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Stevens similarly reminisces over a lost friend with the more obscurely titled, "The Predatory Wasp of the Palisades Is Out to Get Us!," which openly praises, "Lamb of God, we sound the horn/Hallelujah!/To us your ghost is born/Hallelu." Also confusing is "Concerning the UFO Sighting Near Highland, Illinois," which some will take at face value, while other more imaginative listeners uncover enough to interpret it as an unusual expression of the Word made flesh. "Decatur" seems to exist as a parade of endless rhymes with the central Illinois town, and some Christians might potentially interpret the line "Go Decatur! It's the great I Am" as sacrilegious.

However, there's something to be said for the reverent title of the brief instrumental interlude, "In the Temple as in the Hearts of Man for Whom He Saved the Earth." The folksy "John Wayne Gacy, Jr." does concern the infamous serial killer, and like the old Room Full of Walters song "Jeffrey Dahmer Went to Heaven," Stevens ultimately seems to remind us that we all fall short because of sin: "In my best behavior, I am really just like him/Look beneath the floorboards for the secrets I have hid." Excerpted above, "The Seer's Tower" offers a mournful and poetic expression of the Second Coming. And "The Man of Metropolis Steals Our Hearts" loosely uses Superman as a Christ figure while celebrating acts of love as a sign of true strength. (Illinois has the only "Metropolis" in America, and was declared hometown to the Man of Steel in 1972.)

Are casual references to Christianity enough to make a song spiritual in message? Conversely, are songs that don't use biblical language necessarily unchristian if an outspoken Christian wrote them? This is an album that will challenge your personal definition of music both alternative and Christian. Stevens has explored his faith more explicitly on other albums—here it's relatively diffused amid the storytelling and state references. Though Illinois is at times beyond comprehension both musically and lyrically, it nevertheless remains a creative joy.

Unless specified clearly, we are not implying whether this artist is or is not a Christian. The views expressed are simply the author's. For a more complete description of our Glimpses of God articles, click here

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