EDITORIAL UPDATE 10/9, 10:24 AM MTN: In the days since publishing this editorial, Turning Point USA announced The All American Halftime Show on February 8, 2026, celebrating Faith, Family, & Freedom. Watch AmericanHalftimeShow.com for more details. 

When Cory Asbury posted about wanting a “family-friendly halftime show” at the Super Bowl, it sounded like another annual social media moment that has come and gone for dozens of years. We've heard this cry before, and no wolves show up. But something different happened. The idea caught fire—not as a protest, but as a possibility. Within hours, artists like Forrest Frank, Josiah Queen, Brandon Lake, and Jelly Roll were in the comments, not mocking the dream, but joining it. Fans were sketching mock posters, suggesting setlists, even naming it: Halftime for Heaven.

The phrase sounds like tired been here done that satire until you realize what’s really happening. Christian music is having a cultural moment. A genuine one. The kind of moment that doesn’t rely on nostalgia or Sunday radio—it’s being fueled by artists who look, sound, and think like the next generation, yet carry faith at the center of everything they do.

Look at the numbers and you’ll see the evidence. Forrest Frank’s Child of God II didn’t just top the Christian charts—it broke into the Billboard 200, competing alongside mainstream pop releases. His song “Your Way’s Better” cracked the Hot 100. And his new track, “Jesus Is Coming Back Soon,” featuring Josiah Queen, has been spreading across social media with genuine anticipation, not irony.

Forrest’s growth represents something deeper: the sound of faith making peace with culture. He isn’t watering down his message. He’s simply making it accessible—inviting, honest, and full of joy. His Instagram feed is as likely to feature goofy behind-the-scenes clips as heartfelt worship moments. He’s part of a generation that doesn’t separate sacred and secular anymore. They just live it.

When Asbury floated the idea of a Christian halftime show, his tone wasn’t angry. It was imaginative. “Nine times out of ten, it’s raunchy as heck,” he said on Instagram. “You’re seeing stuff you don’t want to see… What if we did something different?”

That “what if” became the spark. It was a question about culture, yes—but also about courage. For decades, Christian artists have built their own festivals, radio networks, and award shows. But the halftime idea feels like something else entirely: a declaration that Christian music isn’t just for us anymore. It’s for everyone.

And for the first time, the artists are pushing the conversation forward. This isn't fan fantasy. Yes, we've wanted this for decades, and it feels we're closer to that reality. 

It’s less about protest and more about presence. It’s about asking whether faith belongs in the center of the cultural conversation—and then daring to step into it.

The New Sound of Faith

There’s something beautifully unpolished about this new movement. Forrest Frank, Cory Asbury, Josiah Queen, and even Anne Wilson—who quickly said she’d join the halftime dream—are all doing it their way. They’re not waiting for Nashville, radio, or CCM labels to give them permission. They’re releasing music straight to streaming, connecting directly with listeners, and letting authenticity do what marketing can’t.

This isn’t the worship industry of the 2000s. It’s rawer, more experimental, and—ironically—more mainstream. These artists are singing about the same Jesus, but the sound is louder, warmer, more global. You’ll hear trap beats and country guitars, synths and psalms, all in the same playlist.

They’ve stopped trying to fit faith into a format. They’re letting it breathe.
 

What’s Really Happening

It’s easy to see all this as a reaction to the culture wars—the church pushing back against whatever the NFL or Hollywood does next. But that misses the point. What’s happening right now in Christian music isn’t rebellion. It’s a revelation.

Faith-based artists are rediscovering what happens when they stop hiding behind genre walls and simply make excellent art. The world doesn’t need “Christian versions” of secular things. It needs believers who are brave enough to bring light into the middle of the conversation.

So when Forrest Frank breaks streaming records, or when Cory Asbury dares to imagine worship at halftime, or when Josiah Queen sings about eternity with the joy of a kid who believes every word, or Brandon Lake befriends one of the biggest pop icons in mainstream music—it’s all pointing in the same direction. Faith is coming back to the forefront. Not through controversy, but through creativity.

A Bigger Stage Awaits

Will there actually be a Christian halftime show one day? Maybe. Maybe not. But that’s not really the point anymore. The movement is already happening. Worship is leaving the sanctuary and spilling into the streets, the streams, and the stadiums. More than ever before. 

Christian artists are passing into the 10 million monthly listeners territory on Spotify. Just 12 months ago, that was unheard of. 

Christian music isn’t waiting for permission to belong anymore. As the second-fastest-growing genre in music, behind Country, it already does.

And as long as artists like Forrest Frank, Cory Asbury, Brandon Lake, and Josiah Queen keep lifting up truth with courage and joy, the stage will only keep getting bigger.

Because this isn’t about claiming a spotlight and taking away the stage from anyone else. 

It’s about carrying light.