Should Christians listen to secular music?

I don’t think that there’s anything wrong with listening to music in ‘grey’ areas. If Jesus had been invited to listen to some music with somebody, then I think he would have done so–as long as listening to the music wasn’t sinning. So I definitely don’t think that listening to music in ‘grey’ areas is wrong.

However, I would be more inclined to think of it as a matter of whether you are spending your time well.

(I would also say that we need to be careful about pushing our opinions or our freedom in this matter, or in many ‘grey’ matters. 1 Corinthians 8.)

I think it also really depends on the theme of the song (or what it’s about). It can be dangerous to just listen to music without knowing the background of the song.

An important point to realize is that music, and art itself, is naturally an expression of God’s nature. He created humanity with the ability to be creative and to reproduce beauty; that’s the center of art: beauty, quality. That’s it’s purpose

Thus, as the quote Karl shared emphasizes, things can be God-honoring and not necessarily mention God. Composers like Beethoven and Handel wrote “Soli Deo gloria” (“glory to God alone”) on their pieces, although the pieces themselves were completely instrumental.

The first thing to look for in music, obviously, is its moral quality. If a song contains or eludes to anything immoral, then by all means ditch it. For Christian music, what does it say about God? Many Christian songs just say “I love you, I love you, I love you…” but do they really say anything about God’s nature? Such songs are a far cry from true, worshipful music.

But if a song doesn’t contain such things, we should look at its compositional quality: does it display the Lord’s beauty? Songs of low muscial quality may not be inherently bad, but they don’t really express what God intended: excellence, skill.

I love virtually all types of music, but nowadays I mainly only listen to Christian music that has a solid message. This is because, when I used to listen to “non-Christian” music a lot, I noticed my relationship with the Lord “drying out,” so to speak.

Music has a powerful effect in our lives, so it’s a good idea to use it to pour a Christ-centered message into your heart. But there definitely is more to music than just whether or not it mentions God explicitly.

(Ugh, too big of a question for one word)

When this comes up there is a book that’s truth helps to shed light on the subject. And in that book it says:

“O come, let us sing unto the Lord: let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation. (‭Psalms‬ ‭95‬:‭1‬ KJV)”

That has nothing to do whatsoever with secular music, I just like it 🙂

“All things are lawful for me, but not all things are helpful; all things are lawful for me, but not all things edify. (‭I Corinthians‬ ‭10‬:‭23‬ NKJV)”

This is in direct regard to the gray area, so according to the bible, it’s all ok to listen too. But in reality, it’s not helpful to out christian walk, and the bible does say:

“Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, (‭Hebrews‬ ‭12‬:‭1‬ KJV)”

So could that, neither helpful nor bad thing, be described as (not sin) but a weight? That may cause us to be slowed in our race that is before us?

In conclusion, just remember, I’m not gonna condem anybody but myself, and that goes for everybody else out there too. ~Grant

Like you said, it’s a gray area.

I think people’s convictions play into a big part of this. Like you mentioned, God doesn’t specifically say “thou shalt not listen to secular music” in the Bible, but people approach it in different ways based on their convictions. Some believe that playing the drums is sinful, while others don’t mind listening to a Katy Perry song every now and then.

You asked how we can prevent legalism. I set boundaries for myself; for example, I’m okay with listening to secular music as long as the singers don’t cuss or make sexual innuendos, which is hard (but I have found some good songs that meet both those requirements; like the people said down below, OWL CITY!). But I have to remind myself that these boundaries aren’t God-mandated, and I make them mostly for self-control. I know that without self-control, I’d be tipping a little over the edge into darker territory, and then the music might influence me in ways that I can’t predict.

Hope this helped a little 🙂 Remember to always look to Jesus!
~Rachel

I have found the same thing with music. When I listen to a lot of secular music, the hopeless themes and general pessimism really affect my emotions in a bad way. But there is a good amount of secular music which is encouraging. Some artists I listen to for encouragement, some Christian, some not, in no particular order: Tenth Avenue North, Port Blue, Audio Adrenaline, Casey Darnell, Sky Sailing, Matthew Parker, Capital Kings, Owl City, Ryan Farish, Sunroof. I find it interesting that the secular music I listen to tends towards instrumental…

I love Blimey Cow’s video! 🙂

Well, while I don’t know how strong her faith is, it definitely is there. Here’s one example of many of her belief in God in her music.

“And now I’m singing along to amazing grace
Can’t nobody wipe this smile off my face
Got joy in my heart, angels on my side
Thank God almighty, I saw the light
Gonna look ahead, no turning back
Live every day, give it all that I have
Trust in someone bigger than me”

-Something in the Water by Carrie Underwood

Yeah, (it would be hilarious if we fought about someone else’s salvation, glad we aren’t;)
I actually don’t know hardly anything about Carrie Underwood (until 30 minutes ago) I said what I did because I’ve heard my dad say that about her. I looked up some of her music before I said anything, and was a little surprised by the first one, “something in the water”, but then I got to some others and was like “um, is this a different person?” I’d probably say she’s maybe a christian, just lukewarm, but most likely not (I don’t know her though).

Not exactly. I’ve been watching discussions for a few months now but have only really participated in a few.

I don’t really know who Carrie Underwood is – but didn’t she write “Jesus Take the Wheel”? I don’t know her other music but that’s one of my favorites.

Well your input has been really good; and your profile picture is the best. ^-^

Welcome aboard!

I’m not sure, my only experience with “Jesus take the wheel” is: http://youtu.be/28vc03HFoqU

I don’t know of any country artists of the top of my head that are completely wholesome. As I said, it’s they get a little “religion” in there, so every artist usually has a song or two that are pretty good. “I Pray” by Lonestar is pretty good. They’re a generally wholesome group; one of my favorite country ones. I’m drawing a blank as to other songs. Brad Paisley, Rascal Flatts, and Keith Urban are all hit-or-miss. They have a few morally sound songs that are nice.

That version is pretty good too 🙂

Ok liam, you got two other tough questions on here, I wanna see how you answer them 🙂

Know what you believe, know why you believe.

Omigoodness best song Tim Hawkins song ever!! 🙂

I think it depends on the person. i mean really bad secular music maybe not but the not so harmless ones i think it depends on the person. i like pop and some country but i turn the channel when certain songs come on that are bad.
~Madeleine

Yep you’re right, God leads each of us to our own personal conclusions on some issues…the ones that are outside of the ground issues already established in the Bible like salvation. “Everything is permissible, but not everything is beneficial.” (1 Cor. 10:23)

Yes, 1 Cor. 10 has a lot of great stuff to say about this issue.

I totally agree with everything you said! And yes, Owl City is great! I went through a phase of listening to his music and nothing else for like two months :).

I think what he means is when the world puts their spin on things like dating and things like that in the music. A lot of explicit music out there is about boyfriends, girlfriends, drugs, and other things I won’t mention, but I think that is the kind of music he is referring to.

I’m gonna say that there are Christian songs, neutral songs, and anti-Christian songs. A lot of the older music I know is not as blatantly anti-Christian as a lot of music is today. I will not listen to explicit music; that is a boundary I have set for myself. But for the more neutral stuff, I think it all depends on a person and their spiritual maturity. I understand that some Christians may want to listen to music that is not necessarily “Christian” but is not objectionable or disrespectful of God. That’s totally okay with me. We just all need to be on guard about what we listen to.

Hope this helps.

Yes, I did ;).

Same… :/

Yeah, when my siblings start singing “Fireflies”, I’m just like please stop! 😉

Wow… I needed to hear this today, Sam! Thanks for sharing!

Looking at it like that makes a lot of sense–a weight but not a sin. Good answer:)

a) I love all the How to Train Your Dragon music!
b) I think that if the music causes sinful thoughts, then it is a problem. I’d also consider it bad if it contains lyrics that I would not want to recite to my grandmother. Other than that, I think secular music is okay, unless you are okay with repeating vulgar language and sinful lyrics to your grandma :).

I am a musician myself and I see your point. If it is meant to praise God, it should be beautiful, but I also believe that it’s about intentions. If I sing Let it Go from the popular Disney film, “Frozen,” with the intention of praising God, I think that is pleasing to him. If I sing the most complicated and worshipful song ever composed without emotion and love for God, it’s not really worship. Just thought I’d add my two cents here.

Karl,

You twisted my words into something entirely different from what I was saying. When I put the word sick there, I was referring “to those other sick things” I didn’t use ‘sick’ to refer to dating or relationships.

I guess I should have put it as anti-Christian. What I mean by that is that the music is either immoral, materialistic, and humanistic/all things that are against what the Bible teaches.

Good point! I did not mean to say that musical composition alone is the primary concern of the believer. However, our intentions do not override the nature of a song, nor does the nature of a song override our intentions. They go hand in hand. Unless you alter the meaning of “Let it Go,” it will not be worshipful, on matter what your intentions.

And as you said, singing a “well-composed” song without the right intentions will also have a negative effect. Even so, worship is not dependent on emotion, although we often confuse it with such. Worship is coming to a realization of God’s nature. Plain and simple. So a “worship song,” by definition, must affirm His attributes, not merely affirm our desire for Him, although such songs have their place.

I agree with what you said; I just wanted to clarify what may not have been clear in my original comment. Our intentions are key! 🙂

I can agree with that too. I think it really depends on the person. If are able to stay totally focused on God and listen to secular music, that’s great. However, like you said, that’s not easy for most of us. I personally need balance to stay focused. I listen to music from movies that contains no good or bad material. However, it would be distracting if that was all that I listened to, so I try to stay balanced with Christianity-centered songs as well. Like I said, it really is up to you how much neutral music you can take while staying focused on God.

I think that you are right on. Thank you!

I don’t believe there is anything called neutrality when it comes to music. You could make a song that isn’t anti-God, but that doesn’t make it neutral. You could have a humanistic song, or a meaningless song that could have some sort of message that isn’t what the Bible teaches.

You should meet my grandmother o.O But yes, what you say is true: Stick with the Philippians standard 🙂

I find it interesting that Britt Nicole comes up in this conversation. The main song of hers that I have an issue with is “Good Day” from her first album. Similar to the other song mentioned, it seems to be about hating your enemies, not really matching the rest of her music or agreeing with the Bible.

I think I just got out of that phase but I hear he has new music coming soon, so here we go again.

Agreed. But we also need to be aware of what hinders those around us. There are certain kinds of music that I would not discuss or listen to around some of the Christians that I know because they firmly believe it is carnal (this isn’t just secular music but ‘Christian’ music too, things like Shai Linne, King and Country, Starfield etc) Keep away from what causes you problems but do be sensitive to what makes those around you stumble and act accordingly.

As blimeycow says, you should only listen to it if…

The tone of the song seems resentful, as evidenced by the lone the title comes from: “It’s a good day to bid you good day”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YqymZn3FR9k
http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/brittnicole/goodday.html

Yes I see your point. She does seem happy when the bully leaves. Given this person was causing her a lot of pain, but it doesn’t seem like a God-honoring song. However, she sings a really good song called “All This Time”. It’s about how God pulled her out of a really hard time when her parents got divorced. I agree with your point on Good Day though.

I think the resentment of the song is directed toward sinful habits and such, but the vagueness makes it difficult to say. That’s a problem with many songs today (like “It’s Not Me, It’s You” by Skillet, which was talked about earlier). To whom the song is directed is not defined, leaving it up to the listener to determine. It can sometimes be used as an excuse for the kind of resentment you’re talking about. So, while I give Britt Nicole the benefit of the doubt, I wouldn’t say this song is entirely God-honoring in and of itself.

Just to clear up what I said, yes, your heart has to be in the right place, but you don’t necessarily have to feel emotions for it to be worship. I didn’t know if that was clear enough or if I worded it weirdly:)

Yep, that’s great that you do that, a lot of Christians don’t. I think that 1 Cor. 10 elaborates on that right after the verse I mentioned.

I can understand where you’re coming from, but I’ve always seen the point of that song as bidding Satan “good day”, not allowing him to drag you down anymore, etc. It’s definitely a song that’s open to interpretation, but I think that, considering the message behind most of her other songs, it’s safe to assume that there’s a more Biblical message behind the song than you might initially think.

I’m not following your logic, Liam. If something is neither anti-God nor pro-God, then it is, by definition, neutral. Humanism is anti-God, and a song with any message whatsoever is not meaningless (also by definition). If I’m misunderstanding, please explain.

Hi guys. I just wanted to input some of my personal thoughts and ask some questions. Music in general is a very hard thing to classify as ‘good’ or ‘bad’, but of course some individual songs and lyrics can get a little nasty or just plain wrong, and I could see these songs as ‘bad’, but defining songs as ‘Christian’ is even harder; unless, of course, you have the definition of Christian. I think a simple way to define a Christian is ‘a follower of Christ’, so If you can say that a song is ‘following Christ’, then, sure, call it Christian, but where do you stop? What would you call a lyric-less track made a band popularly know as extremely secular? What would you call lyric-less track made by your favorite trusted Christian band? What’s the difference? Is it in the music? Or maybe in the words, or the way the words come out. Like rapping, or heavy metal Christian rock. Do the words, or the sound make the difference?

Wow, this is great! So, you’re saying that whether music is OK or not depends on the person, personally. That it’s morality depends on what it makes you think of or what the Spirit is telling you.

I agree with Liam:

Matthew 12:30

“Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.”

I saw this DQ in my inbox and thought, “Yay, Brett posted Riley’s question!” 🙂

I had the same question as Nathan. I found this article on the neutrality of music: http://www.middletownbiblechurch.org/lochurch/musicneu.pdf , but it talks mostly about the music itself and not the lyrics. So is there any neutrality when it comes lyrics?- is a question I’m still wondering about. But this article made sense to me in regard to “Christian rock”, which does seem like a contradiction to me.

Haha yeah. We already had a discussion about this topic didn’t we? 🙂

As far as a person’s spiritual walk, we are either moving toward God or moving away from Him. There is no “staying where you are” in our relationship with the Lord. In addition, you are either a Christian or a non-Christian, and therefore either a servant of Christ or an enemy of Christ. There is no in-between.

However, there are numerous things in life that are spiritually and morally neutral. Most music is not, but I would consider, in most instances, songs like “Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes” to be morally neutral.

That makes sense! Thanks, Nathan! 🙂

It’s okay, we understand each other ;).

Are you new to the Reb?

just signed up earlier today

*Ahem*. Sam’s a girl :).

Welcome Skitt! 🙂

No offense, it’s just that we only found that out yesterday :).

No worries! 🙂

thanks

thanks! My two sisters have been on here for a while, and they told me about it.

