“From my point of view, I would ban religion completely. Organized religion doesn’t seem to work. It turns people into really hateful lemmings and it’s not really compassionate.” –Elton John, in the Observer newspaper’s Music Monthly Magazine

“Spiritually, God is first in my life, and the buck stops there. I’m not gonna deny Him.” –Mary J. Blige

“I’m more spiritual than [having] organized religion. I have a personal relationship with God. …I believe in karma, I believe in cause and effect…but religion, I have my opinions about religion.” –Rapper Jay-Z answering if he attends church after denying claims that his music worships satan when played backwards.

“Honestly, whatever style of music you like, Christian music has it. The only difference is the faith behind the music and that the people want to speak about God through their music. But as far as the music itself, it’s similar to all types of other music both in quality and in styles.” –Becca Barlow of the Christian rock group BarlowGirl in an interview talking about the first “Christian Music Day” at the Alabama National Fair

“Until secular America strengthens its own front lines by developing strong communities and a culture that uplifts, this (Christian) army will have no viable opponent. It aims to destroy everything that it is not. Maintain no illusion: they are wide awake. They are ready.” –Author Lauren Sandler, following evangelical skateboarding groups in “Righteous: Dispatches from the Evangelical Youth Movement”

“Is this God’s will that this happened? Absolutely not, but He will use it for good.” –Michael W. Smith commenting after attending a community prayer service at a nondenominational evangelical Christian church in the Lancaster suburbs, following the fatal shootings of five Amish girls at a school in Pennsylvania.

“Country songs have always been about drinking, haven’t they? But they have that weird Christian thing going on, too.” –Country singer Corb Lund, talking about recent flare up from consertive groups for various comments.

“I’m giving my testimony about how I’m embracing my faith and how it has changed my life, my music, my marriage and my whole perspective in everything.” Once I reached all of my goals, there was still a void inside me, so I had to change my definition of success. I started pursuing the whole pie. I consider myself more successful now.” - Cheryl “Salt” James, former member of the noted female rap group Salt-N-Pepa, in Vibe.com interview.

“It’s funny because while I certainly do think that many people in the Christian music industry conduct themselves with great honor and integrity, it is still a business. They want to sell records, and that’s not always what happens when you make largely instrumental, freewheeling music. So I’ve never quite fit into any genre where you could easily market my music.” –Phil Keaggy, discussing his role in Christian music.

“[Being] judgmental is the absolute worst thing about Christianity, I believe. I was always criticized for my looks in the Christian world. They would never let me sing solos in church, because they said I made the men in the congregation lust!”

–Mainstream singer Jessica Simpson, speaking to Allure Magazine

“This is not a mocking of the church,” she said. “It is no different than a person wearing a cross or `taking up the cross’ as it says in the Bible. My performance is neither anti-Christian, sacrilegious or blasphemous. Rather, it is my plea to the audience to encourage mankind to help one another and to see the world as a unified whole. I believe in my heart that if Jesus were alive today he would be doing the same thing.”

–Artist Madonna, defending recent critisism of her recent live performance of the song “Live to Tell” where she is shown on a mirrored cross wearing a crown of thorns.

“One thing that has been very distressing these last few months is looking at MySpace and seeing the incredible number of Christian hardcore and deathmetal bands,” Blush says. “It is staggering; there are hundreds and hundreds of them. That, to me, is scary. The one thing in hardcore was that everyone pretty much hated church and state. Every major hardcore band was blasted by evangelicals as the work of Satan. That churches have coopted this music makes me think we were right in the day, because to coopt punk rock to sell Jesus is pure evil.”

–Rock-promoter-turned-journalist Steven Blush in new documentary, AMERICAN HARDCORE AND THE U.S. VS. JOHN LENNON