Grant Aims at Heaven--and Earth : The Christian pop singer, who plays the Pacific Amphitheatre tonight, performs a winning combination of songs almost as much about <i> him</i> as about <i> Him</i> .

You expect fans to sing along at a Christian pop concert--it’s just that kind of vibe.

You don’t expect them to be given a chance to sing along to the “Green Acres” TV show theme, or the “Sometimes you feel like a nut / Sometimes you don’t” candy bar commercial. But that’s what you got at Amy Grant’s concert Thursday at the Greek Theatre.

Not only did the crowd delight in television’s greatest hits played over the P.A. system before Grant’s set, but the Peter / Paul confection spot also actually made a nice segue into Grant’s opening song, “Fight.” Her paean, more inspired by that other Peter and Paul, includes the line “Some days I try with passion / Sometimes I won’t.”

OK, so by world-at-large pop standards that sounds like no big deal. But the friskiness and self-mocking are signs of just how far the mainstream Christian pop world has come in recent years. With Grant (who plays tonight at the Pacific Amphitheatre) leading the way, that progress represents even more than her having a No. 1 pop success with her single “Baby Baby.” Remember, there are some in Christian circles who slap a scarlet “A” on her for merely skipping and smooching in the “Baby Baby” video.

No telling how they’d react to seeing Grant on Thursday wearing such, well, sexy attire as a bright orange, skintight leotard top that left very little to the imagination. Yup, the former teen star of Christian pop is singing almost as much about him as she is about Him , leaving no doubt that she’s a w-o-m-a-n--and one who puts on a show that can stand against the state-of-the-art tops of mainstream pop.

The combination actually makes her religious message stronger, as spirit and flesh are presented as part of one big whole. This wasn’t lost on her fans (ranging from preschool to midlife), who showed no diminished enthusiasm for the inevitable Jesus references, even though they had to wait well into the show to hear them, and even then they were (by evangelical standards) somewhat low-key.

At the same time, the giddy entertainment quality of this show wasn’t lessened by the fact that “Baby Baby” was really inspired by Grant’s own child (her children and family life were mentioned more than a few times in cute, and occasionally cutesy, comments) or that her love songs may often aim at heaven before Earth. Grant works with a crack six-piece band and two female backup singers that were both professional and playful.

Still, for a spirit-based performer, she gives little sense of ever having struggled with her faith or wrestled with her demons (if she has any). Maybe not having to fight those battles makes for a better life; having to makes for better art.

Another sign of the genre’s progress was the opening set by Kim Hill. The young singer goes Grant even one step further. Hill not only shares Grant’s pop sensibilities and keen fashion sense, but also possesses and uses to full effect a voice bearing real guts and grit--two rarities in Christian pop. She also has a band that can rock for real. If only her lyrics went deeper than such cliches as “the truth shall set you free.”