Actually, I don’t think they’d want me to say, sorry.

cool.

Yes, I was talking about songs in general. Yeah there’s been some great advice on here that I will definitely use in the future! Yes, I think using Philippians 4:8 to measure our music choices by is a great challenge. Maybe each of us will interpret what is “true, noble, right, pure, lovely, etc.” differently as concerns music, just as we each make different conclusions about modesty, dancing, card playing, etc. I know a lot of people mentioned 1 Cor. 8 and 1 Cor. 10, and I totally agree with what that’s saying. Sorry I’m just thinking out loud! (or in writing, I guess :)).

I would like to say that it’s not necessarily bad to listen to secular music. There’s a lot of positive music that has a good message and isn’t written or sung from a Christian. Part of it does rely on the maturity of the person. What may be a song that you don’t think much about, may be a distraction to someone else. Much like those set of verses from Paul when talking about being a stumbling block. It doesn’t mean you can’t or shouldn’t listen to the song at all, but to listen to that particular song in a more enclosed setting. For me, music can be very motivating and inspiring regardless who wrote it or why.
Similar to what Christopher Witmer said, music is an art. Everyone takes from the song what they want and not necessarily what the artist intended. You can be inspired by a secular song to write or sing a new song for God!

Hope this helps!

I totally agree that truth and morality is not subjective, hopefully I wasn’t inferring that. That’s a great idea! I might use it sometime :). Thanks for all the great advice!

Me too, it’s been great!

Haha no, I’m sure you’re not ;). If you need an introduction, I posted one of their videos above. Mostly it’s just a couple of guys using sarcasm to address today’s issues. Some of them are pretty funny :).

This isn’t the one Heather mentioned, but it’s interesting anyway :).

Yes!! 😀 Right on, and Amen!

haha, well, I guess I’ll tell you that I’m one of those sisters:)

I think a lot of Christian artists make their songs vaguely Christian, so that their Christian audience will resonate with it but their non-Christian audience won’t be “offended” by it. I read in an article somewhere that Skillet avoids saying “Jesus” in their songs (even if they are singing about Him) so that they can hopefully reach an audience with their message without shutting them down with an obvious reference to Jesus. I’m not saying I agree with that (or that I don’t, necessarily), just that it’s something that professed Christian groups do.

There’s actually a lot of Blimey Cow videos that are relevant to this! (Happiness:)

Yup 🙂

Samantha, but literally everyone calls me Sam (except 5ish relatives) 🙂

HALLELUJAH!!!!

Well you could call that my question too…
So I really don’t have much to say on that.
But Be careful

Set a line and stay behind it.
Pray to God for guidance.
Turn away Satan because He’s as slippery as a Serpent.
Never give up.

lol XD

I read this earlier today and chewed on it all afternoon… I went and looked up words in my Bible like “Music”, “worship”, “world” and did some random digging in the Word. I kept coming back to the fact that we need to be focusing on God throughout our day, and that is TOP priority. I’m not saying all secular music is wrong, by any stretch of the imagination, but i know that personally, i can focus on and worship God much better when i don’t have the distractions of secular music. Hope this helps! 🙂

My thoughts exactly. 🙂 good to know!

Yes I have questioned this & wonder how effective this is.
a popular Christan group sing a song (which I find catchy) “Keep your eye on it”
Now I understand they mean by “IT” to be “the prize” AKA Jesus’ crown, But what does that mean to a person without Christ?
But then other songs about how we should treat each other can help those without Christ, to see God’s way, Can’t think of an example at the min…
Ultimately, God is in control & we trust He uses all things (even the Worldly song writers) Proverbs 16:4 The LORD hath made all things for himself: … even the wicked for the day of evil.

The rule I use to decide what music to listen to is, does the music drive away the spirit or invite the spirit. If the music drives away the Holy Ghost that is music to stay away from, otherwise it is fine or even good to listen to music. Fast music can motivate you and make you feel good.

Actions of obedience often come before feelings. God commands us to worship Him alone, whether we feel like it or not. I heard a quote once (not sure where it came from–possibly Corrie ten Boom?) that said, “Pray when you feel like it, pray when you don’t feel like it, and pray until you feel like it!” Same thing with love. Love isn’t just a feeling; it’s a commitment. Sure, it often comes with feelings, but feelings come and go. Be faithful to God whether you feel like it or not.

Yeah I totally agree….

NEWS FLASH: Josh A, 15, of North Georgia, actually changed his mind and admitted defeat in regards to a fairly important topic. This is an extremely rare occurrence and will probably not happen again…ever. 🙂

Thanks for the help straightening that out. 🙂 I didn’t think about that verse’s application before I posted it.

You’re not alone, dude. I’ve had to admit to the possibility of my being mistaken in a number of much bigger areas. The greater problem is when we’re too proud to change our minds. 🙂

There’s always someone who doesn’t get your nickname. For me, I have people make up nicknames for me, because I don’t really have one. So I guess I have the opposite of your problem.

I’m not a fan of hers, but growing up I (quite literally) listened to nothing but Carrie Underwood’s “Jesus, Take The Wheel”. It’s been years since I’ve listened to it and I could still sing the entire thing by heart!
Anyway…sorry! That was really random. 😉

Yeah, like southern gospel. Greatest music in the world! Or maybe I’m just biased because I’m a southern gospel artist… 😉

Yeah, I totally agree with that. “Love isn’t just a feeling, it’s a commitment” is so true. Of course you can feel emotions with love, but if that’s all we went on, love wouldn’t last very long. By the way, I like the quote….I’m not sure who said it either:)

yeah, wait, did you unfollow me?

That would explain why yesterday I saw that you were following 2 people, but when I clicked it said you weren’t following anyone. Haha

I know! I know! …But I won’t tell.

It doesn’t take much to deduce. 😉

Ok, believe what you want. I won’t stop you, or should I say, ‘can’t stop you’?

Yeah I get it now it was a little confusing. 🙂

Cool. Glad it made sense:)

I believe it IS okay to listen to secular music… but NOT without boundaries!

Is it okay to watch secular movies? Yes, but NOT without boundaries! Is it okay to read secular books? Yes, but NOT without boundaries!

The bigger issue here is that sadly many Christians DO NOT take the time to set boundaries for themselves. And furthermore DO NOT surround themselves with like-minded people. Instead of looking for friends “with benefits” you should be looking for friends “with bounderies”!

How do you create those boundaries? Read your Bible and Pray EVERYDAY… It will condition you! Instead of memorizing the lyrics to your favorite secular song… memorize Scripture! When you are immersed in TRUTH… a LIE won’t be able to slip past in the form of a song, movie, or book!

And for those “gray” areas mentioned above… as a “rule of thumb” if you’re not sure whether you should be listening to a song or not… just choose NOT to listen! 9 times out of 10 you’ll be right. And for that leftover 1… you’re not going to die because of 1 song. GOD hates lukewarm… Rev 3:15-16. So make a choice, create boundaries, and stick to them! 😉

It really doesn’t..

Hey Stephen, are you new here?

Of course I did, I love tough questions, it’s just not that quotable that bit 😉 If you can make it more catchy I’ll quote it 🙂

I think there’s nothing wrong with listening to music that doesn’t explicitly mention God. Can’t music be positive affecting and uplifting without mentioning God every five seconds? Of course as others have mentioned there do need to be boundaries. I just feel like we don’t have to only listen to music that has “Christian” on the label.

