Former ACCEPT Bassist PETER BALTES: How I Became A Born-Again Christian

In a recent interview with The Blairing Out With Eric Blair Show, former ACCEPT and current U.D.O. bassist Peter Baltes confirmed that he is a "born-again Christian." He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "There was a time I was gonna have a band with [fellow born-again Christian Dan] Spitz from ANTHRAX, but that fell through. And I just basically played in the church worship band, which was funny because I was always too loud, I played too much, and I played guitar. It was just the funniest thing ever.

"I remember when I went back to go with ACCEPT, the pastor took me aside and everybody else took me aside and said, 'You're going to hell,'" he continued. "And I said, 'No, I'm not going to hell. I'm gonna be a light.' And I realized then how in the church environment, it's totally different. You can have your own belief, but how the church tries to mold you and make you and push you, I didn't like that at all. So I just said, 'You know what? You guys do your thing. I'm gone anyway, but I'll be a light. And that's it.'"

Asked if he came from a Christian family, the 66-year-old Peter said: "No. [We're] Germans." As for how he became a born-again Christian, Baltes said: "My wife took my kids to church. I didn't wanna go. And then one day I went, and I sat all the way in the back next to the exit so I can get out real quick. But then some guys from the church came to the house one day, brought a cake, and we talked and talked and talked and talked. And I had just lost — I was producing a Philadelphia punk band, and they perished in a fire, three of 'em. They had a rehearsal room and a storage unit thing, and they had one of the kerosene heaters and it blew up. And I was supposed to be there that day, but I was somewhere else. I was late. I came with my backpack and the whole thing was on flames. So that was like a month before. And I was struggling with that. When they talked to me, it all made sense. And I was in that state that I needed something. And that's how that came about."

Baltes previously discussed his faith in a interview with the Christian Broadcasting Network. Recalling the tragedy that led to his becoming a born-again Christian, Peter said: "[The punk band I was producing] had a rehearsal room in a storage place, a storage facility. There was a kerosene heater. That particular night, I was supposed to go there and deliver some tapes, but I was late. The guitar player and the singer were there early. They lit up the kerosene heater, and it exploded. It set guitar player on fire, and he fell over the drum set and burned to his death."

Baltes said the incident hit him hard. "For the first time, I actually felt my heart probably," he revealed. "I was very prideful. You can't help it when you're in my business. Pride is all you have. That's what you live off. That's how you make your money. So now, for the first time, I started caring about others."

Recalling his discussions with two members of the church who paid Peter and his wife a visit, the bassist said: "They started talking to me and asked me about God. I told them, 'I don't believe. I think it's all humbug.' They asked me more questions, and I got a little aggravated. For like three or four hours, we went back and forth. Then finally I threw them out of the house. I said, 'Don't you ever come back here.' Then I felt really empty. I'm thinking, 'They really came in love, these people. They didn't do anything to me. They didn't call me names, curse at me or anything. They brought me a nice piece of bread.'"

After the two men returned a week later, Peter was more open to listening to what they had to say.

"This time, they didn't say much," he said. "They said, 'What's wrong with you?' I said, 'Well, my friends died in a fire.' They just asked me, 'Would you mind if we prayed for you and with you?' All I remember is that I started getting… first I got cold and then I got warm. Then I started sweating a lot and shaking a little bit. At the end, they just both asked me how I feel, and I said, 'I never felt like this before in my entire life.' They said, 'Are you ready to accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, because that's the only way you will ever feel this way again.' I said, 'Absolutely, yes.' That's how I got saved. The next day, I never smoked a cigarette, drank a beer or any alcohol. My whole life changed."

This past October, Baltes launched a GoFundMe campaign to assist him and his wife in repairing their home in Nokomis, Florida due to damages caused by Hurricane Milton. Only $2,783 was raised of the campaign's initial $10,000 goal.

Peter exited ACCEPT in 2018 after spending more than three decades with the Wolf Hoffmann-led outfit. He later told Finland's Chaoszine that things "started to go down" within ACCEPT "maybe the last two years" before his departure. "I didn't like it anymore," he said. "And I found out some things — I don't wanna elaborate — but I found out some things that are really not nice. I'd been together with Wolf my whole life, and that wasn't really necessary. Some people have to have all the control, and when it started going into the artistic control, then it really bothered me more. So I really wasn't into it anymore."

Baltes was replaced in ACCEPT by Martin Motnik.