5 Famous Singers You Didn’t Know Were Christians

First on the list is American singer, songwriter, and record producer Michelle Williams. Williams is best known as a member of the R&B girl group Destiny's Child, composed of herself, Kelly Rowland, and Beyoncé Knowles, and is one of the best-selling girl groups of all time. 

Williams, who grew up in a Christian household, released three gospel albums: Heart to Yours (2002), which topped the US Billboard Top Gospel Albums chart, Do You Know (2004), and Journey to Freedom (2013).

In May 2021, Williams released her memoir "Checking In: How Getting Real About Depression Saved My Life–and Can Save Yours," where she discusses her struggles with depression and how her faith has helped her in challenging times. 

She also led worship at Liberty University Convocation in 2017 and later spoke about her faith in a roundtable discussion.

“I had people walk up to me and say, ‘Michelle, because of your gospel music, I believe in Jesus now,’” Williams said.

The singer added that Proverbs 3:5 is the scripture that has had an impact on her life. 

“That’s what I live by,” she said. “Every decision that I make, I go to God about it. You have to invite Him into everything that you do.”

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Brad Arnold, the co-founder and lead singer of the rock group 3 Doors Down, has recently been outspoken about his faith. During a concert at Hersheypark Stadium in Pennsylvania, he told fans that Jesus loves them and to reject the “lie” that is pushed on social media and other facets of life. 

"My friends, I just want to take a second to tell you — that's an absolute lie," he said. "You are loved. You are enough, and you will win. Not only can you win, but you will win. You'll always be enough for one reason, and that's because Jesus Christ loves you."

In a recent interview on the "Culture and Christianity" podcast, Arnold told host and pastor Allen Jackson that he felt that the Lord was leading him to tell his fans at concerts that He loves them, which would end up becoming the “highlight of my career.”

"That is the highlight of my career if I never get to do anything else," he said. "I'm so thankful that God allowed me to do that."

His latest post on social media alludes to Jesus’ parable of the Shepherd and the lost sheep in Luke 15.

“Jesus leaving the 99 to find only one seems illogical & irrational, until that one is you,” Brad’s post on Instagram reads.

Photo Credit: ©YouTube/Allen Jackson Ministries 

Scott Stapp, lead singer of the rock band Creed, went viral last September after he told attendees during a concert of his band’s reunion tour that the United States is a Christian nation “built upon the Bible and the Word of God.”

“The only way to make change is to wake up and come together as one. Focus on what we have in common, which is life, freedom, love, happiness,” he said in a speech that went viral on X. “We find our common ground and we build from there. And as we’re building that common ground, we start keeping the powers that be accountable. We start reminding them of what our Constitution says. We start reminding them of what our Bill of Rights says. We start reminding them that we are a constitutional republic based upon the Bible and the Word of God, not a democracy. Go study. Go do your homework.”

He also stresses the importance of unity amid division.

“Focus on what unites us, not what divides us,” he said. “Stop getting sucked into the programming and distracted and wake up.”

“Nearly everything we accuse every other country of doing, we’re doing right here. Your civil rights are being violated every single minute of every single day.”

In his 2012 memoir, Sinner’s Creed, Stapp shares how God has helped him overcome his addiction to alcohol and prescription drugs that previously resulted in Creed breaking up, him getting divorced, and even a highly publicized suicide attempt in 2006. 

“Scott shares his story for the first time—from his fundamentalist upbringing, the rise and fall of CREED, his ongoing battle with addiction, the rediscovery of his faith, and the launch of his solo career. The result is a gripping memoir that is proof positive that God is always present in our lives, despite the colossal mess we sometimes make of them,” the book’s description reads. 

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Dave Mustaine, lead singer of the thrash metal band, Megadeth, was initially raised as a Jehovah’s Witness and later converted to Christianity in 2002. 

During an interview with the Nashville Scene, Mustaine shared that he does not believe in religion but rather a relationship with “God and with Christ.”

"I try and keep religion out of it. Frankly, for me, I don't believe in religion. I have a personal relationship with God and with Christ, and that's it. I don't push that on anybody; it's private. I kind of leave it there."

In 2012, Mustaine stated that he did not play alongside bands he considered to be “satanic,” but he later reversed his decision since his previous decision limited the number of bands and shows he played with.

"I spent a lot of time as a new Christian trying to get comfortable in my new skin," Mustaine writes in his memoir Mustaine. "There were times when it felt smooth and right; there were times when it felt like I was suffocating. It wasn't until the summer of 2005 that I began to sense harmony between my spiritual and artistic lives."

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Last on our list is none other than Bono, the lead singer of the Irish rock band U2. Born Paul Dawson, Bono was raised in a Catholic household. 

Irish artist Derek Rowen, best known as Guggi, told Religion News Service that Bono, who is his childhood best friend, shared that they both came to the Christian faith through his father. 

Bono would also spend much of his time at Guggi’s house following the loss of his mother at age 14, and they would attend Bible camp every year.

During a 2017 video series with David Taylor, a theology and culture professor at Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California, Bono discussed how his mother’s death impacted him both personally and musically.

"I became an artist through the portal of grief," Bono told Taylor. "My mother died at her own father's gravesite. As he was being lowered into the ground she had an aneurysm. I was 14."

"I began the journey trying to fill the hole in my heart with music, with my mates, my bandmates. Finally, the only thing that can fill it is God's love; it's a big hole but luckily it's a big love," he added.

In the book titled Bono: In Conversation with Michka Assayas, also known as Bono on Bono, the singer shared his thoughts on Jesus Christ being the Sacrificial Lamb.

"I love the idea of the Sacrificial Lamb...The point of the death of Christ is that Christ took on the sins of the world, so that what we put out did not come back to us, and that our sinful nature does not reap the obvious death,” he said. “That's the point. It should keep us humbled. It's not our own good works that get us through the gates of heaven." 

Some of U2’s songs featured Christian themes, including, “40,” where the lyrics are based on Psalm 40, “Yahweh,” "I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For," and “Beautiful Day.”

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