I can’t believe this is even a question. I come back to these groups occasionally just to see how far I’ve come since my teens.

This question isn’t even phrased as it should. It’s so open ended. “Should Christians listen to music” might as well be “should Christians eat bananas?”

In what regard? And why are we bunching all of secular music into one category? I’m personally offended when I see indie put into the same group as country (ewwww!!) Additionally, not all Christians must have the same standards. It might depend on the person!

So, be specific and don’t put everyone into a box.

Hey guys, I thought that I would throw this question out, and see what you think. I would ask myself this question, lets say that you went up to be with our Lord, would you play secular music then?

I didn’t watch the video, but lecrae and tobyMac are definitely not corrupt. I hope someone didn’t make you think so–you can’t believe everything you hear.

I think that, as long as it is not disgusting or stupid, secular music is fine. Christian artists have songs that do not mention Christ, like What Faith Can Do by Kutless. I still like their band and music…

“Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.” Matthew 12:34
Jesus said these words. I believe that if you are putting music that doesn’t glorify God into your mind it goes directly to your heart and will be translated to your actions. Satan used to lead the choirs in heaven before he got kicked out so be careful when it comes to music. Satan is the master of it and if you give him anyway to come into your music and come into your life he will find it. That goes for lukewarm (nuetral) music and actual music that talks about sin.

Also there are two types of music, there is Music and Secular Music. “Christian” music is what God intended not what we created it to be. Secular Music is God’s intended purpose for music, that was overtaken with the word and the flesh. We sometimes get the misconception that Music was turned to Christian music after it started as Secular. God created music for the sole purpose of glorifying him (this doesn’t retain to styles because God can be in any style of music) and just like our sin ruined his perfect world, it ruined our music and that’s where secular music came from. So when an Music artist says he makes “Music” not “Christian” music, this is the point that they are referencing.

Given the choice between secular and Christian music? Of course I’d pick songs that praise Him in His presence! However, you’ll need to qualify what you mean by “secular music”… Music that doesn’t mention Jesus’s name at all? Music that blatantly curses God and worships worldly things? Because if your definition of “secular music” is just music that is neither filling the mind with ungodly intentions nor outright worshipping God, you might as well ask people who ride unicycles as a hobby if they’d ride unicycles in heaven. The pastime itself isn’t sinful nor is it a clear act of worship. Plus, would we even have the chance to “play secular music” in the presence of a holy God or pedal around on one wheel when we get to heaven? There are probably other things we’d rather do after meeting Jesus face to face 🙂

Could you explain your very last sentence for me, please?

Others have said some really good stuff, so I won’t restate what they’ve already said. But I will add that listening to secular music with discernment is a very good exercise. Figuratively speaking, you’re listening to the world’s heartbeat by listening to what they’re singing about. It helps you to be better equipped to understand what others around you are thinking and feeling and it gives you a platform to be able to reach them where they’re at and communicate Christ to them in an accesible way.

I agree with you that we should be very careful not to let Satan into our lives through the music we listen to. I hadn’t heard about Satan leading choirs in heaven, so I looked it up. Apparently the reference is from Ezekiel 28:13, translated like this in KJV:

“The workmanship of your timbrels and pipes
Was prepared for you on the day you were created.”

It’s almost certain that this phrase is talking about Satan, however, the text only says that he had instruments. Since all the angels constantly sing praises to God, does this really mean that he was leading them?
In the ESV, the same section is translated:

“…crafted in gold were your settings and your engravings. On the day that you were created they were prepared.”

The translators’ note says that the meaning of the part that references music in the KJV is unclear, hence the differing translation.

In short, I don’t think we have reason to believe Satan led music before he left heaven. But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be vigilant, as he can still use music against us. However, I don’t think that he is the master of it any more than he is master of anything else in this world.

For God is the King of all the earth;
sing praises with a psalm!
God reigns over the nations;
God sits on his holy throne.

-Psalm 47:7-8 ESV

I’m not really sure how a certain kind of beat would summon demons or hypnotize someone. I would say that an apt comparison would be like saying we shouldn’t ever stretch before we exercise because stretching is sometimes similar to yoga, which is used in some religions for spiritual practices. If stretching is beneficial, by all means, do it. It’s not a religious issue. However, in some cultures (for example, in Africa), some kinds of beats would resemble the traditional religion too much and would draw people away from the truth. But in the context of Western culture, beats don’t generally have such religious meanings and are not bad in and of themselves.

#Truth

I think it’s okay to listen to most secular music out there. Just never fall into legalism because legalism can lead you down guilt-trips and make you feel like there’s only one right way to do things (in some cases there is but I mean in everyday choices). Legalism is evil. Obeying God is not though, there is a difference.
God created music for us to enjoy. It’s a complicated mixture of resonances, soundwaves, mathematical equations and emotion. Music is a beautiful thing, so I don’t think God would give is something so great and then say, “Now only make music with such and such qualities!”. Because music is creative and humans NEED outlets for creativity. Not all of our inspiration may come directly from the bible.
All that being said, I think what Elizabeth said was right too, boundaries are important. There is a point where creating music crosses a line from just creativity to sinful thinking/behavior. I guess what I’m trying to say is if you’re questioning whether or not you should be listening to a certain secular artist just bring it to God.

2 Corinthians 10:5
We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ,

Thanks, I’ll look at his music. Any specific ones you’d suggest?

Cool!

Hey that’s a really good point you made Stephen! i think it’s ok to listen to some secular music as long as it doesn’t go against what boundaries and beliefs you have. (does that make sense?)
God Bless,
~Madeleine

Whoa… The Rebelution has gotten a lot bigger than it used to be. [247 comments?!!] Which is a good thing 🙂

On the subject of secular music, here’s a few basics.
God wants us to glorify Him in everything we do, say and think, right? Legalism probably doesn’t do that, but listening to worldly music doesn’t either. Therefore: “In everything you do, whether in word or in deed, do it all to the name of the Lord Jesus Christ giving thanks to God the Father through Him.” (Colossians 3:17)

So, can a moving classical work glorify God? Absolutely. Can an epic soundtrack mix do the same? What about a jazz tune? Well, if it isn’t pulling your heart away from God, possibly. Music is meant as a form of using our talents to make a joyful noise to God. Therefore, if a certain song that isn’t under the Christian genre is moving or wonderful, glorify God! Granted, there is a point where you really can’t praise God because of what kind of music it is. That is where you have to put your foot down.

The main thing, is to keep the main thing the main thing. Got it? Confused yet? So am I. What’s the main thing? Your relationship with God, and your witness to others. In other words, Guard Your Heart. Yes, those are capital letters. SCARY, I know, but they are meant for emphasis. Don’t let any kind of music steal your heart away from God. If that happens, you’ve fallen into a problem of idolatry, which is a whole other problem.

Back to music, just listen to the Lord. If you feel that listening to a certain type of music is bad, don’t listen to it. If you feel you can worship God with Bach or Zimmer listen to it. Do what is God’s Best for You. Not God’s good, or God’s better, but God’s Best. If you are doing what God wants you to be doing, He will make you paths straight, even if you’re wandering.

Carrying on,
Caleb

“Not all who wander are lost” J.R.R. Tolkien

I’m not Kayla, but I thought she was saying that even when we’re claiming to ‘just listen to the beat’ and ‘ignoring the lyrics,’ we still know the words. If that makes any sense…

A challenge? What sort of challenge would you like? 😛
How about ‘You got two tough questions on here but do you got tough answers?’

