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by Wendy Lee Nentwig

For the first time since 1997 -- and only the third time ever -- a Christian album took the no. 1 spot on the Billboard 200 last week. And thus did TobyMac's Eye on It prompt many chart-watchers to exclaim, "Toby who?"

TobyMac, aka Toby McKeehan, has been around for decades, first finding chart success in his early 20s as one-third of Christian hip-hop superstars dc Talk. Hits like "Jesus Freak" helped the trio fill stadiums and win legions of fans, but since those early glory days, Toby has dialed back the white-boy rap a bit, cofounding Gotee Records and launching a successful solo career with genre-straddling music that borrows from reggae, rock, funk, soul and, yes, hip-hop.

He's certainly not the first to push beyond the sometimes-confining boundaries of the Christian genre -- or the first to get noticed for it. While the last Christian release to top the Billboard 200 was 1997's You Light Up My Life by LeAnn Rimes (an established country artist who didn't really have any ties to the world of Christian music), there had been an even more explicit crossover success earlier that year: Bob Carlisle's Butterfly Kisses (Shades of Grace). The middle-aged Christian crooner struck a chord with parents everywhere thanks to his touching (some might say treacly) title track.

Today, TobyMac represents a new type of Christian artist who looks at the world through a lens of faith, but naturally manages to have mass appeal, too. The lines are much blurrier now. But it took a lot to get him to this point. The Imperials were among the earliest crossover acts. Originally a straitlaced Southern gospel quartet, they found favor with Elvis Presley in the mid-'60s, appearing on his Grammy-winning gospel albums How Great Thou Art and He Touched Me, and often joining him onstage. During the 1970s Jesus Movement, the lines between rock, folk and gospel became less defined; Bob Dylan got saved, and spiritual themes in music didn't necessarily relegate an album to a record store's gospel bin.

But as CCM grew into its own genre in the '80s thanks to acts like Amy Grant, Michael W. Smith and Leon Patillo, even its megastars found their releases set apart and sold almost exclusively in Christian bookstores. Business was booming, but artists were pretty much just preaching to the choir. In the early '90s, Grant and the machine behind her set out to change that with Heart in Motion; soon, videos for tracks like "Every Heartbeat" and "Baby Baby" earned her heavy rotation on VH1 and MTV. Michael W. Smith followed suit, using his Miami Vice stubble to win fans in the adult contemporary genre. Then Jars of Clay blew those previous crossover successes out of the water with their mid-'90s hit single "Flood."

Christian music had broken out. Switchfoot, Lifehouse and Plumb followed in the wake "Flood" created, finding success on movie soundtracks and through TV placement. In the new millennium, "I Can Only Imagine" began as a slow burn for Texas-based band MercyMe, but three years after its release, the song caught fire in the mainstream market, resulting in Almost There going double platinum.

Meanwhile, singer-songwriters like Mat Kearney and Dave Barnes started out their careers in multiple genres, rendering the notion of crossing over almost moot. Kearney promoted his debut disc by touring with the likes of John Mayer, Sheryl Crow and Train, in addition to headlining VH1's first-ever You Oughta Know tour in spring 2007. Barnes topped the charts after a fashion when Blake Shelton re-recorded his track "God Gave Me You" last year, but he has found success as a performer, too, with albums like 2012's Stories to Tell.

Most recently, Adam Young's Owl City has found mainstream success (initially with 2010's smash "Fireflies") while not alienating his faithful following. His new single, "Good Time," a duet with Carly Rae Jepsen, has helped him land appearances on Today, The Tonight Show and Conan as he charts a course others will no doubt try to follow.

Early crossover artists had to fight hard to be seen in a new light, while others found mainstream success almost by accident; today's Christian artists move between genres almost effortlessly. Follow the trend through the years with the records below.

Heart In Motion

Amy Grant

By the time Heart In Motion came out in 1991, Grant was an established star in both the CCM and AAA markets. Another solid offering from the singer, with the singles "Every Heartbeat" and "That's What Love Is For" standing out as highlights among a set list that offers little in the way of filler.

