Nine Inch Nails Fans Southern Baptist Magazine Sq... | Christianity Today

Fans of the alternative rock band Nine Inch Nails have made the Southern Baptist magazine HomeLife a cyberspace target in response to a critical review of the band's most recent musical recording. The fans' e-mails include a two-word profane response from "Trent," sent from Nothing Records, the recording studio owned by Trent Reznor, the group's lead singer and primary lyricist. The e-mail messages started when a popular Nine Inch Nails fan site published the magazine's e-mail address on January 18. Some 100 e-mail letters, many laced with profanities, have been received at HomeLife's offices since January 19.

HomeLife, which carries features, news and information for Christian families, is published by LifeWay Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention. The complaints stemmed from a review of the new Nine Inch Nails album, "Fragile," that appeared in a Media Play column by Bob DeMoss. The review appears in the February edition of HomeLife. DeMoss, a regular contributor to the publication, is a freelance writer who focuses on youth issues. In his review of "Fragile," the band's first release in four years, DeMoss wrote that Reznor "uncorks chaos and despair for another generation."

HomeLife editor Jon Kent Walker, in a prepared statement, said the reactions from Nine Inch Nails fans "show how influential music is in our culture, which is why we comment on it every month through Bob DeMoss' Media Play column."

It's obvious Reznor has touched the depths of their souls," Walker said of the rock group's fans. "Some of them even called him a god, but as good as Reznor is, he won't be able to prevent his listeners from eventually needing more than him and his music. They will continue to search. Let's pray the search ...