Christian Stryper Fans are Upset with the Band Over Cigars

On this episode of Christian metal fans get mad at a Christian metal band for something, Stryper disciples are upset with the group over cigars.

Singer Michael Sweet shared a photo on Instagram of he and bassist Perry Richardson enjoying some stogies, with a caption explaining that it was their “long overdue day off” and he hadn’t “smoked a good cigar in probably a year or so at least.”

The post accumulated over 300 comments, most of which had thumbs-down emojis and the word “Jesus” somewhere in there. One comment read “Sorry Jesus!” to which Sweet replied, “I bet Jesus enjoys a good cigar.”

The uproar eventually prompted an apology from Sweet, in which he claims that he didn’t expect the backlash and states that he isn’t perfect:

“Recently I posted a picture of @perryrichardson777 and I sharing a moment together smoking a cigar. I didn’t even think of the potential backlash that it could cause and although I’m not surprised by some of the judgmental comments (I’ve been seeing/reading those for years), I am a little let down by those who forget that we’re all flawed, we’re all sinners.

“I’ve never claimed to be perfect and never will be. I try to love life to the fullest and enjoy moments like these. I simply thought I would share a nice moment with all of you, not realizing that it would open the flood gates. To be honest, I don’t know how I’ve been able to continue doing what I do with the weight I/we have to carry sometimes. I realize that’s it’s strictly by the strength and grace of The Lord above.

“I put my faith in God and He sustains me. He knows my heart and my motives and that’s good enough for me.”

You can read the rest in his Instagram post, embedded below.

Stryper’s upcoming album — whose title, God Damn Evil, is also probably a sin — is expected to arrive sometime this year.

[via Loudwire]