Super helpful comment, Caleb! And you can’t go wrong ending with a Tolkien quote 🙂 Thank you!

I think listening to (some sorts of) secular music isn’t all wrong, but often those kinds of songs don’t really have a message, and you have the chance to lose your borders, that’s why I only listen to christian music, I don’t think that non-christian music could bring you closer to God than christian music can..

I really like Paper Angels and I Love you this much. kersone kid is good to he has a really incredible life story that you can find on youtube

Not to contradict you or anything, but anything that isn’t Christian music would be classified as secular. So anything as harmless as a folk song would still be defined as secular. So then secular music can’t be completely written off as “bad” music. Reiterating someone else’s comment, you just have to set boundaries based on how you believe the Holy Spirit is directing you. However, given the choice between God honoring music and simply moral, but secular music, I would definitely choose God honoring. Music should be used as a form of worshipping God, not merely entertainment. If it accomplishes both purposes, that’s the best kind of music to listen to. Or sing.

Thanks mimeforJesus!

thanks, Skitterson! that REAAAAllllly helps.

Let’s put a twist on this question. Say that you were married and your loving spouse adored you…Or at least that’s what they said. But almost every word that came out of their mouth was about some other woman (or man, as the case may be). Wouldn’t you start to question their love towards you? I mean if they truly loved you, then you would be the center of the conversation. But wait, maybe it is legalistic to desire your spouses full attention.

Isn’t this (in a flawed analogy way) what we are doing? Music is such a huge part of the cultural teen. We love the latest beat. But as Christians we are the bride of Christ. He is our one desire. Every time we are captivated by this world, our eyes are turned from Him.
Now, not all secular music is wrong. I’m sure that somewhere there is some song that has no other motives besides just being a song. But I for one, wouldn’t want to waist my time on song like this. Every moment should have a purpose and not be spent listening to purposeless songs. Too often though, these “just songs” have other motives and morals that slowly penetrate us through the lyrics that we are singing.
So I’m in the same boat with a lot of y’all. It’s really easy to flick on the top hots station when driving around town. It’s hard to be a Christian and be a teenager (in the worldly definition). But, I would dare to say that isn’t room for both. One of them has to give. I hope that all of us will see that we must Honor God above everything else! If this means that I protect my ears now and don’t spend my time listening to the junk on the radio, what is that in comparison to eternity? This is hard (at least for me) to do, but I think in the end it will be worth it.
(Thank you for asking the question and giving me the reason to sit down and think through what I believe.)

I’m glad it encouraged you!

Lots of good opinions have already been said so this won’t be long, but I think this is a very interesting question and is something I’ve often thought about. I love music, all kinds ,and while I don’t think it’s necessarily wrong to listen to secular music I must make sure that I have boundaries where I draw the line. I mostly just listen to Air 1( my favorite radio station) and from there I find a lot a awesome music from really talented artists. There are a few secular songs that I also enjoy listening to, but when I feel like a certain song is crossing the boundary then I need to turn it off. This also goes for tv and books. I just need to make sure that what I intake doesn’t harm me spiritually.

Hey, I’m a big country music fan. Recently I’ve been actually caring what I listen to and wanting good morals in my lyrics. So I really like Live Like You Were Dying (Tim McGraw), Don’t Blink (Kenny Chesney), and You’re Gonna Miss This (Trace Adkins) just to name a few. All of these songs deal with time and how fast life goes. Actually they could be a good way to share the gospel.
Tim McGraw is pretty clean in general. And for older country I like Alan Jackson. But as with all music (even “Christian”) you have to be discerning.
Good luck! I know how difficult music can be in a work environment.

Wow, I like how you put that!

Abigail, I love how much you want to honor God! It’s really cool that you are a teenager with this outlook. But I would like to share a different side of your approach. I don’t want to start an argument or show everyone how right I am because that is wrong and stupid. Philippians 4:8 says, “Finally, brothers,
whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is
pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any
excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.”(ESV) Here it doesn’t say whatever is “of God” or “christian,” although they would be included in this list. There are many secular songs out there that are commendable, pure, excellent, and worthy of praise, just as there many that aren’t. We are told to think about the good things, even if they aren’t christian.

This is for multiple reasons. One is that God created all good things, he created music and wants us to enjoy it, so if a secular song is good, we can listen to it. Of course christian songs are wonderful to listen to and should be heard often. Another reason is for reaching out to the lost. This might sound stupid, but stay with me, if we shut ourselves out from the world, how can we reach it? We are in the world but not of it. We can relate more to people and other teens, but still stand out in a good way, by not listening to sinful music. As Christians, we should only care what God thinks of us and not other people, and we shouldn’t compromise out faith by enjoying secular music or relating to other teens. But if Paul didn’t go to cities that weren’t of God, the people there would have never been saved. He didn’t join them in their sin, but was with them and learned about their lives and shone the light of Christ. We are called to do the same.

Good music should ultimately point us to Christ, whether or not it’s explicitly christian, and not point us to the world and sinful things. Here is a link to a sermon all about this >http://www.covfel.org/sermon/worship/

Jesus is the only reason I am able to do anything, including write this. His love and grace saved me and continue to help me every day. I am sinful, and I’m not perfect just as no one else is. Therefore, I am not the ultimate authority, God is, as you know. Thanks!

God Bless.

…And let lay aside every weight, AND the sin which doth so easily beset us. Hebrews 12:1 That verse isn’t just talking about sins. There’s things like listening to “okish” music that aren’t necessarily sins. But as Christians, if things in our life pull us away from God, “weights”, the answer is pretty simple. Also, as Christians, we are in every sense of the word to be striving to be “Christlike.” To me, that means if Jesus wouldn’t hum or sing along to a song, neither should we. So you be your own judge. Same with books, when I read a lot of thrilling exciting modern books, my “weights”, I didn’t feel nearly as ready to read the Bible or do devotions. And some ppl aren’t going to like this comment but that’s okay.

Hey Kaylee, thank you for the comment. I agree that we are to honor Christ in everything we do and listening to music is no exception. Sometimes we pit “Christian” versus “secular”. However, more correct labels might be, “God honoring” and “worldly”. There is some secular music that is better than “Christian”. And we are, by no means, to ignore these songs just because they aren’t “Christian”.
So, I am sorry if I miscommunicated that good virtues can only be found in “Christian” songs. Personally, I enjoy listening to music that is God honoring, but it doesn’t have to hold the label “Christian”. Just when dealing with these secular songs I am more wary (as I know the great trap they can be), so I generally stay in the “Christian” category. But with that said, give me a good country or soul song any day ;).
I think I understand where you were going with Paul. I worked a summer job in a very nonChristian and proTeen environment. The music that was played reflected those values (or lack there of). Just because they played bad music and spoke in a less than God honoring manner, I didn’t have a God given license to not go to work. Yet while I was circled by this atmosphere, I was called to not fall into their traps.
Thank you for helping me clarify on these things. Have a wonderful day!

For further reference, here are some verses that have helped me on this subject.

“Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is good, pleasing, and perfect.” (Romans 12:2)
“Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old things have passed away, and look, new things have come. (2 Corinthians 5:17)
“For am I now trying to win the favor of people, or God? Or am I striving to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a slave of Christ.” (Galatians 1:10)
“… but be filled by the Spirit: speaking to one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing and making music from your heart to the Lord.” (Ephesians 5:18b-19)
“But you, man of God, run from these things, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, and gentleness.” (1 Timothy 6:11)
“Flee from youthful passions, and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.” (2 Timothy 2:22)
“Do not love the world or the things that belong to the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in him. For everything that belongs to the world-the lust of the flesh the lust of the eyes and the pride in one’s lifestyle-is not from the Father, but is from the world. And the world with its lust is passing away, but the one that who does God’s will remains forever.” (1 John 2:15-17)
“So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I am going to vomit you out of My mouth.” (Revelation 3:16)

I recently went to a concert on Lecrae’s ANOMALY tour. My friends and I bought
Deluxe passes, so we got to show up early and listen to Andy Mineo do like a Q&A beforehand. He got asked a question similar to this one, and I loved his response. He said that it is a matter of the maturity of your faith, and used himself as an example, saying something to the effect of he grew up and lives around people who are not believers and do not live like believers. As a result, he has developed a kind of in-one-ear-out-the-other filter for things like cussing and vulgarity. So he said that music that contains mild cursing/suggestive themes does not affect him. I don’t agree 100% with that, but h is point was what you listen to is up to what you think you can handle without it having a profound effect on your faith. I know for me, I’m nearly 16 and I am still goaded into cursing by music. Secular music is not inherently evil, but you have to remember that the artists in that genre do not ask themselves “Does this music honor God?” when they are creating music. So in conclusion, I think what you listen too is determined by kind of personal barriers. Of course, you never want to make big decisions alone, so maybe like as a friend or parent and talk it over with them. Ultimately though, it comes down to are you feeling convicted by the music you listen to? If you can answer yes, you may want to retool your playlists a bit

Hi again! Well I find that really cool that you consider music like that Christian. Thinking about it, it totally makes sense, because God made that music and it honors Christ. Its also a beautiful way to look at the world. I mean we do need to see the sin in the world, to see the need for Jesus, but that is so positive and a encouraging to think about.

Thank you for replying to me. You are so awesome because I can tell you see the need to not be in the norm as a teen and to take time to focus only on God and keep your relationship with Him in the back of your mind all the time. I also really appreciate the politeness in your answer to me. Its funny, most comment sections in the secular world are filled with negative, rudely opinionated, and ignorant people and their not thought out answers, especially when it comes to teenagers. But this blog definitely stands out (in a good way of course.) And you are much wiser than those people.

Those Bible verses are great and a good reminder that as Christians, we are different to the rest of the world. Even though we might not seem different to someone randomly passing by, it shows in our lives and can help lead others to be changed from the norm as well.

God Bless and thanks!

Exactly! Yahh know I think that this is the discussion topic that people are most diverse in their opinions in. But I agree 95 percent with your comment. lol The only thing I have against it is this: If we’re striving to be Christ-like, we need to ask would Christ listen to “meaningless” songs? For me I kinda doubt it. “Meaningless” is a word that both the Bible and Do Hard Things seem to oppose. Yes?

There is a difference between what’s right and wrong and what’s beneficial (1 Corinthians 10:23) Is it wrong for Christians to listen to secular music? As long as it doesn’t contain inappropriate content, no. I don’t think it’s wrong. If, however, the songs you are listening to have very little meaning to them and are more full of “fluff,” there are probably better things you could be listening to. There are a lot of songs out there that while they may not be definitively “Christian” songs, they actually have a fairly good message. On the other hand, there are also technically “Christian” songs out there that have a pretty shallow message and aren’t particularly beneficial either. I personally have chose not to listen to secular music because I would rather be spiritually encouraged by the songs that I listen to. I don’t think it’s wrong to listen to secular music, but I would challenge anyone struggling with this question to evaluate the message that the songs they listen to convey. It’s probably a better use of your time and resources to be listening to music that is uplifting and glorifying to God rather than songs that don’t have much meaning to them.

Baseball rocks! I like a lot of artists/bands. I enjoy Lecrae, Andy Mineo, and basically everyone from the 1-1-Six Clique. I also like bands such as Skillet, Thousand Foot Krutch, and POD. My favorite band since I was 7 (I’m almost 15 now) is Family Force 5. All of this music can be kinda controversial in the Christian music world, but thats probably a different discussion for a different time.
I also enjoy stuff thats a wee bit more contemporary. For King and Country, Rend Collective (I know them pretty well!), and NeedToBreathe are all groups that I like.
You?

Haha I know right? Oh wow, I think I like most of those actually, except I don’t like Skillet. And I like For King and Country, Mathew West, Il Divo, (you probably don’t know who that is), Josh Groban, some of Lyndsey Stirling, and stuff like that. If you don’t know some of them look them up and than tell me what you think. 🙂

Yeah, some people like Skillet, some don’t. It just depends on taste. 🙂 I actually like all of those artists! (except Il Divo, I’m not sure who they are.) Matthew West’s song Do Something really inspires me.

One of the few artists my mom and I both like – she’s into worship music, while I’m into harder stuff from Tobymac to some Red.

You have 8 siblings?! I have seven, nine if you count in-laws. If you average that out, that comes out at eight. Are you sure we aren’t twins?
You were at Winter Jam?? Lucky… if I lived there I’d be going! And I was thinking of the wrong group – I meant Skillet. Although there’s a couple of songs from Red that I like, they’re harder than I appreciate in general. (And a little depressing, ya know?) Yeah, I can see looking at booths being fun if you have good company.
I forgot, or I didn’t ask – how old are you? I’m sixteen. And if you’re sixteen, this is gonna be CRAZY!

Ok, I thought I replied to this but can’t find it so forgive me if this is the second time!(Yeah, well that’s good to hear, and you should look Il Divo up and tell me what you think. They’re a very select taste so you may not like them but than again crazy things have happened!(me for example) 😉 haha Oh yes I like that song~!

What reasons have you seen for not going? All I know is that it’s a concert with mostly cool bands.

Yeah, I was kinda surprised that you said you were looking with you girl, but the way you phrased it you looked like you didn’t really like that anymore. What are your philosophies on dating now?
Ya know, we should move this over to another thread so we stop spamming this one. Do you know the blog “Soldiers of God”?

Actually, they weren’t too bad! Don’t worry… you only replied once 😉
Thanks for the introduction. I enjoy exploring music 🙂 🙂 🙂

Haha good! I can never tell. 😉 And np, me and my family like them a lot. 🙂 Well consider yourself…hmmm explored??? lol

You don’t listen to music with words? May I input some thoughts?

The grey is not the way. God says that He spits out the lukewarm (The grey area). I just recently found some very troubling news about Katy Perry. She was raised in a Christian environment but when she grew up she left that and became one of the most demonic women in the world. I watched a video where she said “I deny Christ to live for satan.” I was shocked! But before that in my book she fell in the grey area. That was an eye opener to me.

I love Royal Tailor!

i believe that anyone can interpret any song any way. for instance some people say that radioactive by imagine dragons is a song supporting the new age, and i definitely see where they are coming from…. however different people interpret it differenty….i see that song as how the singer sort of now sees what the new age movement really is “im waking up” and stuff. i do believe that many songs are demonic and stuff, so it is wise to use discretion when choosing what secular music to listen to, but its not all bad

so do i… and tobymac!

thank you!! i totally agree. spotify rocks.. am listenin to it right now! and i like radioactive..

you should check out capital kings yall….

