Back when American Idol started, who would've ever thought that a television show with that name would generate so many artists of faith? I guess it's just plain evidence that God works in mysterious ways. To date, America's most viewed show has given us nearly 10 artists that are very open about their faith and have used it to impact the mainstream.

Instead of my original way of examining one artist of faith per editorial, I figured American Idol very much deserved an article devoted to the array of artists they've added to the market. And what an array it is when referring to musical genres. From the Adult Contemporary style of Clay Aiken to Ruben Studdard's R&B rhythms, and even Jordin Sparks' pop and Phil Stacey's country music. Season 6's Chris Sligh, who recently appeard on Kevin Max's latest album along with a few tour dates, is posed to release his Christian album debut on April 29th. However, I would like to generally focus on several artists who have made the biggest impacts so far.

You've probably already guessed the artists I'm referring to, so let's start with Carrie Underwood. Wow, does the best selling artist from American Idol say anything? No one would've guessed from the beginning, but Carrie's music has taken her to the top of the charts in every genre, not just in her country roots. As of now, her debut Some Hearts from 2005 has sold 7 million copies in the U.S. alone, greatly helped by the album's first and most widely known single, "Jesus, Take The Wheel." If you haven't heard that song by now, it's far past time to come out of wherever you've been hiding. It was quite brave of Carrie to choose the song as her debut single considering its message, but it paid off tremendously. Underwood's second record followed the likes of her first back in November, and recently she recorded the hymn "How Great Thou Art," a rendition very worthy of giving a spin or two.

Any avid Idol viewer remembers Chris Daughtry and his shocking elimination from the season after Carrie's win. He didn't let that stop his musical career though. Forming the band Daughtry, he went on to have the huge Christian and mainstream hit "Home" and also had 2007's best selling album. To make things more exciting, CCM Magazine revealed in their April issue that Third Day will be collaborating with Daughtry for a song on their upcoming release due out July 29th, something to definitely look forward to.

And last but not least, we can't forget Mandisa. She has made a considerably greater impact in the Christian world, but her mainstream impact is nevertheless worth mentioning. Aside from writing her own book and making an appearance on Live With Regis & Kelly, her single "Only the World" spent numerous weeks at #1 on Billboard's Hot Single Sales chart, even outselling Beyonce and Shakira for weeks on end.

To wrap it all up, I would like to commend American Idol and its producers for allowing this season's finalists to perform "Shout to the Lord" two nights in a row several weeks ago. The Idol execs must be happy with the decision too—-the song sold 56,000 downloads during its first week on iTunes, debuting it at #43 on the Billboard Hot 100, a very impressive feat. Sadly, none of this season's contestants stand out as artists of faith, but there's always hope for next year.