Butterfly Kisses (Shades of Grace)

Bob Carlisle

No Name Face

Lifehouse

The first hit here, "Hanging by a Moment," was the anthem that brought Lifehouse commercial-radio ubiquity, and the rest of the band's debut follows suit with plenty of gruff, mid-tempo ponderings on life's meaning and reverb-soaked atmospheres. To their credit, songs like "Somebody Else's Song" and "Everything" are a sight more sensitive than the grunge brutes next to whom they're too often filed, but when vocalist Jason Wade moans a boiler-plate one-liner like "you're everything," somehow he seems to almost mean it.

Almost There

MercyMe

MercyMe gave Christian crossover pop a shot in the arm: they charted higher and longer with this LP than Christian tunes had enjoyed in decades. The reason? The Dove Awards' 2000 Song of the Year, "I Can Only Imagine." Its sparse, emotional piano introduces a well-crafted cascade of hope and inspiration, with rock-solid vocals by Bart Millard.

The Beautiful Letdown (Deluxe Version)

Switchfoot

Their fourth LP has Switchfoot abandoning all traces of folk-rock roots and aiming to be big rockers that pose bigger questions. The opening "Meant to Live" admits that they "want more than this world has to offer." It's the kind of vague meditation that has helped the San Diego Christian rockers win broad appeal with a secular alt-rock audience, and tunes like "Dare You to Move" and "Adding to the Noise" are among the band's catchiest, no matter how they're interpreted.

Colorblind

Robert Randolph

Extending the long tradition of true funk, Robert Randolph & the Family Band echo the bass moves, chanted choruses and pure sweat of the '70s greats. Colorblind reverberates with perfect takes on Funkadelic, Sly Stone, even Earth, Wind & Fire, all executed with equal parts reverence and innovation. Long known as a major league live act, Randolph and his megatalented band almost never fail to raise the roof, even on wax, as proven here.

Nothing Left To Lose

Mat Kearney

"Breathe In Breathe Out" and dream away to this bonus track tacked onto the album where Mat Kearney came into his own. All the old favorites are here, from the hip-hop infused lite alternative of "Bullet" or "Undeniable" (which also appeared on his debut album Bullet) to the Coldplay-leaning, airwave-dominating "Nothing Left to Lose." On the new track, the "boy from Oregon" treats listeners to a breathy guitar- and falsetto-laced ballad. "Hold on and hold tight / Make it through another night / Everyday there comes a song / With the dawn," he croons.

What We Want, What We Get

Dave Barnes

His fourth studio album may be the first Christian fans hear about, but they should definitely start making up for lost time. With the help of longtime producer Ed Cash, this Nashville-based singer-songwriter has crafted a collection that is perfect for a windows-down drive on a warm spring day and deep enough for a contemplative afternoon at the coffeehouse. What We Want, What We Get straddles that fine line between pop and pulpit, asking the question, "What do we do when life doesn't turn out like it should?" The answer? Crank up more of this addictive pop and sing along.

The Midsummer Station

Owl City

Adam Young branches out from his usual one-man show to enlist the help of co-writers and outside producers for the first time -- and the gamble pays off. For "Shooting Star" he turned to Matt Thiessen (Relient K), Stargate (Rihanna, Wiz Khalifa) and Robopop (Maroon 5), while the rocker "Dementia" features Blink-182's Mark Hoppus and documents the dark side of sudden fame. The kids will go crazy for the peppy, Glee-ready track "Good Time," a duet with Carly Rae Jepsen, but the album overall remains true to the synth-driven, melodic pop sound that won Owl City fans in the first place.

Eye On It (Deluxe Edition)

TobyMac

He's not the most prolific artist, but blame that on the fact that TobyMac wants to cram in a little living between recording sessions. The reward is a rich record that scoots around between hip-hop, reggae and rock. The music is about living passionately, and he does just that on "Me Without You," a hooky, electronic dance track, and the southern funk jam "Thankful for You," a song that is as close to country as TobyMac will get. The album walks the line between swagger and sweetness, from highlight "Forgiveness," featuring Lecrae, to the long-overdue love song "Made for Me."

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