Capitol Kings has some really awesome remixes! We used to always use them as warm-up songs during basketball games 🙂

I like Manafest too! And Switchfoot, and Abandon, and Skillet, and Mat Kearney, and Mandisa, and KJ-52, and Colton Dixon and… shall I go on? 🙂 Believe me, there’s more!

i mean kool lol

Cool! What’s your playlist called on Spotify?

Yeah, I do!

Agreed, but I also think we should look into what the particular artist believes or supports before we just listen to something that may sneak in things that are not healthy for our soul.
For example, you wouldn’t want to support an artist that donates millions of dollars to a homosexual group, or something of the like.
Am I wrong here? Correct me if I am.

My feelings exactly. Well said!
As an example, I personally don’t like Francesca Battistelli that much, because the lyrics seem somewhat self focused, even though she is a Christian Artist.

YES!!!!!

I live west of Indianapolis. In a town called Avon. Near the Prestwick golf course. In a neighborhood called Prestwick Green. : ) Too bad you live so far away: I’ll bet we could be buddies!

Yeah. Me and my neighbors play kickball and whiffle ball in the court we live in. We spray-painted white bases on the asphalt and we use the court as a baseball diamond. 🙂 It’s pretty fun.

Sheesh, that’s hard. I had a friend leave Christianity, but he didn’t turn Satanist. I can only imagine your situation. Praying for your friend!

For King & Country has some awesome, modern-sounding stuff. Lecrae is also great 🙂 I love Tenth Avenue North, too

That’s cool! I have a EOS Rebel XSi and unfortunately just the kit lens. What about you?

Wow, those are really great photos!!! You’re really good! Thanks for the lens suggestion… I’ll check it out.

All of those bands/artists are amazing!!! And Air-1 is the best.

Wasn’t Lucifer in charge of the music before the fall? Or am I not remembering well. Anyway, he sure knows how to use it to his advantage and to suck people’s attention away from God.

I don’t remember exactly (I probably am wrong!) but here are two articles that may explain:

https://carm.org/questions/about-demons/was-lucifer-originally-angel-worship

http://www.turnbacktogod.com/lucifer-angel-of-music/

That is actually a thought I have been wrestling with a lot, is it right to support companies that support homosexuality? A lot of big brands have put out commercials featuring such relationships (Gap, Starbucks, Target, Burger King). I really don’t know. Sorry to be so off topic, but if anyone has any thoughts, I’d like to hear ’em:)

Wow I did not know that about JC Penny thank you so much for pointing that out. That’s really a shame, I monogram towels for an orphanage and they have a great color selection, I will have to pray about that. I had never thought before just now about how so many companies support Susan G Komen, and that organization donates a lot to Planned Parenthood. Do you know of any other companies that support PP? You know how we admire abolitionists for all that they did? There’s a part of me that wants to be like that, and there’s another part that wants life to be easy. But Paul did say to eat meat that had been sacrificed to idols… idk. Sorry-thinking out loud:)

Ooh, that’s a hard one. How could we be okay with supporting such companies? I agree that PP is worse, but both are sin.
@Brett Harris
what are your thoughts on this issue?

YOU ROCK AS WELL!!!!!! I’m not saying that those who don’t listen to air-1 for whatever reason don’t rock, (just to prove my point: those-who-don’t-listen-to-air-1-for-whatever-reason, YOU ROCK!!!!!) but air-1 really is a good source of Christians songs and encouragement. 😀

Yes. I’m glad that they are using their talent to glorify The Lord.

@Clare @mimeforJesus
Why don’t you submit this for everyone to answer?

@disqus_9p1eGFJkII:disqus @mimeforjesus:disqus
Why don’t you submit this for everyone to answer?

That was me below, but something did’t work.

thanks… appreciate it

just under nathan mccoy ‘awesome songs’

You said it!!!! I like how people call in to Air1 and tell their stories. 😀

I wonder if anyone on these comments sections is a HAM radio operator… I am, and that would be fun! You could get your license (Very easy!) and we could talk on the radio!!!

Haha, sorry!

HAM radio (aka Amateur Radio) is a set of frequencies in the radio wave spectrum devoted to “The increase of international goodwill” according to the FCC. So basically, it is for fun. 🙂

More logistically, it is a fm/am radio for personal use. It requires a license, but it is easy to get, and low cost ($20). You then can hook into repeaters, and bounce radio waves off of the atmosphere, to all over the world. So, I (in SW MO) could talk to you (in Indiana)!!!

It is a LOT of fun, and it is used a lot in emergency communications :).

http://www.arrl.org/what-is-ham-radio

Sweet! I’ll have to check out that website in the near future! ;D (using the capital “d” makes smiley faces that much more expressive!) 😀

Cool, thanks.

This is a GREAT conversation!

I’m working on getting a license but where do I take the test?

That is exciting!
You can find out more info at http://www.arrl.org and find a place near you. Then, when you get your license, TELL ME and we will try to talk over the radio. That will be fun! I live in SW Missouri. Any other questions???
🙂

Oh, if you want to take your profile off of private viewing, I will follow you! 🙂

alright I did that!

nice, thanks for the link. what class are you?

Technician class. Have you already started studying?
And BTW, welcome to the comments!

Yea! And who is a Christian!

Good! Let me know if you have questions!!!

Me as well. Fun!

nice!

Nice, I’ll tell you mine when I get it!

That’s true it’s an almost impossible position to maintain. Really if a pure standard were to be kept, we would have to nix taxes (which the Bible clearly says are to be paid) and most healthcare. It’s a very sticky situation. I guess it would depend on how much of the proceeds was going to abortion/homosexuality. Course then, I’m still funding an abortion, just a smaller part of one:/

I completely agree. I think it is because most Christians aren’t homosexual, but they do lie, steal, commit adultery, etc, so they don’t think what they do is as bad as what others do.

Right on!

Sure! I’d love to see it! I think flicker may do something like that. Not sure, though!

I play violin and trumpet. I am learning guitar, mandolin, french horn, and want to learn upright base!

i’ve played for 9 years. You?

You must be pretty good!

That’s fun too!!! I know a few fiddle songs, but I mostly enjoy playing praise and worship songs. You should try Come Thou Fount!

Not much yet! I will though…
🙂

@disqus_9p1eGFJkII:disqus, @disqus_rHUVb4P7uQ:disqus, @mimeforjesus:disqus, and @karljacobn:disqus, The PERFECT passage on this subject: Romans 1:18-the first part of chapter 2. Yikes! 🙂

I always heard it myself… I asked about it once, and was thoroughly convinced (a gazillion Bible verses and my brother expounding on every word therein).

I don’t think they directly support PP, it’s just SGK. But yeah, it’s sad. (You notice that after they started supporting SGK, their business went downhill…)

Can’t friend you – don’t have Facebook. Your name’s Nathan McCoy, right? I’ll look it up tomorrow 🙂
(Reply to this so I remember, will ya? I forget EVERYTHING!)

nice

I did earlier this week, but if you or anybody else want to submit the topic go ahead you may’ve thought of something I hadn’t:)

Yep that’s pretty serious. I think there’s a fine line btwn being judgmental in a way that only God has the right to be and being tolerant of sin. I love 2:4, the OT law shows how great God’s wrath towards sin is, in light of that it is amazing how He has been soooo gracious with this world for so long. His wrath is so great and this world is so evil, His patience is overwhelming. Surely I, who do not begin to know how horrible sin really is, can be patient and gracious to those wrestling with sin.

