When Jelly Roll Speaks, People Listen
“And He said to them, ‘Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.'”
– Mark 16:15-16
Since the ascension of Jesus Christ, there has been no point in history that people have had more access to theological truth than today.
Whether it’s through popular Bible and prayer apps (like YouVersion and Hallow), livestreams of church services, worship playlists, or even Christian podcasts, there are many technological options for believers and unbelievers alike to dig deeper into the Christian faith.
Even a tool like Google can help lead people to popular resources.
After Jelly Roll’s acceptance speech for Best Contemporary Country Album at the 68th Grammy Awards, many people were using search engines like Google to learn more about the person he kept mentioning: Jesus.
Google Searches For Jesus Increased After Jelly Roll’s Speech
On Feb. 1, the Grammy Awards were held at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California.
There, many artists used their victories at the biggest award show in music to share a political sentiment or tout a view on an issue they’ve observed in the nation.
However, with a platform like winning an award at a ceremony viewed by over 14 million people, Jelly Roll used the spotlight to make Jesus the focus.
With a pocket-sized Bible in hand, Jelly Roll said, “First of all, Jesus, I hear You and I am listening Lord. I am listening Lord.”
Continuing, he went on to thank his wife, Bunnie XO, saying, “I would have never changed my life without you. I would have ended up dead or in jail, or I would have killed myself, if it wasn’t for you and Jesus. I thank you for that.”
After thanking his record label and collaborators, Jelly Roll said:
“There was a time in my life, y’all, that … I was broken. That’s why I wrote this album. I didn’t think I had a chance, y’all. There were days where I thought the darkest things and thought I was a horrible human. There was a moment in my life that all I had was a Bible this big and a radio the same size in a six-by-eight-foot cell, and I believed that those two things could change my life.”
Concluding his remarks, Jelly Roll declared, “I believed that music had the power to change my life, and God had the power to change my life, and I want to tell y’all right now: Jesus is for everybody. Jesus is not owned by one political party. Jesus is not owned by no music label. Jesus is Jesus, and anybody can have a relationship with Him. I love you Lord.”
From there, searches online for Jesus saw a dramatic increase, with “Jesus Christ” being the top inquiry on Google through the day following his speech. The Bible came in at No. 2, with God at No. 4.
Of course, the challenge with searching for Jesus on Google is that it’s simply presenting every webpage about Jesus without a filter for truth, regardless of whether a website adheres to the Biblical truth about Him, or perpetuates heresies.
That’s why turning to God’s Word first, as compiled in the Bible, to learn about Jesus is always the best first destination. The Gospels — Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John — as well as Paul’s epistles, such as 1 Corinthians and Ephesians, are great places to begin going through Scripture for the truth about our risen savior.
Revisit Jelly Roll’s powerful 2026 Grammy acceptance speech, here:
State Of Theology
Periodically, Ligonier Ministries will conduct is State of Theology poll, which aims to reveal “how people today view key doctrines of the Christian faith.”
In 2025, the results of the latest State of Theology survey were released, with the study conducted in partnership with Lifeway Research.
Results paint a picture of faith in America, with areas of agreement and stark disparity with Christian doctrine given particular focus.
“The responses of evangelicals in the 2025 State of Theology survey reveal that the true character of God as displayed in Scripture is either not being taught in many evangelical churches or not understood by individual evangelicals,” reports Ligonier Ministries. “For example, the survey shows that many evangelicals hold theologically erroneous beliefs about the nature of God and the sinfulness of man — two critically important areas of doctrine that lay the foundation for all other theological beliefs.”
Continuing, Ligonier cited the results of two of its questions, stating, “Specifically, 64% of evangelicals believe that ‘Everyone is born innocent in the eyes of God,’ and 53% affirm that ‘Everyone sins a little, but most people are good by nature.'”
Take a deeper dive into the State of Theology poll by visiting its website.
Watch a preview for the 2025 State of Theology survey, here:
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