Some of you may know him from his involvement in the pro-faith alternative punk rock bands Scaterd Few and Spy Glass Blue. Others of you may have seen him (and his wife) in the reality TV show Wife Swap. A hard man to pin down or categorize, Allan is a believer who walks to the beat of his own drum, whilst following the King of Kings. After a self imposed five year hiatus from the music scene Allan is back and making more waves with his new experimental worship act Men As Trees Walking. I recently had the privilege of catching up with him and asking him some questions about his faith, music, politics, and his involvement in Wife Swap.

Christian St John (CSJ) – Would you consider yourself a hardcore follower of Jesus?
Allan Aguirre (AA) – Using your definition, yes. I’m also considered “extreme” by some because of my beliefs.

CSJ – What’s the first thing you do when you sit down to write a song?
AA – On this last album of songs, I started the writing process with a lot of praying and fasting. After being on a self-imposed hiatus for five years from the business of music, I wasn’t interested in just writing another album. What would be the point of that? If I was being told to go back (Men As Trees Walking), if I was being called to do this again in the way that we have been called to do this, then this couldn’t be just another album, again, what would be the point of that. So to make sure I was doing everything I could to align myself with this new assignment, I did a lot of praying and fasting.

CSJ – What’s your favorite “Jesus movie”?
AA – I liked “The Last Temptation of Christ” but I would say “The Passion” by Mel Gibson is my favorite. Do those little overdubbed YouTube clips count?

CSJ – Do you think that, for the most part, Christians are judgmental?
AA – Of course. Fear and ignorance do that to people. It has been my experience in the last 29 years that the majority of Christians really don’t A. believe what they claim to believe in and B. actually know what it is that they claim to believe in. Jude says that they insult or speak evilly about whatever they don’t know or understand. Sad really…

CSJ – Do you regularly attend church services? If so, do you get involved? If not, why?
AA – Yes. I am a huge advocate of fellowship with the brethren. This is not designed to do on your own. It’s impossible to get Godly results if you’re not in fellowship. Many would think that I would decry “organized religion”. We may not be talking about the same thing, because I do renounce “organized religion”. I’m talking spiritual, covenant relationship. This is absolutely crucial. You will not be able to become the bride that readies herself all by your little self. I am constantly counseling people who are not in fellowship, and for some reason they forget who they’re talking to when they jump on their “church is full of hypocrites” soap box — as if I didn’t know that and as if this were a new phenomenon.

“Dear Reader,
Please understand that whatever excuse you use as for why you are NOT walking in intimate obedience to our Father isn’t original and it has been used unsuccessfully for thousands of years, and I’ve already heard it and don’t really care. I do care about you; I just don’t care about your excuses for why you’re walking in disobedience.
Buckle up,
Jesus”

Do I get involved with church? Yes, I get involved. I serve in whatever capacity may be needed.

CSJ – What are some of the things that get you down?
AA – What really gets me down is the extreme apathy and level of deception that the majority of the body is still under. For example, scripture says that Jesus is coming back for a spotless and blameless bride. Christians don’t believe that they can be blameless and spotless, so they’ve come up with this convenient little theology that says ‘Jesus will make us spotless and blameless when we see Him.’ But scripturally, He’s already done that, and He’s already given us everything we will ever need here on earth to accomplish that. On the other hand, Revelation 19:7 plainly states that the wife, the bride, us, ‘has made herself ready’.

Oh, the ever-increasing gaping chasm known as Christianity vs The Bible. It’s absolutely tragic… and the reason it gets me down is because as a minister, how am I to assist in equipping the body when it so widely doesn’t believe the basic fundamentals that Jesus Himself spoke of? We want to prepare believers for what’s coming. The days ahead are few and dark, and instead of being able to help believers equip themselves for that, we still have to deal with the basic identity crisis most people have in who they are in Him. I’m talking about “seasoned” believers that have been doing this thing for awhile, not new “converts”.

Paul said he couldn’t speak to the body in Corinthians as spiritual people but as carnal babes in Christ. It gets me down because I so love the Body of Christ and desire to see her walk in all her manifest glory!

CSJ – Looking back on it, what are your feelings to your involvement in Wife Swap?
AA – I would do it again. My wife wouldn’t.

CSJ – What are you currently listening to?
AA – If it isn’t Radio Nigel (radionigel.com), I’m listening to a series of world music by Putumayo

CSJ – Would you consider yourself an outspoken or a reserved follower of Christ?
AA – LOL

CSJ – Grace or Law?
AA – Oh geez… trying to get me in trouble? What I mean by that is, the present common teachings of both grace and law are broadly not based on sound scripture, and depending on what denomination you’re with will depend on what teaching you’re actually getting; you know, because we serve a schizophrenic God!?!

