Alice Cooper  |  alicecooper.com

Shock rocker Alice Cooper turned heads in the ’60s and ’70s with his wild makeup and theatrical live shows, but he really upset the rock & roll apple cart when he embraced Christianity in the late 1980s. While being personally mentored by theologian R.C. Sproul, Cooper remained quiet about his faith for several years. During the past 12 years, however, Cooper has referenced it openly in interviews and has produced five albums that add a subversively Christian twist to his uniquely satirical fare.

Copeland  |  thecopelandsite.com

In a 2005 interview with scene stars.net Aaron Marsh, of the increasingly hot modern pop band Copeland, got very frank about the band’s faith, and its bypassing the Christian market-place. “We are Christians, but we’re not gonna be in the scene,” he said. Later in the interview he continued: “We play rock music, it's not ‘Christian rock.’ I'm glad to have fans who have similar beliefs; I appreciate it. But you have to know that we make music for everyone, not just Christians.”

Eisley  |  eisley.com

“We always use the analogy that if you’re a Christian and you’re a painter, you don’t just paint pictures of Jesus.” So says Eisley vocalist Sherri DuPree in an interview with The Phantom Tollbooth (tollbooth.org). Despite the dreamy alternative band’s strong sense of faith and family, it rejected numerous offers to sign with Christian labels and, instead, landed with Warner Bros. where Eisley continues to rack up mainstream accolades and opportunities.

The Fray  |  thefray.net

Isaac Slade, front man for the piano rock band The Fray has no problem copping to his faith, but “we don't call ourselves a Christian band,” he told USA Today last year. “Because when you get into marketing, ‘Christian’ means that you have everything together, and you’re always happy, and you want everybody to start going to your church… If we have an agenda, it’s to make art that is honest and represents what we believe in.” The Fray’s multi-format hit, “How to Save a Life,” is currently climbing Christian pop radio’s AC chart (No. 21 at press time) according to Christian Radio & Retail Weekly.

The Innocence Mission |  theinnocencemission.com