Indeed - so much so, that Christian rock pioneer Larry Norman made a "mockumentory" LP on the subject:
I have the CD of this LP. Spirit in the Sky is very nicely done. Although they are mocking the semantic mysticism of those trying to cash in on the religious theme, they treat the music decently. The recording and mixing is great.
looks like a cool project. I never got into larry norman, though I acknowledge he seems to have been an innovator in his particular niche, and played the role of iconoclast (as it were) with gusto. And back when I had friends that played his music for me, I thought “Let it Be” was blasphemy, too. But not anymore.
His “Spirit in the Sky” was hilarious and strangely compelling at the same time.
Your post makes my explanation more likely, not less likely. If there was indeed a sense that Jesus was to prevalent, or had become passe’, then a executive decision to stop distribution would seem even more likely. I arrived at my decision by eliminating possibilties. The music is solid, Rolling Stone doesn’t place a song that never sold on their top 500 list unless the circumstances are extraordinary.