First of all, “law” has such a negative connotation. The word “law” in our Old and New Testaments is referring to the Hebrew word torah; The Torah of Moses, and torah actually means teaching or instruction (Strongs 08451) more than it means “law” as it is widely used. With that in mind, we are saved by grace and not by the legalistic observance of Torah commands but, as Jesus so plainly stated in Matthew 5:17-19, “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy, but to fulfill. For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled. Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.”

The majority of Christianity uses this verse to support their claim that any observance of Torah has been done away with because Jesus came to do away with Torah. He never said that. What He says is that Torah is an everlasting covenant until heaven and earth passes away and all things have been fulfilled. Heaven and earth haven’t passed away (last time I checked) and Jesus Himself says “…one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled”. All hasn’t been fulfilled according to Jesus, and this is the New King James version, which should appease the majority of your readers even though 80% of them will have a real hard time accepting this. It also says that to break the least of these commandments and to teach others to do so isn’t a good thing. I want to do and teach, not break and teach.

All of this anti-Jewishness is deeply rooted in the fabric of modern Christianity. This unclean perversion of our faith started in the early 4th century by Rome (you know, the friend of the Jew). The information is easily accessible and I’m genuinely surprised when I meet someone that has no idea what it is that I’m talking about. This perversion was the attempt to do away with everything and anything Jewish from our faith. How absurd is that? Christianity is a Jewish religion with a Jewish God and His Jewish Messiah. Did they actually think they would prevail? It’s true that the majority of Christianity is deceived in this manner but man can hardly eliminate the Jewishness of Christianity by changing the Sabbath to Sunday, establishing counterfeit celebrations and “holy days” (Easter, Lent, etc.) to replace the true Jewish ones the church so obviously kept as part of their Christian worship in scripture (Passover, Shabbat, the Feasts, etc.), Gentile and Jew alike.

God is not mocked… Just because the guards were paid off to say the body was stolen doesn’t make it so. I know that I serve a Jewish Messiah that raised Himself from the dead! We observe and follow Torah as Jewish and Gentile believers because it’s a good thing, not a bad thing and scripture says to do so. Jesus observed Torah. The disciples observed Torah. Gentile believers in the New Testament observed Torah. There is blessing in the observance of Torah and Torah will be observed in the millennium reign of Jesus from Jerusalem (Zechariah 14). This isn’t my “interpretation” of things. This is what the Bible says. Christians need to understand what the Bible teaches, repent and start practicing Torah. It’s that simple.

Besides, Paul – the apostle sent to the Gentiles and their kings and the children of Israel (Acts 9) and who never stopped being a Pharisee (Philippians 3: 5) – said this about the “law” in Ro 7:12, “Therefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy and just and good.” (NKJV)
Isn’t it strange that the majority of Christianity is anti Torah yet subscribes to the 10 Commandments? What do you think the 10 Commandments are? It’s the Torah of Moses… go figure…

CSJ – If you could change one thing about yourself what would it be?
AA – All of the above? (Not really, but it would make me more popular and limit the amount of flame mail we’re both going to receive if you still decide to publish this…)

CSJ – Obama or not? Why?
AA – The first thing I thought of when he won the election was “…the people said, ‘We want a king over us’.” 1 Samuel 8. I think it’s great that we have a non-Caucasian as president. That’s amazing in a good way. I’m just not excited that it’s this guy. I’m concerned that he wants to be Islam’s friend and that a “Palestinian State” is an option. I vote for whoever is more pro-Israel. What else matters?

CSJ – What do you think of the current Christian music scene?
AA – I don’t. Is there still a scene? Oh geez… who needs that scene? Truly, what value does it have? I’d be really excited about a scene made up of musical Levites that created music with spiritual authority that caused signs and wonders… now, that’s a scene!

CSJ – What would you say to someone who is contemplating following Jesus?
AA – They need to really know what it is they’re getting involved with. It’s not a decision to be taking lightly. And yet it will change their life if they fall in love with the person of Jesus in a deep and extremely intimate way, sowing into that relationship daily in prayer and fasting and the eating of the Word. Your outward circumstances may not look like they’re getting better, but inside… you can be changed; you can carry joy and peace and love within you!

Now that, Mr Obama, is real change!

CSJ – Thanks Allan for an honest and challenging interview!

Pictures courtesy of Allan Aguirre – Visit the Men As Trees Walking website

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Please note: Every person I interview is in the media spotlight in one form or another, and is a professed follower of Jesus Christ. Please bear in mind that everyone has their own individual belief system (even within the bounds of Christianity). As such, I respect the insights, thoughts, and faith-walk of each and every person I interview, and because of this I tend not to edit their answers. Remember, I may not necessarily agree with everything that is said in the interviews. Thanks for bearing these things in mind before you send any “flame mail” Chris

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