concert on a large scale where a lot of unsaved people will be, or going to prisons and youth centers where other bands aren't able to go. Gideon's Army's evangelistic." The band takes its name from the Old Testament's Gideon, a man who was selected by God to lead a small army into a battle that, without God's help, could never have been won. "There are just a few of us going into prisons," Greves says, "and there are thousands of inmates. If you play clubs, you get a following. We've got a following in prison. We go there and people yell out requests and stuff. We've been going 10 years and some of the guys in there got to know us. We get to be real with 'em. That's the greatest satisfaction. We have follow-up people that go in and have Bible studies every week. That's what keeps us there. The music's not what keeps us together." Gideon's Army includes Greves, Anderson, Dave Angeles on lead guitar, and Doug Naruo on keyboards. Ron Davis, who engineered and co-produced the band's latest album, Warriors of Love, also sings on the album. Tom Long is Gideon's Army's sound engineer at concerts. Warriors, which follows Gideon's Army's first album, Rock 'n' Roll for Your Soul, is currently number 18 on the national Christian music chart. Not only are the songs on the album evangelistic, they challenge Christians to live their lives for the glory of God as well. "Of course, we're excited about the album's success," says Anderson. "But if we reached twenty people for the Lord, it's all worth it." "Through the albums," says Greves, "the message reaches places we'll never see. That makes them a valid, natural extension of our ministry." Anderson and Greves hope Gideon's Army will release a new album each year. But the group's primary focus is on doing its part to fulfill the Great Commission - reaching the lost who live behind literal or figurative bars. "The bottom line," says Greves, "is to reach people with the Gospel message of salvation in their cells or in their homes." Their style is varied, catering to a wide audience. The album cover features a photo of Dave Angeles' flying V, which conjures images of a Michael Schenker/ screaming metal sound. Gideon's Army is more reminiscent of Foreigner or Petra at times. "We have kind of a moody sound," says Mark. "We really enjoy doing songs like "Video," you know, progressive-type stuff. The keys are a real mainstay in the group." "Video" is a creative portrayal of the great judgement and the fact that everything that an unsaved person's done will be revealed. All that a person's done is being recorded on video with God's camera, so to speak. Not strangers to metal, they share a practice studio with Adam Alvarez and his band - Valor. Their metal roots, which total 77 years collectively, go back to blues and rock 'n' roll. The band has some plans that we can be praying over: "None of us need revenue from the LP," says Mark. "Lord willing, if it catches hold, we'll be able to do some stuff with other bands here in the Bay area." The guys in Gideon's Army humbly lend their experience to the new local bands. "Some of the young guys have been together nine months," says Mark, "and they really have their hearts set on getting a record deal. If that's the goal, it's not gonna last. The goal needs to be God's will and His glory." They helped start the Bay Area Christian Music Association (BACMA) a few years ago, bringing about 100 musicians without bands together. "It's kinda petered out," admits Mark, "but we hope to get that going strong again. Our goal is to help here in this area, not necessarily branch out. For instance, there's not even a Christian radio station in the Bay area. One of our long range goals is to get one here." A prayer request Mark gave us is to lift up their prison gigs. "Satan is always trying to close the doors on the prison thing. For example, the Christmas concert was cancelled. That's always a prayer for us - that the Lord would keep doors open for us." For more information on Rock 'n' Roll for Your Soul (Good, Deep Purple-like mid-70's hard rock) and Warriors of Love, contact A & R Records @ (415) 276-3631. A & R plans on doing a compilation album that Gideon's Army will probably be on.