Brandon Lake says ‘doors were open’ to ‘Christian Buddhist’ question in Rolling Stones interview

Brandon Lake said he hopes “the doors were open” to those exploring faith in response to a question from a Rolling Stone editor who asked whether there is room in Christianity for someone who identifies as a “Christian Buddhist.”

During the April 1 episode of Rolling Stone’s “Nashville Now” podcast, Joseph Hudak posed the question to the “Hard Fought Hallelujah” singer, saying that after reading the works of late Buddhist monk Thích Nhất Hạnh, particularly the book Living Buddha, Living Christ,  he now identifies as a “Christian Buddhist in some way."

“I’m not asking for your judgment of me, but I’m just asking, in terms of Christianity and the church, is there room for that?” he asked.

Hudak continued to ask whether there is space within the Christian faith, contemporary Christian music and Lake’s own platform for those who may not fully identify with Christianity or even have “a foothold” in it.

“I would so hope that you felt like the doors were open,” Lake, who serves as worship pastor at the multi-site megachurch Seacoast Church based in Charleston, South Carolina, responded. “I think Jesus would love to sit down with you, would love to have this conversation with you, and you can. I would also hope the Church would be that open. Why would you not have a place here? Even if we disagree on something, why would you not have a place here?”

Lake, a Grammy and Dove Award-winning worship leader, added that the “only person” Jesus would ”shoo away or snap at” were the Pharisees, adding: “I can believe what I can believe, and still be able to sit down and share a meal ... we might not align on these things, but like, doesn't God call me to love you and to listen? … I think there's something we can all learn from one another.”

The “Gratitude” singer said he’d be “heartbroken” if Hudak “showed up somewhere” and was told he couldn’t enter the doors: “I don't think that's what the church is called to do,” he said. 

“If you actually go read the Gospels, Jesus is often just sharing a meal and having a conversation. And Jesus told stories to get people thinking. He wasn't shoving it down people's throats. He was like, ‘Man, consider this,’” Lake said. “You're not going to benefit from me saying you're wrong. … Let's have a conversation and see what God does with it.”

The conversation was part of a broader discussion that touched on the growing popularity of Christian music, Lake’s crossover into country music and the pressures artists face when navigating public expectations, including recent controversy surrounding country artist Jelly Roll’s decision not to comment on social issues at the 2026 Grammy Awards.

At one point, Lake acknowledged the weight placed on public figures to provide answers.

“It’s a funny thing when people expect someone who’s been given a platform to have all the answers,” he said.

Last year, Lake sparked controversy after suggesting worship songs threaten to alienate non-Christians if they are too overtly biblical.

“I’d love to see more worship sets, more churches kind of keep Bubba in mind. We call him Bubba: the guy who’s in the back of the room and he got dragged there by his wife," Lake said. "And I just don’t know if, when your opening song or most of your songs have so much Christianese language, I think he has a hard time going like, ‘Can I sing that? Like, I’m not there yet.’”

“I think he hears a ('Hard Fought Hallelujah') and I’m not, I’m not saying 'Hard Fought' is the answer, but like, I love like, like when your first song is like, 'Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God Almighty.' I think he’s going like, “What does ‘holy’ mean? Like holy crap? what? I don’t know.”

During an interview with The Christian Post in 2019, award-winning musician and modern hymnist Keith Getty warned that modern worship songs are often too worried about placating the surrounding culture instead of worshiping God, which he said is effectively “de-Christianizing” the Church.

“Many worship songs are focused on this Earth,” Getty said at the time. “I believe that the modern worship movement is a movement for cultural relevance. It’s a de-Christianizing of God’s people. It’s utterly dangerous. I have no quibbles saying, ‘Enough is enough.’ This can’t happen to build an authentic generation.”