Christian music: Is it all good?

[missmuffet]

The song lyrics must reflect Biblical truth and the performers must be dressed in an appropriate Christian manner.

[Denadii]

On 9/6/2017 at 3:31 AM, Wanda01 said:

I love Christian music, mostly old hymnals, though there are a few more upbeat songs, like "I can only imagine", from MercyMe, that I really like as well. Back when I was a babe in Christ, I would have been forbidden to listen to groups like MercyMe, as they were considered too secular.

I often find myself even now wondering, "Should I (or my daughter) be listening to that?"

Recently my daughter shared with me some music she has been listening to. The groups refer to themselves as Christian, and there are some references made in a song or two that I have heard, to salvation (and to be honest, I had to strain to catch it) but thus far, no mention of Jesus Christ.

The music from one particular band would have been an "absolutely not!" 20 years ago. It's very heavy metal (the band is called Skillet). There are other groups as well that claim to be Christian rock, but sound very much like the old rock I might've listened to back in the day.

I worry for her. She is young, impressionable, and very trusting. I am also very much on my own raising her, as her father isn't really involved in the day-to-day. I really don't want her to listen to anything that could get her off of the straight and narrow. Yes, she is a born again believer.

Advice? 

If I may?  The best, the very best Christian music and songs are the ones that agree with Scripture.   Anything else is profane.  I suggest Paul Wilbur.  You can look him up on Youtube if you want Godly christian music.  

Since music has power to build, or destroy you want to be careful there too.   Rock music, I find it very attractive even at age 69 I enjoy Pink Floyd.   This is not good music...It instills anger and rebellion in the listener.  I have to fight to stay away from it.   But that is Rock music.  All rock music.   There is NO SUCH THING as Christian Rock.  It's rock.

 

[Denadii]

17 minutes ago, Denadii said:

If I may?  The best, the very best Christian music and songs are the ones that agree with Scripture.   Anything else is profane.  I suggest Paul Wilbur.  You can look him up on Youtube if you want Godly christian music.  

Since music has power to build, or destroy you want to be careful there too.   Rock music, I find it very attractive even at age 69 I enjoy Pink Floyd.   This is not good music...It instills anger and rebellion in the listener.  I have to fight to stay away from it.   But that is Rock music.  All rock music.   There is NO SUCH THING as Christian Rock.  It's rock.

 

This music is played in my house much of the time.  It grows in you.   I hope nobody minds me posting this here. 

 

[JohnD]

Revelation song.

We've all heard it.

It's been redone by many artists at many crusades and church meetings.

Written by Jennie Lee Riddle (whose theology I personally cannot find, so I don't know one way or the other).

But I do know Philips Craig and Dean popularized it. I did the research several years back. They are oneness Pentecostal modalists.

Used to attend the World of Pentecost (now Promised Land Church) Austin Texas 30 years ago where Philips grew up (his father Ken is the senior pastor).

Is all music labelled Christian good?

I argued with a call in talk show screener (who hung up on me) that Philips Craig and Dean believe and teach a theology contrary to scripture. She said so long as God is being uplifted it's a praise. 

I replied then Jesus was wrong silencing the demons who praised him and called him the Holy One of Israel.

She hung up. 

[JohnD]

BTW I've played Revelation song on my guitar many time.

My point was be leery of who is using Christian sounding songs, lyrics, scriptures, sermons, etc to try to give a credibility to their deviation from truth. 

The demons who said Jesus is the Holy One of Israel. Were they lying? No. But Jesus would not allow them to gain people's confidence in what they say.

MOST people (not all but most) hear a word or two or the mere mention of "God" and they throw caution to the wind.

God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit are a very specific deity. Any old god will not do. A generic Jesus cannot save anybody.

There's only one way to approach this God.

Faith in the genuine Jesus Christ.

John 16:26–27 (AV)
26 At that day ye shall ask in my name: and I say not unto you, that I will pray the Father for you:
27 For the Father himself loveth you, because ye have loved me, and have believed that I came out from God.

I love you Jesus!

[Fidei Defensor]

I would be wary of some Contemporary Christian Music, specifically Christian Rock. Bands like "Skillet," "RED," and "Pillar" began alright, but have through touring with Pagan and Satanic bands fufilled the verse, "Do not be deceived: "Bad company corrupts good morals." (1 Corinthians 15:33), and, ""What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? Or what does a believer have in common with an unbeliever?And what union can there be between God's temple and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God said: "I will live in them and walk among them. I will be their God, and they will be my people.Therefore, come out from among unbelievers, and separate yourselves from them, says the LORD. Don't touch their filthy things, and I will welcome you." (1 Corinthians 6:-5-17). 

I was a fan of Skillet and RED until they started soundinf and looking  Satanic. Now I prefer Hymns and Praise. 

[Jaydog1976]

I listen to all types of music. There are good songs and bad songs. There are Christians songs that I cannot stand because of sound, lyrics or whatever. I listen to secular music as well. My kids do to. When my wife is in the car or house we listen to southern gospel (not my favorite). When I am in the car or in the house and the wife isn't there we have anything from Christian rock to AC/DC and other bands. Here is my point. Everyone has a preference in music and how they feel about music genres. Most of it is personal preference. What I find disturbing is when those personal preferences somehow are supported from a mishmash of verses here and there. This is what I find with most people. 

