Rascal Flatts’ Jay DeMarcus and his wife are raising their two children to know Christ. For DeMarcus, it’s just passing on family values. 

“We live in the Bible Belt. I was born and raised in church,” he told People magazine last week. “That’s something that was really, really important to me, to build that foundation with our kids so they at least went to church.”

He teased that his son Dylan will need it one day. “We try to take him to church — try to let him know who Jesus is. It’s really important for me that they’re ingrained in a good church and have that good foundation to build upon. I think that’s a core value system that you’ll find anywhere you go in the South.”

‘We Can’t Escape God’

Faith in Christ and biblical values aren’t important only to DeMarcus. Those values are just as important to lead singer Gary LeVox and lead guitarist Joe Don Rooney. In a 2015 interview with Dan Rather, the trio talked about their faith. “I deeply, really care about my relationship with Christ and faith, first and foremost,” said LeVox. “And then my family. My walk with Christ — heaven’s the goal.”

Rooney and the guys were raised like a lot of Midwesterners. “God-fearing Christians, growing up in church.” While the band is not considered a Christian group, Rooney explained that their faith is central to their music.

“God is in our hearts,” he said. “He’s in our minds. He’s everywhere. He’s omnipresent and He can’t escape our music. We can’t escape God, so we’re not afraid to incoporate Him and infuse Him in our recipe of the music we make because He is part of everything we do.”

“We’re not a band on a crusade,” he added. “We’re Christian men with families and children and with deep faith in God and country.”

Watch the interview with Dan Rather: