NeedTobreathe’s Bear Rinehart talks about Brother Bo’s charges of abuse

Needtobreathe’s Bear Rinehart speaks after claims of abuse of children made by his brother Bo Rinehart.

On Thursday (June 12), 43-year-old Bo, the former guitarist for Needtobreathe, shared a statement of social media that claimed he was being sexually abused by several people in his childhood, including his older brother Bear, 44, the lead singer of the rock band.

“This is Bo. I am an alcoholic. I am a culprit, but I am a believer. I believe in God’s grace, and I think his grace has shown that he is consistent, even if we do not deserve it,” Bo wrote on Instagram. “I am a survivor of sexual abuse of children. I have been sexually abused by a camp adviser. I have been sexually, physically and emotionally abused by my brother. And I have been abused by my youth pastor.”

He continued, “I think God has bigger plans for me, and some of these plans tell my story because it is so hard for someone to tell stories like these. Even when my faith has been crushed, I know that God still has provisions for me. If you are always there and you think, nothing can be done, nothing,” I am not something that is not a way …

Bo, who left Needtobreathe in 2020, later shared a photo of Bjørn with the caption “Sexual Abuse” in a page-plated Instagram story, according to Relevant magazine.

Saturday (June 14), Bear responded to his brother’s claims with a long post on the Instagram account of Wilder Woods, his solo musical project outside the NeedTobreathe.

“I feel the need to comment on the deeply hurtful and misleading accusations that my brother Bo was doing the other night on social media,” Bear wrote. “I love Bo deeply, and I always want to. Since his departure from the band over five years ago, we have done everything we can to treat him with respect and privacy. I would never choose to frighten him, especially at a time when he is clearly in pain. But as a father and husband I have to protect my family from claims that wrong the truth.”

He continued, “Until now I had chosen not to share this in public – not because I am ashamed, but because I have wanted to protect my family. I have three young boys and I wanted them to hear about my story from me directly when the time is right, and not through social media or online speculation own story, but I cannot allow him to wrongly represent mine.”

Bear continued to claim that “my brother and I both were sexually abused at the age of 8 and 6 of a teenage advisor” at a Christian camp where they grew up in South Carolina. “None of us received support for these events until far into adult age and were both left to navigate the rest of childhood and adolescence with deep pain and confusion,” wrote the musician, adding that he later “found freedom” after counseling and support of loved ones.

“Bo’s recent accusation of me confuses our shared experience of abuse with a childhood event that he is wrong,” Bear continued. “While underwent a two -day intensive counseling session with Bo five years ago, I learned that he was injured by things that happened in our early teen years. At that advice session, I took full responsibility for every part I played in that pain. We treated these moments with common trauma in detail and left with an understanding that we were two young boys who were trying to cope with it unspoken. intentionally harmful.

Bear concluded his message by expressing hope that he and Bo can unite one day. “I’m really asking for this healing,” he wrote. “I think we are all crushed and need a savior. My brother and I are no different.”

Billboard has reached NeedTobreathe’s representatives of further comment.

In a 2023 interview with PeopleBo opened up to be expressed with his experience of sexual abuse as an adult and revealed that it was committed by three different individuals. He did not give further details.

“It takes time,” Bo said at the time. “At some point in our lives, we come to this step – and it is generally with survivors of sexual abuse of children, it is in the late 30s or early 40s – where it starts to get on the surface, whether you want it or not. You start to see how your life’s kind of breaks down.”

If you or someone you know have experienced sexual assault, you can call the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-hop (4673).