I have no idea who these people are.  The reason I don't know who they are is because their disingenuity is visible from space.  You can see the Great Wall of China, the Pyramids of Giza, and the falseness of these people's faith and art from orbit.  But whoever they are, they are well-known fake Christian artists, and apparently they "no longer" believe in God.

The guy in the picture, apparently the lead singer of some band named Hawk Nelson, recently stated he "no longer" believes in God.  I put "no longer" in scare quotes, because the obvious implication is that he never believed in God, but got swept up in the mainstream Christian culture, one of the greatest insults to both God and art I have ever seen, and was unable to RESIST THE TEMPTATION to cash in on the disingenuity.

My question is, if they have been singing about God, but have no faith in Him, why does everybody think that because an artist is NOT singing about God (at least not on the surface), that they don't believe in Him?  Why does everybody fall for the obvious deception?  And if the song is NOT about God (on the surface), why the assumption that it's not about God?  On some level, at least?

Presumption and gullibility are not virtues.  They might be sins, they might not.  But they're not virtues.

I submit 2 examples of my own work, which are both secular songs with a true heart for God.  I know that's the case, because I wrote them.  

The first is "Certain Stratospheres," which states in the chorus:

How to tell the sheep from the goats?

toasts are for assholes with castles and moats

I won't raise my glass, not to nothing at all

I'll just keep my head down so I can stand tall

And the 2nd is "A Beautiful Place," which states in the bridge:

I had it all

and it all had me

but my prison days are over

I'm finally free

When "A Beautiful Place" was new, I used to consider it my favorite gospel song.  I know that's not strictly true.  But I also know what I meant when I wrote it, and what it meant to me, and what it still means.  The bridge is "gospel" to me.  The chorus of "A Certain Stratospheres" as well, in spite of the language.

It's "gospel" because it's true.  And I'm not saying the LYRICS ARE GOSPEL, and should be revered at the same level as scripture.  I'm saying that the heart behind them is a gospel heart.

I'm not saying "artless" in a pejorative sense, but when artless Christians talk to me about being "uplifted" by disingenuous Christian pap, to me they resemble cokeheads.  Cokeheads are "happy," you know.  They feel "happy."  That doesn't make it true.

I know there are a lot of people who think this point of view makes me demonic, and I'm not going to argue with them.  They're going to tell me I'm deceived, and a liar, and a wandering star, for whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever and ever.  I know this, because this is what they've always told me.  Then they play examples of these whitened sepulchers, music by people who obviously have NO FAITH AT ALL, and tell me it's holy.

I couldn't agree less.

p.s.  I don't actually know if you can see the Pyramids of Giza from space.  I just couldn't think of another huge world wonder.  Also, I have a real gospel album, as in gospel-gospel, available for free on Bandcamp.  It's about half "covers" and half originals.  Click on the album cover below.

Thanks for listening.