Viral country music sensation Oliver Anthony spoke about his conversion to Christianity, telling podcast host Joe Rogan Aug. 30 that he wants to serve the “master that is above all.”
“I think inherently all human beings idolize something,” Anthony told Rogan. “It talks in the Bible about false idols. We all have false idols, whether it’s our phone or it’s a celebrity, or it’s something we do, or it’s our addiction to food or drugs or whatever – but it’s very difficult for a human to be the biggest thing on their hierarchy. There’s always something above us, right? Because we’re always in pursuit of something bigger than whatever it is in that moment.”
Anthony told Rogan that he is still in the “infancy” of his faith, but has read the books Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes and Luke.
On Aug. 24, Anthony released a music video for his song “I Want to Go Home.” The song has an overt Christian message, and both opens and closes with the lyric “if it wasn’t for my dogs and the good Lord, they’d have me strung up in the psych ward.” The video itself ends by displaying Mark 8:36: “for what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?”
Oliver Anthony’s most successful song, “Rich Men North of Richmond,” rose to Apple Music’s Top 100 USA and the iTunes Top 40 US country chart within a week of its Aug. 8 release, and debuted at the top of the Billboard Hot 100. In addition to its rapid chart success, the song became a widespread source of controversy for the political themes in its lyrics.
Many conservative voices, such as US. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene and political commentator Matt Walsh, have praised the song. The song was played at the Republican presidential debate on Aug. 24, and was referenced by moderator Martha MacCallum.
“His lyrics speak of alienation, of deep frustration with the state of government and of this country,” MacCallum said. “Washington, D.C. is about 100 miles north of Richmond.”
However, in a YouTube video released on Aug. 25, Anthony criticized the debate’s use of his song. “It’s aggravating seeing people on conservative news try to identify with me, like I’m one of them,” Anthony said in the video. “It’s aggravating seeing certain musicians and politicians act like we’re buddies and act like we’re fighting the same struggle, like we’re trying to present the same message.” In the same video, Anthony said he sees “the right trying to characterize me as one of their own, and I see the left trying to discredit me, I guess in retaliation.”
During his appearance on Rogan’s podcast, Anthony further stressed the song’s lack of a conservative political leaning. “It was funny seeing my song at the presidential debate, because it’s like, I wrote that song about those people,” Anthony said.
Anthony closed the interview with Rogan by reading from Proverbs 4.
“My son, pay attention to what I say; turn your ear to my words. Do not let them out of your sight, keep them within your heart; for they are life to those who find them and health to one’s whole body,” Anthony read.
In response to an off-color but approving remark from Rogan, Anthony assured him that the entire book is as impressive. “There’s no book like it,” Anthony said.