To the OP this is what I say, you are the parents and you have rules in your house. If you have a rule that says we in this house do not listen to rock music then the child should obey and accept that fact. If you as the parents are uncomfortable with it then make a decision one way or another. You can ask all the advice you want in a forum but you have to make the decision on your own. If you believe there is something wrong with it then by all means set the rules. We do have rules in my house who we listen to and who we do not. My kids abide by those rules. Just plain and simple parenting. 

 

[Jaydog1976]

6 hours ago, Fidei Defensor said:

I would be wary of some Contemporary Christian Music, specifically Christian Rock. Bands like "Skillet," "RED," and "Pillar" began alright, but have through touring with Pagan and Satanic bands fufilled the verse, "Do not be deceived: "Bad company corrupts good morals." (1 Corinthians 15:33), and, ""What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? Or what does a believer have in common with an unbeliever?And what union can there be between God's temple and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God said: "I will live in them and walk among them. I will be their God, and they will be my people.Therefore, come out from among unbelievers, and separate yourselves from them, says the LORD. Don't touch their filthy things, and I will welcome you." (1 Corinthians 6:-5-17). 

I was a fan of Skillet and RED until they started soundinf and looking  Satanic. Now I prefer Hymns and Praise. 

Can you explain to me how they look and sound Satanic? Its kind of the same argument that a gun looks and acts like a killer. Music is music and can be used for good or bad. It is the musician's motives that need to be questioned not the music. The members of Skillet and RED are professing Christians that use their music in the secular and christians world. Their music is clean and at least people know who they are. When they are in concert the gospel is definitely given. 

[Fidei Defensor]

1 hour ago, Jaydog1976 said:

Can you explain to me how they look and sound Satanic? Its kind of the same argument that a gun looks and acts like a killer. Music is music and can be used for good or bad. It is the musician's motives that need to be questioned not the music. The members of Skillet and RED are professing Christians that use their music in the secular and christians world. Their music is clean and at least people know who they are. When they are in concert the gospel is definitely given. 

It's something you can tell by their make up (Skillet decided to look Grunge, and Gothic; and in their album Awake, the song Monster was very demonic sounding and hopeless; they use to have hope in their music after the struggle in the lyrics) and their music has steadily gotten darker. RED in specific, their last album with a man wearing a Black Plague mask and all black in forest, had a sound and lyrics that sounded very Satanic (when in their earlier Albums, specifically END OF SILENCE and INNOCENCE AND INSTINCT it had a balance of battling sinful nature and being a saint; but by their third album their music sounded like Metallica and other mainstream bands that dabble at very least in Occultist practices). I cannot say definitively that they are Satanic, they aren't wearing pentagrams or anything of the sort, its more of sense, their music has changed in its effect and what it does; it once was Christian warrior sounding music and fight between the Spirit and Flesh personified, but now it is dark and broody, like something out of Tim Burton's mind. 

My point, Is that RED and other Christian Rock bands run into trouble when they tour with Satanic and secular bands (who dabble in darkness one way or another), "Do not be deceived: "Bad company corrupts good morals." (1 Corinthians 15:33). I want to be clear that I was major fan of Skillet, RED, Pillar, P.O.D, and other bands; but became concerned by how their lyrics, sound, and even presentation went darker and darker. 

Edited September 22, 2017 by Fidei Defensor

[Willa]

On 9/12/2017 at 2:32 PM, Denadii said:

If I may?  The best, the very best Christian music and songs are the ones that agree with Scripture.   Anything else is profane.  I suggest Paul Wilbur.  You can look him up on Youtube if you want Godly christian music.  

Since music has power to build, or destroy you want to be careful there too.   Rock music, I find it very attractive even at age 69 I enjoy Pink Floyd.   This is not good music...It instills anger and rebellion in the listener.  I have to fight to stay away from it.   But that is Rock music.  All rock music.   There is NO SUCH THING as Christian Rock.  It's rock.

 

In the 80s a kid gave a copy of hard rock Bloodgood album  "Out of the Darkness" to a friend who was going through a hard time.  He listened and liked the sound.  So the kid told him to read the lyrics which were about the redemption of Christ.  His friend started weeping and immediately surrendered his life to Jesus Christ.  He had been going to church with the kid for months by that time.  

It is the lyrics that sanctify the music.  Some people don't like the sound of bagpipes;  they were called organs in some versions of the Old Testament.  Bagpipes are primitive organs.  The sound doesn't make them evil.  And when playing Amazing Grace, the song is sanctified.  I hate country music especially when they sing through their noses, so I tend not to prefer some Southern Gospel.  But it is sanctified if the lyrics glorify God.  I had a legalistic pastor tell me that the only classical music I could listen to was Bach!  I prefer Tchaikovsky, Rimsky-Korsekoff, and Smetana.  So I left his church because we are told to search the Scriptures to see if these things are so.  

Our sons are strong Christians who enjoy Skillet and Red.  They take their teenage children to the concerts.  Personally, I don't care for Skillet as much.  But I love Revelation Song, which brings me to worship, and I really don't care what the beliefs of the band is.

Much of this is personal preference.  No right or wrong.  But if your conscience is weak and it offends you, don't listen to it.  I get uncomfortable listening to portions of the Firebird Suite by Stravinsky and don't know why, but I don't listen to it.  One number played by Santana also made me uncomfortable,--no lyrics--but I later learned it was about human sacrifice to Aztec gods.  I don't listen to that album either.  I do like Blues Saracino which lacks lyrics, and he is a secular artist.   If the music makes me angry or depressed I don't listen to it either.

Some concerts and music of secular bands are filthy and disgusting.  An iceskating competition required one of several modern genre to be performed.  Only one chose rap because they couldn't find family friendly lyrics.