Answer: Yes
Disclaimer: It is not our role to determine whether or not somebody is a Christian. We just use our discernment based on the evidence we have found on the internet to come to a likely or best-guess answer. Our answers do not actually determine who is or is not a Christian and it is ultimately between the person and God. Not us.
American songwriter, singer, and producer, Benjamin Evans Rector was born in 1986 in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and is currently based in Nashville. Rector developed an interest in music as a child and took piano lessons early. In high school, he started playing guitar and writing songs.
After graduating from Tulsa’s Metro Christian Academy in 2005, he started his music career in 2006 and pursued a degree in Business and Marketing at the University of Arkansas, releasing his self-titled EP “Ben Rector” in 2006 while schooling.
Ben Rector is the youngest person to win the Grand Prize in the Pop category of John Lennon’s songwriting contest in 2006, with his song “Conversation” from the EP “Ben Rector.” Rector’s debut album “Twenty Tomorrow” came in 2007 and he has now released seven chart-peaking albums. His 2018 album “Magic” debuted at No.1 on the Billboard Americana/Folk Albums chart and No.9 on Billboard 200.
Rector won the Northwest Arkansas Award in 2009 and made his television debut performing “Beautiful” on Jimmy Kimmel Live! “Brand New” on Conan and also performed at other shows.
Ben Rector’s frequent touring and appearance on television shows have earned him a huge fan base who are now asking questions about the songwriter’s religious status. Some have asked if Ben Rector is a Christian, owing to the Christian imagery prevalent in his songs and we’ll be addressing the issue in this article.
Is Ben Rector Religious?
Ben has made just a few comments on his religious stance but the artist has been widely perceived to believe in Christianity which is also reflected in his songs.
Ben Rector has produced a couple of songs that point directly at religion and have performed in religious gatherings. He was invited to perform at Oklahoma Christian University in 2014, an institution where students and management hold Christian beliefs. Since the management perceived Rector to be religious, he was invited to address the students of the university. Rector was also an ex-student of the university.
Some years back, Ben Rector was invited to an Intro to Music Business Class which was handled by Charlie Peacock and Fain Spray. Some days later, Peacock addressed his students and made reference to Rector’s music and religious life. He described Ben as a passionate and dedicated musician. “He has a firm belief in his religion. Beyond talent, Ben Rector handles his Christian life fluently. Additionally, extensive work is necessary to be successful but as well as you should be religious and bow down to your God.”
He added that “It is no exaggeration that Ben Rector has been one of the most successful independent singer/songwriter pop artists to emerge from Nashville in the last 10 years. Ben knows the journey of how to accomplish music business success as an independent and now as a partner with a major. People with successful experience in both these realms are few and far between.”
Stewardship of talent and gifts is a major aspect of faithfulness in the Christian life, and Ben has done this very well. I teach my students that talent and hard work are essential but only part of why people are successful in the music business. An essential component of the music business is hireability and being comfortable in your skin. Ben has this and he imparts it to whoever is around him. Our students will need the same to succeed, regardless of how extraordinary their musical gifts are.”
There are no doubts about Ben Rector’s religious views and religion. Without throwing it at people’s faces, the artist has used the few opportunities he’s had to share his beliefs and has also done this in his songs.
Does Ben Rector believe in God?
Ben Rector believes in God and has always portrayed this belief in his songs. Rector grew up in a Christian home and is still affiliated with the religion, meaning that he still upholds the beliefs and principles of Christianity.
Ben Rector has a couple of songs he used to acknowledge God. An example is “The Thanksgiving Song.” Below is an excerpt from the song:
“So fill your plate and fill your drink
Put your dishes in the kitchen sink
And let the leftover year just wash away
‘Cause we made it through, I do believe
The longest year in history
Thank God that it’s Thanksgiving Day”
In Supernatural by Rector, he acknowledges the existence of God and expresses his beliefs. Below are a few lines from the song:
“So when you come around I hear the sound of angels singing
Now for the very first time, I believe I can fly
Head to toe I’m electrified
I can feel it
I believe it
I am seeing
Something supernatural
Every time I look into your eyes
For I understand that God is alive
I can feel
I believe it
I am seeing. yeah
Something supernatural”
Is Ben Rector a Christian?
