Islander frontman Mikey Carvajal is jumping straight into one of Christian rock's messiest debates - and his answer probably isn't going to satisfy everyone.
The controversy erupted over Fit for a King, a metalcore band with Christian members, touring with Motionless in White, whose concerts have included the provocative burning of Bibles onstage.
For some Christian fans, that pairing crosses a line. Carvajal sees it very differently.
Speaking with ChurchLeaders, the Islander vocalist said Christians shouldn't respond to Bible burning primarily with outrage.
"Christians shouldn't be angry about a band burning Bibles," Carvajal said. "Instead, they should be heartbroken that someone doesn't believe what it says."
And when it comes to Christians sharing a tour with musicians whose performances may openly offend their faith, Carvajal offered an even more pointed defense.
"I don't know Fit for a King personally, but let's just pretend that any band that has faith in Christ gets invited to hang out with people that don't," he said. "Isn't that why light exists? To shine light in the dark?"
He then delivered perhaps his most memorable line: "Otherwise, we are just flashlights pretending to be bright while it's already sunny outside."
Carvajal Says Christians Shouldn't Be Shocked
Carvajal also pushed back against the idea that Christians should necessarily feel uneasy watching a Bible being burned.
"I think we should never be surprised when the lost act lost," he told ChurchLeaders, characterizing the spectacle as a "they know not what they do" moment.
His position appears to turn the controversy on its head: rather than asking why Christians would tour alongside a band associated with Bible burning, Carvajal is asking why Christians would expect non-Christians to behave according to Christian convictions in the first place.
He was similarly open to Christians collaborating musically with artists who hold very different beliefs - although he acknowledged that lyrical content matters.
Carvajal said Islander has featured artists with whom the band disagrees on significant issues, but the collaborations focus on subjects where they can find common ground.
"Just because we disagree on some things doesn't mean we disagree on all things," he said.
But There's One Crowd Islander Has Actually Avoided
Here's where Carvajal's argument takes an unexpected turn.
While he is comfortable with Christian musicians entering secular spaces, Islander has apparently turned down opportunities to play Christian festivals.
Carvajal said those offers can be financially tempting because churches and Christian festivals sometimes pay better. But he expressed concerns about what he sees as the complicated relationship between ministry and business inside Christian music.
"A lot of bands take advantage of churches and take tons of money that could go to actual outreach/feeding the hungry, etc.," he said.
According to Carvajal, churches can regard bands as legitimate ministries while some musicians may be primarily interested in selling merchandise and gaining social media followers.
That makes his position considerably more provocative: the Islander singer appears less troubled by Christians entering a tour environment where Bibles are burned than by Christian artists exploiting churches under the banner of ministry.
Carvajal Has Already Taken Aim at Christian Music
This isn't the first time Carvajal has challenged his own corner of the music world.
In July, he criticized what he viewed as the Christian music industry's inadequate response to allegations of sexual misconduct involving former DC Talk and Newsboys singer Michael Tait.
Asked which would be worse - performing with a Christian band whose singer had been accused of sexual abuse or performing alongside a band that curses God - Carvajal emphasized the importance of distinguishing allegations from established facts.
As for musicians who curse God?
They "obviously need some really good friends to love them," he said.
The comments reveal a fairly consistent philosophy from Carvajal: Christians shouldn't be surprised by darkness outside the church, but they should be willing to scrutinize what happens inside it.
And in a Christian music culture where artists have long debated how far believers can venture into secular spaces without compromising their faith, Carvajal has made his position unmistakably clear.
For him, the darker the room gets, the more reason there is for the flashlight to be there.
Meanwhile, Islander released its cover of Deftones' "Back to School (Mini Maggit)" on Friday.
