An Inspired Chat with Pastor Aaron Schwartzbart of Hollywood

We’re looking forward to introducing you to Pastor Aaron Schwartzbart. Check out our conversation below.

Good morning Aaron, we’re so happy to have you here with us and we’d love to explore your story and how you think about life and legacy and so much more. So let’s start with a question we often ask: Have any recent moments made you laugh or feel proud?
Proud isn’t the word. I would say grateful. To make a long and very ironic story short, if not for Guns n’ Roses, MotorGospel Ministries as we know it would not exist. If not for Marc Canter and Canter’s Deli, Guns n’ Roses as we know them would not exist. On New Year’s Eve 2026 at the Whisky A Go Go, I will be opening for LA Guns (co-founders of Guns n’ Roses), shredding for Jesus and giving out free Bibles til midnight at my merch table. In promotion for this unique milestone opportunity to embody Luke 5:32 at the most historically-important club on the Strip, Marc graciously agreed to an interview. We sat in the same iconic booth at Canter’s that produced one of GnR’s most well-known publicity photos, chewing on Reuben sandwiches and filming a half hour of very candid dialogue between a Jesus Freak and a bona fide rock n roll legend. If MotorGospel Ministries’ 501c3 anti-street-racing campaign has saved any lives, we have Marc Canter to thank for it.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
Rock n Roll for a good cause at the Whisky A Go Go 6PM New Years Eve with 100% of ticket proceeds from the MotorGospel Ministries Eventbrite link going to the life-saving 501c3 anti-street-racing campaign that we lead in partnership with the LAPD, the LA City Council and the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce.

In the spirit of Luke 5:32, I will shred for Jesus from 6 to 7 PM opening for LA Guns (co-founders of Guns n’ Roses) on the same stage where Jimi, Janis, Zep, the Doors, Van Halen and Guns n’ Roses played and our volunteers will give out free Bibles at the merch table til midnight.

Even if a night of loud rock n roll is not your jam, please consider buying a block of tickets to give out free for constituents, congregants, friends, family, clients, guests, team-members, stocking stuffers etc. and thus help MotorGospel Ministries to save lives.

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/new-years-eve-with-pastor-aaron-schwartzbart-at-the-whisky-a-go-go-tickets-1641269012799

Great, so let’s dive into your journey a bit more. What relationship most shaped how you see yourself?
My relationship with Jesus since approximately 1993. I’m not in charge any more. He is.

Was there ever a time you almost gave up?
In 1991, I sat alone at 2 in the morning, poverty-stricken-by-choice, in my tiny rented bedroom after a particularly bad night racing in NASCAR (real racing is 99% sacrifice for a 1% chance of an occasional win). Garth Brook’s “The Dance” came on TNN and as I watched MLK, the Challenger 7 and Laine Frost, I had the sinking feeling that my destiny was to die in a race car without ever winning a championship. The next day, I shared that moment with my mom, who was one of the most over-protective Jewish moms on the planet. I thought she would be relieved that I might just be discouraged enough to stop the credit card debt, the sleepless nights and the obvious risk associated with auto racing. Much to my surprise, my overly-protective Jewish mother told me “You can’t let fear of dying keep you from your dream.”. She passed in 2011 one week before I won my first championship in the National Auto Sport Association (NASA road racing, not circle track). In 2025 we are celebrating our 7th championship and I haven’t forgotten her words…

So a lot of these questions go deep, but if you are open to it, we’ve got a few more questions that we’d love to get your take on. Where are smart people getting it totally wrong today?
Like unthinking cattle, many are stampeded by manipulators into hating people that are not their enemies…

Before we go, we’d love to hear your thoughts on some longer-run, legacy type questions. What do you think people will most misunderstand about your legacy?
Prior to getting born again around 1993, I was a producer and consumer of sordid pornography, well acquainted with both opposite and same-gender attractions of many sorts. People in alternative lifestyles tend to accuse me of bigotry because I have come to believe in the Biblical affirmation that God-ordained marriage is one man and one woman til death do them part. Many accusing me of bigotry seem incapable of “lowering their shields” and just having a cup of coffee or a beer or whatever with a Christian who walked in their shoes for decades.

Contact Info:

• Website: [email protected]
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/motorgospel/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aaron-schwartzbart-4246818/
• Twitter: https://x.com/AaSchwartzbart
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aaron.schwartzbart
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@MOTORGOSPEL
• Other: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/new-years-eve-with-pastor-aaron-schwartzbart-at-the-whisky-a-go-go-tickets-1641269012799

  https://www.imdb.com/name/nm6546286/

  https://youtu.be/2GyDVUK9-FQ?si=2AXEEuP0eriIO8GH

Image Credits
Tere Schwartzbart, Neil Newman, Matt Martin, Mathias Fau, Dean Cain, Caliphotography