Even if the lyrics did explicitly reference Jesus, would that be such a problem? I find that conservative Christians often take a view that referencing Christianity, Jesus, Mary, or particular Christian themes is unacceptable for artists not doing so as a form of worship.

This is not a particularly sensible position.

For example, when Monty Python released "The Life of Brian," some Christians had an absolute fit, calling the film "blasphemous," as if nobody but worshipful Christians should have the right to refer to Christ metaphorically to comment on or criticize culture or society.

But almost all of us in the English-speaking world are part of a culture heavily influenced by, saturated with, Christian stories and iconology. Even as an atheist, I can't help but be influenced by Christian themes as I write novels and short stories. I can't step outside my culture, and I wouldn't even want to try.

Moving outside the English-speakimg world, most experts regard "The Master and Margarita" by Mikhail Bulhakov as one of the greatest works of literature of the 20th century. The novel, which in one layer (of many) is a critisim of Soviet society and art, includes Satan and Jesus as characters. Written by an atheist, the novel is neither worshipful nor meant to be taken as such.

Instead, Bulhakov uses widely understood themes from Christianity to comment on society.

Did certain Christians scream about that? You bet your ass. Sometimes they still do. Nonetheless, the novel contains layers of richness and relevance always waiting to be explored — all the more accessible because of the universal metaphors recognizable in its religious vocabulary.

This is not unusual.

I'm thinking of Broadway musicals, pop songs, opera, paintings — you name it — that reference Jesus or other Christian figures as a way of expressing ideas, not as a way to worship.

I'm also thinking of the vast gulf between Christian belief systems. The God and Jesus that progressive Christians worship, for example, bears almost no relationship with the harsh, judgmental God that conservative Christians worship. They both refer to Jesus, but they mean almost entirely different things when they do.

That's all the more reason to reject the notion that Jesus or other Christian ideas should be off limits to artists unless they are worshiping.