Heidi Hall

For The Tennessean

Audrey Assad’s bio lists her many talents: author, speaker, producer, critically lauded Christian songwriter and musician.

But all of those come after “daughter of a Syrian refugee.”

Without her father’s challenging path to the U.S., she wouldn’t be here in Nashville recording both theologically challenging original songs and popular ancient hymns in her strong, angelic voice. Because her Middle Eastern heritage informs so much of who she is, Assad said, she wants other people to understand what it means to be a Syrian refugee and clear up some of the confusion being fueled by the current crisis — especially what she sees reflected on social media.

“I’m not going to convince everyone Syrians differ from each other as much as I do from you, but I want to put myself out there and be a resource for people who do want to know the realities,” Assad said.

She recently wrote her father’s story for We Welcome Refugees, an alliance of groups active in refugee issues, including the National Association of Evangelicals and World Vision.

Roy Assad was born in Damascus in 1955 and became well acquainted early in life with poverty, hard work and a love of Jesus Christ — the last one instilled as he lived with his mother and brother in the janitorial closet of a Christian Missionary Alliance church. The family eventually moved to Beirut, where Roy Assad’s mother pleaded with the U.S. ambassador for refugee status.

Audrey Assad was born in the U.S., growing up between American and Middle Eastern cultures in a little Plymouth Brethren-affiliated church in Roselle Park, New Jersey. She denomination-hopped during her college years and converted to Roman Catholicism on Easter 2007 after falling in love with sacramental theology.

“When I found out what Eucharistic theology is — that Jesus is present in the sacrament, allowing us to encounter him in a specific way — I was very attracted to that,” she said. “I thought, ‘If that is even possibly real, I have to find out.’ I ended up taking the leap when I learned a majority of Christians throughout history have believed that. Who was I not to? I can’t prove it through science, but I will defer to the ancient church.”

While Assad hopes to increase Americans’ understanding of Arab culture, she also understands fears stoked by Islamic State terrorism. The group’s actions inspired her to write one of her most popular songs, “Even Unto Death,” after watching a February 2015 video of 21 Coptic Christians being beheaded on a beach.

“I was naturally horrified and taken to a place of intercessory prayer,” Assad said. “I also got a glimpse into why martyrdom is beautiful. The men were thanking God for their gift of giving their lives and forgiving their captors.

“Could I really pray for people cutting my head off? I hope so, and I am writing songs that are what I would pray.”

She said a lot of her songs are explorations of theological themes she finds challenging. She’s writing her next album now and said she’s yet to discover what she’s really about. The epiphany will come.

In the meantime, she’ll keep writing — about her faith and about her Syrian heritage.

Heidi Hall is The Tennessean’s former religion editor. Follow her in Twitter @HeidiHallTN.