Lenny Kravitz
American rock singer-songwriter Lenny Kravitz is a devout Christian, and his spirituality transcends not only in the spiritual themes of his music but also in his personal life – he committed to remaining celibate for years and has a cross tattoo on his back as a reminder of his faith. Kravtiz has previously spoken about an experience during his childhood that shaped his belief in Jesus at a young age. The singer recounted a time when he was a young boy in the hospital when he was sick with the flu. He shared the room with another young boy who one day asked him, “Do you know about Jesus Christ?” Kravitz recalled feelings of the “presence of God” in the room that day. Did you know Kravitz’s song “Are You Gonna Go My Way?” is about Jesus?
U2
From the Bono-led Irish rock band’s start, U2 has been passionate about their faith to the point where it even challenged the group’s future. Many believed Christianity and rock music could not be married, bringing to the surface the question of whether the Christian faith could live in the secular rock world. Even through the debate, the band not only didn’t lose their religion, but their music is a powerful example of spirituality meeting beautiful music. At the time of the band’s early releases in the 80s, they were attending a non-denominational church, and many people were unsure of the idea of Christian boys in the “rock scene.” Throughout the years, Bono explored his Christian faith, including many spiritual themes within the band’s releases.
Switchfoot
While the band doesn’t believe they fall into the Christian faith genre, the members of Switchfoot are devout Christians and are often referred to as a Christian rock band; their music appears in Christian retail outlets, they play at Christian musical festivals, are featured on Christian charts and appear on Christian radio. They often refer to themselves as “Christian by faith, not by genre.” Many people often wonder, if all members of the band are Christian, why not make Christian music? Lead singer Jon Foreman has spoken about this topic many times in interviews but ultimately boils it down to any song that can glorify God, whether it is explicitly mentioned or not. According to Foreman, he is ultimately more focused on how he treats others according to his Christian faith instead of focusing his music on it.
Mumford & Sons
While they do not identify as a Christian band, members of the group come from Christian backgrounds and have not strayed away from discussing their faith. Band leader Marcus Mumford comes from a religious background, and his parents are leaders in the evangelical Vineyard Church in England. To this day, Mumford continues to be a member of the church. Many of the songs that he writes reflect his spirituality, often speaking out about the importance of it. He spoke with The Guardian about his spiritual songwriting, saying, “I think faith is something beautiful, and something real, and something universal.”
Kings of Leon
While their music is generally given the secular label, their background as sons of a United Pentecostal Church preacher is evident in much of their music, with many songs dealing with the topic of redemption. There is no doubt that the three brothers come from a religious background, and it is evident in the lyrics of some of their songs where they touch on topics such as redemption or fire and brimstone. In their song “Lucifer,” they speak about devoting their soul to Jesus and overcoming many obstacles.
P.O.D.
From the beginning, P.O.D., which stands for Payable on Death, has been representative of Christ and shares their testimonies in their music and on tour. P.O.D.’s frontman also leads the Whosoevers ministry, a movement that spreads the Gospel to youth in hopes of encouraging millions about Christ around the world. Lead singer Sonny Sandoval has spoken many times in interviews about his Christian faith, opening up about how he wants to be perceived as a Christian man while in a rock band.
Evanescence
Ben Moody, the co-founder and main songwriter of Evanescence, was originally a part of the Christian rock world, and many of the band’s musical themes deal with religious and Christian themes. Before the band’s mainstream success, their music was primarily found in Christian music shops. The band’s lyrics are often outright religious or allude to Christian themes. In their song “Tourniquet,” the lyrics refer to Jesus as their “tourniquet,” asking Him to save them.
Lifehouse
Jason Wade, the lead vocalist of the Los Angeles-originated American rock band Lifehouse, is a Christian. In his younger years, he and another band member were involved in their church’s youth group, playing worship music at church. A number of their songs deal with the personal impact of Jesus and God’s love. A reviewer from CCM, a Christian Music Magazine, said in a positive review of the band that “Lifehouse … sports more poetic sense and spiritual insight than most rock bands currently on the traditional Christian circuit.”