Ben Rector upholds Christian beliefs and has used his music to significantly define his faith in the religion. The songwriter also indicated that he grew up going to church which he still does now and it has been a huge influence on his musical career.
In interviews, Ben has revealed that as a child, he prayed daily in the church and got inspired to be a music artist from the melodies played in the church. Ben dedicates an entire album “Christmas” to Christians for the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ and a season to show love to others.
While discussing the release of his latest album “Joy of Music” in a 2022 interview with Sounds Like Nashville, Ben Rector spoke broadly of his Christian faith and the role faith has played in his life. According to him,
“Faith has always kind of been a frame or a lens that I look at the world through…I think on this record I just felt a little bit more free for whatever reason. So a song like ‘Thank You’, that’s one of the feels where it’s just like ‘This is what I want to say to God and it’s a simple thing and somehow I can still say that even though there are times where I’m like ‘Man, I don’t understand this or this doesn’t make sense to me’, I think that it came from an earnest place. That’s important to me because I never would want to mix commerce with something that I think is supposed to be pure and important. And also, I would never want to say something that I didn’t sign off on that was like ‘Oh man, I think it’s more complicated than that’. I think in a weird way ‘Thank You’ is something that I can still say at the age I am now with the way that I see the world now that I also probably could have said when I was 15 and I think those things are hard to come by sometimes. I was just excited to get to say something that I felt like a simple statement of gratitude. I think anyone can say that, even if someone’s not a religious person, they can probably say and believe that ‘Hey, I’m just thankful for the life that I have, for my health or whatever’. I was just super excited to get to write that song because it can be a tough needle to thread sometimes, and I feel like that one came together in a good way.”
In a 2011 interview with Mousertime, when asked how his faith impacts his music, Ben Rector said:
“Anything that’s on my mind or in my heart is a big part (directly or indirectly) of whatever I’m doing creatively. So, it plays a big role in the way I write and the reasons I write. I also really value the freedom I have as a Christian that’s an artist but not necessarily a Christian artist. I think it can be hard to express certain things about faith when there are a pretty specific set of expectations around what you need to talk about and how you’re talking about it.”
In the interview highlighted above, Ben stated that he is a Christian but not necessarily a Christian artist because the artist talks about the things he wants in his songs and tries to link his faith with life experiences and challenges.
Is Ben Rector Baptized?
Ben Rector is reported to be a Christian and the artist has grabbed a couple of opportunities to share those Christian beliefs. Rector mentioned that he grew up as a Christian, went to church frequently, and even went to a Christian university. However, the artist has not shared every detail of his personal religious beliefs and this is why there is no information on if Rector is baptized or not and into which church.
What did Ben Rector say about Jesus?
As someone who values faith and shows deep connections with Christianity, Ben Rector holds certain beliefs of Jesus Christ who is the founder of the religion, and has subtly shared this belief in many of his songs.
In “Steady Love” by Ben Rector, many believe Ben is describing the steady and pure love of Jesus Christ in the spirited piano ballad because it’s him that can love humans steadily and unconditionally. Below are some lines from the song.
“Yeah, you can’t stay young, forever
You can’t keep from growin’ up
But when your heart gets tired of, living on the run
My God, you should find you some
Steady love
Steady love
By God, you should find you some”
Conclusion
Ben Rector has used his music to draw attention to the existence of God and other pillars of Christianity like Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. Many songs by the award-winning songwriter are Christian-themed because he tries to intertwine messages of faith with daily life experiences. The artist has not been abashed to share his Christian beliefs with his fans, at interviews and events he’s been asked to speak. From an analysis of the information we’ve gathered about Ben Rector, we believe he is Christian.
Think we were wrong? Write your reasoning in the comments and prove us wrong!