Songwriter Michael McLean’s 9-Year Faith Crisis

[Third Hour]

Latter-day Saint songwriter Michael McLean has been nothing short of a paragon of faith that members have looked up to for years. He has been an example and a leader that has led many people to find greater faith in the Savior and hope in His life and Atonement. Yet underneath it all, McLean himself was struggling, and not just for a day or a week or some relatively minuscule amount of time. In a recent article with LDS Living, McLean explained that he struggled with his faith for nine years. "It all started about 10 years ago when McLean’s youngest son told his family that he was gay. “He was hoping that if he was good enough, prayed hard enough, served faithfully as a missionary, and kept the commandments that he’d somehow experience a miracle and become straight,” says McLean. “It’s tough enough to be a gay kid in a straight world, but being the son of the songwriting icon of the Mormon Church was impossible for him. The pain...

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[Guest LiterateParakeet]

I read this article on line, and I look forward to reading the longer version in the print magazine.  I loved the article.  That happened to me, and ironically, when I was in that space of feeling abandoned by the God, I could not listen to "You're Not Alone".  It was like rubbing salt in the wound.  I still don't think I could listen to it even now, but I do love, and listen to his other work.  I had forgotten that Mother Theresa went through something similar.  I'm so glad that Bro. McLean shared his story publicly because it will help so many know that they "are not alone" in a different sense.   One more reason to love him.