Did Evangelical Christian Vote Make Kris Allen 'American Idol'?

UPDATE at end of post: Kris apparently won by a large margin.

On Tuesday, NewsBuster Tim Graham asked readers: "Will whoever wins ["American Idol"] be seen as the winner on the musical merits? Or will it become a political/cultural narrative?"

A day after favorite Adam Lambert surprisingly lost, FoxNews.com asked, "Did The Evangelical Christian Vote Push Kris Allen Over The Edge?"

Interesting question. Here's the author's premise (h/t Hot Air, video of Allen being interviewed on "Fox & Friends" embedded below the fold):

The 23-year-old UCA student has been on the worship team at New Life Church for years and helps with their outreach programs, but unlike previous winners such as Jordin Sparks and Carrie Underwood who made their faith very well known, Allen consciously refrained from making mention of his virtuous values throughout the competition.

"This is a singing competition, not a church thing," Allen told Tarts earlier this week while Lambert added that the "vote is based on talent and performing, not religion." [...]

According to an 'Idol' insider, support for Kris most likely surged over the last week when Danny Gokey (who was extremely open about his involvement with the church) was voted off and thus Christians turned their full devotion to Allen who epitomizes the all-American, talented and moralistic role model.

Allen's surprise win may have also been a reflection of the growing market for Christian music. The Gospel Music Association recently reported that Christian/Gospel recorded music sales stand at almost half a billion annually and digital album sales were up 38 percent in 2008, while digital tracks were up over 37 percent.

"Churches go crazy with support! Thousands of churches twittering and facebooking! It's been a blast," Bezet also told us.

Somehow this seems an angle most media outlets will avoid at all costs, dontcha think?

*****Update: Kris apparently won by a large margin.

Kris Allen picked up the “American Idol” title on Wednesday night, and while it may have shocked some media pundits who were expecting an Adam Lambert victory, a source close to the show revealed the final vote was not even close.

A top FOX source told Access Hollywood that the vote left Kris as the clear winner by a large margin.