In recent years, more “Christian” bands have been breaking new ground in the secular arena.

Christian music. It’s a bunch of crazy people with acoustic guitars who only sing about stuff you don’t believe in or care about, right? Let me ask you a question. Have you heard of Relient K? Underoath? Hawk Nelson? Switchfoot? They all have one characteristic in common: they are Christians. In fact, all four groups began their careers under Christian record labels, and all but Switchfoot remain as such.

From alternative rock to pop-punk, Christian bands are branching out into genres and venues they previously have not explored.

Relient K and Underoath have performed on the Vans Warped Tour. It is the bands’ presentation of their beliefs that make them appealing in popular venues like this. Their most admirable and interesting trait is their ability to express and remain true to what they believe, in a setting where faith is usually not a factor.

This expression comes in different varieties. Switchfoot is perhaps the most intriguing. From the beginning, the band has fought the “Christian” label so often bestowed upon them.

“For us, these songs are for everyone,” said Switchfoot lead singer Jon Foreman in an interview with the Boston Globe after switching from a Christian to a secular record company. “Calling us ‘Christian rock’ tends to be a box that closes some people out and excludes them.”

While the lyrics express Christian social views and are often lifted from Christian texts, one has to be familiar with both to recognize them.

The other three bands seem to place a greater stress on expressing their faith for fans. They claim their faith as the reason for their existence as bands.

“We’re not trying to hide anything with the songs on this record; just to get what we feel out there,” Relient K lead singer Matthew Thiessen said in an interview with Christian Music Today. “…In the end that’s who we are and what we believe in.”

Band members from both Hawk Nelson and Underoath have made similar comments in interviews. If you don’t pick up on it through the music, you will most likely at one of their concerts. On stage, they don’t hesitate to share what they believe — this has drawn criticism by some, especially at secular venues.

What matters to most people is that the music sounds good, and apparently it does, as the continuing success of these bands demonstrates. People seem to be realizing that the stereotype for a “Christian” band’s musical style is inaccurate. It should come as no surprise when listeners are met with the performers’ often blunt and honest presentations of their beliefs. These groups have made it plain that their identity as individuals is found in this faith.

Music expresses this identity.