Welch responded to Davis's statement, writing, "Sorry Jonathan, my 'false crusade' was not the reason I left Korn, it was what saved my life. I still love those guys to death, but if anybody trashes God, I . . . will defend Him and myself by any means necessary."

Even the criticism and disbelief of Welch's colleagues and peers have not stopped him from planning great efforts to reach out to youth and fellow musicians, using his God-given talents. He recently penned artist 50 Cent a song entitled, "A Cheap Name," which he says is a personal message to the rapper from God. 50 Cent has not made any comment on the song as of yet.

The former Korn guitarist also plans to donate all of his profits to worthy causes, including skate parks as a means of reaching out to the younger generation. "I want to make music that will help people. I want to use every dime of the money I make off the songs to build skate parks for kids," he stated in a recent interview. "My life now is about helping kids."

Welch may have high hopes for reaching today's youth, but what about his own former band? His testimony has not been received very warmly by the remaining members of Korn, which may be partly due to the fact that Welch chose to leave at a crucial time, when the band began work on their latest upcoming album.

"I think it made the guys mad," Welch said. "It confused them. I left at the worst possible time. We got off Sony, and all the money was there, we were going to own all of our songs, but I had to prove to myself that money wasn't my God."

Most seem to see Welch's spiritual about-face in a positive light, though. Expressed Bevin Fitzgerald, a 20-year-old college student, "The fact that 'Head' converted made me smile a bit. . . . I'm curious to see how they'll progress now that they're only vocals, drums, guitar and bass."

Welch has announced that he will release his own LP "soon," and will sell the album on his website. It will have a somewhat Korn-esque feel to it, says the musician, who asserted that his music would be "an extension of the Korn family." Some of his songs will apparently also be "letters" to other musicians, including 50 Cent and the late metal rocker, Darrell "Dimebag" Abbott.

The majority of those asked said they would consider purchasing Welch's album, if he should release one. Some, like Samuel Stidham, a metal devotee from Kentucky, are curious to listen to Welch's new music to see what kind of effect his conversion has had on his outlook on life.

"If Welch released an album, I would purchase it to see if he decided to go on and do what he said in the interview," remarked Stidham. "To use his talents for his new-found faith."

In a statement on his website, Welch insists, "Nothing can stop us if we don't lose sight of Who's running the show!" He added, "You people who have been lost are now found. You people who have felt like nobodies have now been put in a position to help change His-story. Our love for Christ has to be loud and done with love."

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