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"I started out as a teacher...I like the dialogue that happens when I sit in a circle with a small group of students and we discuss scripture. I like creating a safe place where we can all bring our questions, share our answers, admit our defeats, celebrate our successes and be a family." - Shaun Groves
MQ: Do you see any dangers or benefits of artists like Switchfoot or somebody on a major label?
Shaun: I don't see that it's any more dangerous than Christian music. Christian music is full of imperfections and flaws. We routinely do things to make money but say we're led to do so by the Spirit. That's danger. That's profanity. The word profane - as it's used in
Ezekiel 36 - it means to cause to make limp, to wound, or to make common or ordinary. And I think that Christian music is in danger of the sin of profaning God's name and making it common or ordinary - turning Christ into a product - of making records to sell instead of...basically doing things for profit instead of being a prophet. 
That's the danger here. In the mainstream you have the same thing except they're honest about it. They will tell their artists, 'What we care about is us and selling records.' In Christian music, we're a little more savvy and a little duplicitious in saying that we're interested in God impacting a lot of lives. And we measure that by how many records we sell - which is completely wrong. Jesus would start out talking to three thousand people and by the time He was done there were three. So you can't say that when God is involved it's the biggest selling thing. To me, it's two different kinds of danger. We just all have to know why we're doing what we do and stay true to that and not let anybody sway us off course no matter how unpopular or how uncool it gets for us. Or how unprofitable ...(laugh)...it gets for us, you know? And that's really no different than the person who is a schoolteacher or an architect or a computer programmer or someone that paints houses - we all have to kind of have a sense that there has to be a greater reason why I do this job...and I'm going to do that no matter what.
MQ: Do you have any thoughts on ecumenism - about different denominations and faith backgrounds working together? Is there a line that needs to be drawn so that core beliefs are not sacrificed? It seems like that may be done in the name of unity, and there is no talk of what we believe and why we believe it.
Shaun: I think that denominations are no where in the Bible. The last prayer that Jesus prayed on our behalf was in the Garden. He prayed that we would be one as He and the Father are one. If you look at every denomination...I'm Southern Baptist and we were pro-slavery. That's what we came out of...that we wanted slaves. I'm not very proud of that, but, it was birthed out of that. The Presbyterian church has split into two wings ... the Methodists came out of some pretty unusual backgrounds too. Every denomination is usually birthed out of a fight. So you look at the birthed denominations and they were usually birthed out of unnecessary conflict over peripheral issues that weren't really that important. Or over a group of people wanting to call a sin a 'virtue' - like slavery, you know? So when you look at that you go, 'Is that really from God in the first place...should there really be Southern Baptists?' No...because we were created because we were pro-something that we shouldn't have been pro. You kind of have to look at the history of the church and go, 'We were meant to be one body.' And I'm okay moving toward that as long as we do talk about doctrine and arrive at - and say, 'Ok, here's the truth.' There's certain things I don't need to have the truth on. I've played at a Lutheran church recently and I saw them doing an infant baptism. I had a problem with it because they were basically saying that because that child was baptized they had entered into a relationship with God. That's nowhere in the Bible. But, Southern Baptists say you have the age of accountability so until you're at that age where you can understand...you're saved. Well, how is that any different? Neither one of those come from the Bible. We all have our traditions and our liturgies and our doctrines that really aren't founded in Scripture. When you just get to the issues that the Bible is absolutely black and white clear on, we generally have those in common. If we don't, then I don't want to partner with you in that way. I want us to reach some middle ground because I don't want you going out telling people that if they work hard enough they'll be saved. I don't want you going out telling people that if they just simply do this ritual - they'll have a relationship with God. I don't want you telling people though that they can lose their salvation when I don't believe they can. These are things that, to me, are core. But, it's not core to me whether you want to vote Republican or not. It's not core to me whether you want to pray to God as Daddy or as Father or Blessed Lord....
MQ: ...or worship styles?
Shaun: Right - it's not important to me if your pulpit is in the middle or you don't have a pulpit at all. I don't care - that doesn't matter to me. If you have deacons or elders - I don't care - that doesn't matter. So, we have to first decide what is really important to agree on. And then find some way to work together and agree on those things. I've done some things with evangelical Catholics and some Christians go, 'Oh, my gosh, you're doing something with Catholics!'. But man, I'm telling you they're solid. Those people are solid and they're impacting their community and serving people.
MQ: Is there anything you're working on right now?
Shaun: I'm writing for my third record...'Twilight' is out right now, but I'm going to be touring a lot. I'm doing my own tour for the first time and we're going to be hitting college campuses in the fall.