American Idol used its prime-time TV program on Easter Sunday to put the focus clearly on Jesus Christ.
The Top 24 contestants joined judges Lionel Richie, Luke Bryan, and Carrie Underwood along with multi-Grammy Award winners CeCe Winans and Brandon Lake, to give glory to God.
It would never happen on Australian Idol whose producers once famously told contestants not to sing about God or talk about their Christian faith.
American Idol has never shied away from songs of faith like Shout To The Lord during the long running talent show.
Last year’s 22nd season was sprinkled with songs of faith, including a rousing rendition of Goodness of God from 17-times Grammy winner Cece Winans.
FAITH’S HISTORICAL LINKS WITH AMERICAN IDOL
Historically, many Idol contestants have come from church backgrounds.
Multiple worship leaders have made it past the blind auditions, mentioning their faith in their biographies.
For Easter Sunday, the judges decided to encourage contestants to select songs for the show that reflected their faith, calling, or personal challenges they had overcome.
Carrie Underwood told the Idol hopefuls: “I know how difficult it is to come into the entertainment industry and bring your faith with you.”
“It is a brave thing to do because there are a lot of outside forces that are going to tell you not to do that.”
“I want to tell you that I’m proud of you guys.”
FIRST TIME AN ENTIRE SHOW HAD A FAITH-BASED THEME
It was the first time in the history of American Idol that a faith-based theme was selected for one of the shows, according to American Songwriter.
Not all the songs chosen were specifically Christian.
Lionel Richie kicked off the three-hour special with his inspirational song Eternity.
Then, 17-year-old aspiring preacher, Canaan James Hill, took the stage and delivered a rousing rendition of Better Days by Gospel singer Le’Andria Johnson.
One of the biggest performances came from worship artist and five-times Grammy winner Brandon Lake and Grammy-nominated singer Jelly Roll, who is currently serving as the show’s first-ever “Artist In Residence.”
The pair teamed up to perform their collaborative track Hard Fought Hallelujah, receiving a standing ovation.
“My prayer is that this song reminds people not to give up — that even in the hardest seasons, there’s growth, purpose, and a victory worth singing about,” Jelly Roll explained.
“IT JUST FELT LIKE THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD WAS IN THE ROOM”
Gospel music icon Cece Winans later performed her song Come Jesus Come with former Idol contestant Roman Collins.
The pair had teamed up to perform Goodness of God in last year’s final episode.
Earlier this season, contestants began to spontaneously worship Jesus backstage with video of the session going viral.
Contestant Thunderstorm Artis told The Deseret News the moment was unscripted.
“It just felt like the Spirit of the Lord was in the room,” he reflected.
‘SO MANY CHRISTIANS INVOLVED WITH THIS SEASON’S SHOW”
Artis revealed: “I wasn’t sure if this was where I was supposed to be.”
“But in that moment, it was like, this is right where God wants me to be.”
He was pleasantly surprised to find out that many Christians are involved with this season’s show.
“If I had a nickel for every time someone told me: Hey, if you take Jesus out of your music, you’d be way more famous, like, I’d be rich,” he said.
“There’s so many Christians, from the production team to the people at the top to the people at the bottom. And it’s been amazing.”
SHOW’S CO-CREATOR “GENUINELY EXCITED’ BY EASTER EPISODE
Simon Lythgoe, the original producer and co-creator of American Idol, told CCM Magazine that he was “genuinely excited to see Resurrection Day honoured on one of the biggest entertainment platforms in the world.”
He admitted thinking the ABC Network and owners Disney were making a bold move to air a show filled with Christian music.
“Previously, there was an unspoken rule to steer clear of anything overtly religious or faith-based.”
“The goal was to keep the show secular – broad and inclusive – to avoid alienating any viewers.”
WHY IS AMERICAN IDOL FEATURING MORE FAITH-BASED SONGS?
Simon Lythgoe credited former Idol winner and devout Christian Carrie Underwood for causing the show to shift 20-years ago when she sang Jesus, Take the Wheel.
Then, during Idol’s charity special in 2008, he felt that a significant turning point occurred when the Top-8 finalists requested to perform Shout to the Lord.
“I remember getting flooded with calls from Christian friends who were thrilled to hear a worship song performed on primetime television,” he recalled.
Carrie Underwood closed out the Easter Sunday show with a stunning performance of the timeless hymn How Great Thou Art.
The song was featured on her Grammy-winning album, My Savior.
THE INFLUENCE OF CARRIE UNDERWOOD ON THE SHOW
Luke Bryan credited Underwood, a first-time judge on the show, for the sudden influx of Gospel and faith-based performances this season.
“She’s never shied away from her spirituality and her Christian beliefs and she’s done it through music.”
“It’s been a part of her artistry and the kids this year have showed up with more of that maybe than in years past, and that’s been something really, really special to watch,” Bryan added.
He performed Jesus ‘Bout My Kids on the Easter episode.
American Idol isn’t the only network reality show that frequently features Christian music.
During season 15 of NBC’s singing competition The Voice, singers performed “Oceans,” Tasha Cobbs’s “Break Every Chain,” and MercyMe’s “I Can Only Imagine.”
