When has Neal's music not been "in your face" about his faith?
* Testimony - Pretty obvious
* One - About as preachy as you can get
* Question Mark - Literally about the tabernacle in the wilderness
* Sola Scriptura - By scripture alone
* Lifeline - The JESUS IS MY LIFELINE album???
* Testimony 2 - Also very clear
* Momentum - I guess this one is a bit more subtle, but it's also one of the weaker solo albums (imo)
So that whole period of music from leaving Spock's to forming NMB is explicitly Christian. Everything except Momentum is entirely rooted in his beliefs. As for NMB...
* The Grand Experiment - I guess this is more subtle, but it still doesn't hold back. "Lke the air surrounds the earth / I'm engulfed in who you are" "The king of angel armies has come to bring the dead life and quench the darkness with the light"
* Similitude / Great Adventure - Based on Pilgrim's Progress and so while never
explicity lyrically are inseperable from Christianity. That's what the story is about.
* Innocence & Danger - Also a more subtle one. Actually I can't summon a single line from this that is explicitly christian which feels weird.
Even in Transatlantic we've got "Bridge Across Forever", "Stranger In Your Soul" and then multiple references in TAU and TW and in the tracks on Kaleidoscope.
Anyway my point is that while I can understand people being put off by the recent focus on Biblical stories in his solo works it isn't anything new. He's spent the last 23 years making music like this with God being the not-so-subtle focus in all of his works. He's built a career off of making music like this and established a non-secular audience.
Maybe it doesn't bother me because I am a believer, but if I wasn't I think I'd want him to keep pursuing what he's passionate about and get to witness how sincerely emotional he is during shows. I don't think any lack of conversation around the new albums can be put down to their focus on the bible. And tbh I think the less God-centred albums are worse off for it.