Former heavy metal frontman claims he loses followers when he talks about his faith in Jesus

Former rock star Austin Carlile, known for his role as lead singer of the heavy metal band Of Mice & Men, says he loses followers every time he brings up his faith in Jesus Christ.

In 2015, Carlile opened up about his struggles with Marfan Syndrome, a genetic disorder that affects the body’s connective tissue. After being hospitalized that year, the 29-year-old frontman cancelled the remaining dates of the band’s tour.

Since his diagnosis, Carlile has been in and out of the hospital and has chosen to rely on his Christian faith to get him through difficult treatments and procedures.

But apparently, not everyone is accepting of Carlile’s faith. In fact, he tweeted last week that he loses followers “any time I speak about God or His son Jesus” because people “don’t wanna hear it.” But the rock star doesn’t seem to care because what he gains through his trust in Jesus, he wrote, is “irreplaceable.”

Despite losing some fans, though, Carlile has picked up one high-profile follower: Iconic recording artist Chaka Khan.

After the former Of Mice & Men singer shared some progress about his diagnosis, Khan tweeted her support, letting Carlile know she has been praying for him.

Khan’s tweet led Carlile to share a quote from Bill Johnson, pastor of the well-known Bethel Church in Redding, California, who once said: “Some unanswered prayers are only because God doesn’t want to do something for us. He wants to do something through us.”

This is certainly not the first time Carlile has opened up about his Christian beliefs. Last year, he told his social media followers that he had been baptized “after taking 28 years to realize God's work playing out in my life and that I had to get out of the middle of the road and fully follow Him.”

In a 2016 Instagram post, he admitted that trying to do things through his own strength left him feeling “stranded.”

“Relying on my own perseverance and strength was not enough,” Carlile wrote. “His grace has been overwhelming, and with every obstacle I’ve faced, I’m proud to say my hope through HIM is what has pushed me to continue on, and to keep fighting.”

This past Sunday I was finally baptized, after taking 28 years to realize God's work playing out in my life and that I had to get out of the middle of the road and fully follow Him. Trying to do things my own way completely left me stranded. Relying on my own perserverence and strength was not enough. His grace has been overwhelming, and with every obstacle I've faced I'm proud to say my hope through HIM is what has pushed me to continue on, and to keep fighting. Through His grace I AM enough, and hope my life and fight can reflect just that to others. "The thief comes to steal, kill, and destroy, but I have come that you may have life and life more abundantly." John 10:10

A post shared by Austin Carlile (@austincarlile) on Jul 5, 2016 at 1:55pm PDT

In his post, the ex-rocker shared John 10:10, which reads: “The thief comes to steal, kill, and destroy, but I have come that you may have life and life more abundantly.”