T-Bone Burnett  |  tboneburnett.com

T-Bone Burnett has been impacting the culture as a songwriter, producer and band member since the early 1970s in ways few other artists ever will. From his days as a member of Bob Dylan’s Rolling Thunder Review, to a string of rare, but amazing solo albums, and most recently his role as musical director on major films such as O Brother Where Art Thou and Cold Mountain, Burnett brings his faith with him in a deeply passionate and always challenging way. Burnett, who’s also a former CCM contributing writer, captured the basic nature of the “Christians in Culture” conundrum when he said, “You can sing about the Light, or you can sing about what you see because of the Light. I prefer the latter.” 

Johnny Cash  |  johnnycash.com

In “A Final Interview” with Lev Grossman, American icon Johnny Cash summed it up perfectly. “I'm an artist who is a Christian,” he said. “I'm not a Christian artist.” Cash’s frequently dark country music explored the depths of human despair and the heights of transcendent love, often in the same song. Earning the respect of several generations of artists from every conceivable background, Johnny Cash certainly ranks among the most significant faith-fueled artists of the last century.

Bruce Cockburn  |  brucecockburn.com

Canadian singer/songwriter Bruce Cockburn is certainly one of the most influential modern folk artists of the last 30 years. His clearly faith-informed worldview is steeped in a passion for social justice and the pursuit of true inner peace in a world gone wrong. Though rarely involved in the Christian marketplace, Cockburn has not shied away from talking about his faith in interviews or in his songs. In 1993, his acclaimed Christmas album was distributed into the Christian market, as was his 1979 classic Dancing In The Dragon’s Jaws (Columbia/Myrrh).

Cold War Kids  |  coldwarkids.com

The Los Angeles-based band Cold War Kids has been dismissing the “Christian band” tag since indie scene gatekeepers like Pitchfork Media started outing them last year. It should come as no surprise that their songs are strongly informed by a Christian worldview—after all, three of the Kids’ four members attended Biola University, and guitarist Jonathan Russell’s father is an evangelical pastor.