It's all around us. No, we can't avoid it. It pressures the youth with unrealistic and provocative images and messages that promote an "it's ok" mentality. "It" is the mainstream market. Of course we'll never be able to stop it, but artists of faith are infiltrating the mainstream and are making an unimaginable impact. Ultimately, these artists are turning the tide and bringing a wave a change.

Living in an MTV-obsessed culture has become almost normal. We're used to hearing rappers and rockers like 50 Cent and Kid Rock singing to us about drugs and alcohol. And their main target? The younger generations, whose ideals and values can be most easily swayed. That's why huge artists like The Fray and Miley Cyrus, to name a few, are stepping up to the plate to take a stand for what's right. The Fray's 2005 smash hit album How to Save a Life was certified platinum twice (2 million sales) and the title track became the biggest single off the record, a song that kept God in focus even in times of dealing with the pain of the loss of a loved one. Not surprisingly, the song took off in the Christian market as well. And we can't forget Miss Cyrus - 2007 skyrocketed the 15 year old to her superstar success with the explosion of the popularity of her Disney TV series Hannah Montana. Her fame has never led her to fail her faith though, and through it all, she's proclaimed Christ. On a recent appearance on Oprah, Miley was questioned on how she manages to stay grounded, and her unhesitating response was her faith. She also mentioned her favorite Scripture on the appearance, reciting Ephesians 6:10-11 for the national audience.

Those aren't the only two artists of faith that are actively at work in the mainstream. Alternative rockers Augustana, Dashboard Confessional, OneRepublic, and Paramore all have strong Christian roots. And we can't forget the American Idol factor. Besides opening the door for sole Christian artists like Mandisa and George Huff, nearly half of the big names from Idol have roots in the church and strongly take a stand for their faith in the mainstream. Some of these big names include Carrie Underwood, Clay Aiken, Chris Daughtry (whose band, Daughtry, scored one of the biggest hits on mainstream and Christian radio in 2007 with the song "Home"), and most recently, Idol season 6 winner Jordin Sparks, who has sang back-up for Michael W. Smith before making it big in the mainstream with her debut, self-titled, faith infused album, which hit stores back in November.

The Radio Disney crowd wasn't left out of the mix either. Mega artists like Aly & AJ, Jonas Brothers, Everlife, and pureNRG are some of the station's most played artists. Their positive lyrics instill proper morals and positive thoughts into the minds of their young audiences, and they continue to live up to and take on the part of being Christian role models in the Hollywood scene.

I could go on forever talking about artists of faith in the mainstream. Mary J. Blige recently teamed up with Aretha Franklin and the Harlem Boys Choir to record a song called "Never Gonna Break My Faith." And that's one thing that's for sure about artists of faith in the mainstream--the secular world and influence will never break their faith.