One Singer. One Encounter. One Man Radically Restored.

THE “WALKING DEAD” PREACHER’S KID WHO HATED GOD

What happens when a preacher isn’t the man he appears to be when he’s home with his family? Growing up the son of a traveling evangelist who was an upright man behind the pulpit but a violent husband at home, Stephen McWhirter experienced firsthand the devastating effects of religious hypocrisy. This painful trauma led to over a decade of rebellion, addiction and brokenness, as he was furious at God for allowing his father to abuse his mother. He sought escape through alcohol and drugs, using crystal-meth for the first time at only 17-years-old and was arrested for stealing, possession of narcotic and underage drinking, seven times before he was 21. Still, God had other plans.

Late one night, with his girlfriend in the bed next to him and crystal-meth on the side table, he felt the urge to start reading The Case for Christ by Lee Strobel. In that moment, God seized his heart, revealing he was real, he was good, and he had a purpose for Stephen’s life.  “If God could grab me out of the depths of an abusive, dysfunctional family and a crystal-meth addiction to turn me into someone who truly knows and loves Jesus, leads people in worship all over the world, and has a happy, healthy family, he can do a radical work in your life too,” writes McWhirter.

FORGIVING HIS FATHER

From that radical encounter with Jesus, Stephen’s life took a dramatic turn. Miraculously, God healed him, and he never used drugs or alcohol again. He sensed God calling him to forgive his abusive father, not to absolve his father of his actions, but as a path towards healing for himself. Within weeks, he and his girlfriend were both baptized by his father, and eventually his father performed their wedding ceremony. This radical act of forgiveness not only healed Stephen’s heart but also opened the door for reconciliation and restoration within his family. When his father passed away from cancer in 2012, he was surrounded by his family and repeatedly asked them for forgiveness. Stephen’s last words to his father would have been unimaginable to his 17-year-old self, “I love you, and I forgive you.”

“Forgiveness is not saying what they did was ok or even that they should continue to be in your life,” writes Stephen. “I have never condoned what my father did to my mother. Forgiving is not necessarily for the other person, it’s for you. Forgiving my dad and letting him baptize us and perform our wedding ceremony were some of the hardest moments of my life. I believe Tara knew the Lord wanted me to fully lay all my hatred for my earthy father at the feet of my heavenly Father.” 

TODAY

In  2015 Stephen was hired as a church worship leader and eventually started writing his own music. He collaborated with Jason Clayborn on “Rapha” and “Born a King” which was featured on “The Chosen.” He continues to write music, travel as an itinerant worship leader and share his testimony. 
 

To order Radically Restored: How Knowing Jesus Heals Our Brokenness by Stephen McWhirter, click the LINK!

To learn more about Stephen McWhirter's Worship Live Streams or to listen to his music, click the LINK!

CREDITS

Author, Radically Restored (Zondervan); “Come Jesus Come” – 2025 GMA Dove Award for Gospel Song of the Year & has more than 100 million online views; travels the world worshipping Jesus and sharing his testimony; artist & writer for Capitol Christian Music Group