Bill, I'm guessing that you're only asking about religious or gospel-based songs. After all, none of us believe that frogs marry mice or that people become sea lions.

I know at least one avowed athiest who is a regular member of a church choir just because he loves to sing in choirs. From my own experience, I've often done gospel “numbers” in a bluegrass set simply because it's traditional, in the genre, to include gospel selections and it provides a change of pace and a chance to include four-part harmony. My own theology, Eastern Orthodox, is radically different from Protestant theology and even farther removed from Holiness and Southern Baptist theology but that doesn't keep me from finding beauty in their expressions of faith.

I have performed with musicians who draw a line if a gospel number strays too far from their own beliefs but that is rare. More often heard is the question of whether gospel numbers should be included in a set if the venue serves liquor.

      - Mark