Amen! You actually used the word “wrath” in connection with “God.” I’m impressed! You must secretly be attending my church haha. 🙂

thanks, I think it’s a good verse to keep in mind, especially when we do hard things!

definitely a good chapter:)

Hmmm just now read the carm article but I don’t think half a verse from Ezekiel is enough to support an entire doctrine on…satan does know how to use music for his advantage but we we are supposed to praise God through music as well.

there is a good video on youtube that yall should watch. its called ‘the real and and only truth about this world pt. 1’. it is very creepy and insightful.

One of the problems is when the children are affected by it; growing up with two fathers or two mothers is something that is harmful to the child, and they don’t have any choice in the matter. I agree, we should focus on following God ourselves, more than on others’ lives. (If you want to see good discussion on this, look at the DQ “Should Christians legislate morality?” It was a lot of fun to read through!)

I found you, but now I don’t see your playlist; is it private maybe?

Hey, Ethan, love the new profile picture. ; D

Me too! And I caught a reference in Christian pop culture… that’s pretty awesome 🙂 I wouldn’t have caught that two years ago.

Good! What reference are you talking about?

Great!! So I’m not the only person! 🙂

OH! is that what it was? I thought it was just a stick or something……………

Ahhhh I found it. 🙂 I’ll have to tell @mimeforjesus:disqus 😛

I’m not disagreeing, but listening to Christian Music doesn’t spread the Gospel either, especially certain “Christian” songs that are nearly indistinguishable from secular music.
For Example (Not saying that these are bad):
Hold Me – Jamie Grace
Eye On It – TobyMac (This one creeps me out, check the official music video; I actually think there might be something going on with TobyMac)
By Your Side – Tenth Avenue North (I actually really like this song)
Draw Me Close – Many Versions (I know, this one is a common worship song)

Who’s Jonathan Thulin?
I like Tobymac, but I can see how you wouldn’t like some of his music; I personally like Eye On It, but to each his own 🙂 And Speak Life is awesome!!
I don’t think you’re paranoid, I have “Christian” artists (but even more, authors) who I avoid like the plague.

Another singer (What did you think?) Hahaha. I really like his song Architecture.

M4J, I think I saw somewhere that you like Spanish, if so, do you know of any good books or cds or anything you would recommend?

I think the real and only truth is pretty much just God and the Bible… 🙂

I think it goes both ways… it’s not helpful in some cases, and in others it is helpful.
For me, ’tis much easier to keep my mind on God when I listen to Christian music.

Completely agree, I like to have christian music playing all night so I go to sleep hearing God and wake up hearing him in the morning.

“Love Ran Red”

Yes…

My thought is kind of like this: if the song is not obviously degrading, inappropriate, or just plain wrong, then I think one should be careful about confronting that person about the song. In that person’s conscience, they might feel ok about listening to that type of music. I think we need to discern between wether or not the music is wrong or it’s just a style that we oursleves don’t care for. It’s a rather grey area in the Christian walk, so there will be many different view points. I think it’s mostly a heart issue, though.

I’m going to the Love Ran Red tour with Chris Tomlin, Tenth Avenue North, and Rend Collective this weekend!! SO excited :).

Yes! Me too… I’ve always wanted to see Chris Tomlin, and the others make it even better!

Yes, she had to tell us… to do otherwise would be to conceal the truth.

The most famous band in Christian music history.
Just kidding… They are a great Irish band. Awesome.

Yes! Look up My Lighthouse.

Yep yep! I couldn’t resist the force…

What can I say? You’re a teenager 🙂

But wait….isn’t the purpose of this site to explode low expectations??? 😉

Yes! I love that song!

Wow, sometimes I wonder if I’m going nuts! Sometimes I epitomize a lack of thoroughly reading what I’m replying to…

Hey, we don’t have a tv or Netflix either! And haven’t for 10 years. Never missed it!

I still don’t see it… 🙁

Yeah… Ooops…

Love that song!

Yeah! Well worth listening to!

FYI, if you look up My Lighthouse and start it playing while you’ve got the LOTR soundtrack playing, it sounds really weird!
I like it 🙂 Thank y’all for pointing me to another great band!

just click on the ‘view all suggestions’ and scroll thru till u find me. it helps a lot when ur friends with me on facebook when tryin to find playlists on spotify…. i will c what i can do for u

here ya go!

https://play.spotify.com/user/12175499546/playlist/0Lre9Y514hFw7cGp3YQppT
hey @disqus_ePP3Yyx781:disqus and yall here is tha link for my playlist

I grew up without TV, but then my parents got a “bundle deal” for phone and internet, and TV came along with it. It really drained time from all of us… I’m glad they dropped it after about a year. My family does have Netflix, but I last used it… let me think… two weeks ago with my brothers and sisters; before that, it was a really long time ago. I wouldn’t really miss it if my parents dropped that, either 🙂
It’s is kinda annoying, though, when my friends are all talking about a new movie and I’m like, “What are you talking about?”

I find you through the link, but it’s weird… I don’t see any public playlists through the normal icon. You’re the only Nathan McCoy who’s following/followed by your sister, right?

I meant you could edit out the link, actually…
I never got into Doctor Who, so I can’t say I feel your pain. Did it ever strike you as weird?

Si, es muuuuuy difi,cil. Sino yo soy lento con el engleis(not sure how to spell that), entonces el Español…. Yep that is a really great idea I had never thought of that!

yup.hmmm

Me too! And I actually don’t mind. I didn’t even know what pokemon was until last year, and the people that I was talking to couldn’t believe it!

Yeah, I think it’s some sort of video game that everyone is supposed to know about! I like knowing about useful things, rather than wastes of time! Like working on Revive…

Hmmm I posted a reply but it disappeared. I apologize if you get this twice…

It’s Trent Blake’s blog “Soldiers of God.” =)

Soldiers of God 🙂 If you haven’t checked it out you should!

Just once!
I’ll have to check it out!

Thanks!

No joke! Now you know why everyone thinks I’m weird… I was hoping to fit in here…Oh well.
Just kidding, but I really don’t know what Mario is. Dead serious. 😐

yeah i mostly listen to older stuff

Yes. Brandon Heath’s Blue Mountain is country enough for me! And awesome words…Good Christian artist.
I listen to Christian artists only.

The older country songs are the best! 🙂

I do! It may not be right, but…be proud of not knowing about it! And know a ton about other more worthwhile things. That’s my two cents!

I’m so stealing that idea!!!!!!

I know some fellow-nerds of yours, then. All four of the kids in the family are Dr. Who fanatics!
Is your profile pic from Dr. Who?

!Bien gracias! Tengo tres hermanos. Mi hermano Felipe, tiene quince an~os, mi hermana Mari’a tiene once anos y mi hermana mas pequen~a llamada Belita tiene tres an~os. (Mi nombre en el Espan~ol es Clara). ?Cua`ntos hermanos tienes tu`?

Yes, yes, it is.

Okay, interesting… kinda.

Interesting in a weird way…

You sound like you work at my job… I recognized one or two of those quotes 🙁

yup

Hey MFJ, @jesusfreaknate:disqus and @disqus_zxr2krNx5O:disqus – if you guys want a country singer who’s a Christian too, I can highly recommend Colin Buchanan. He’s Aussie (and so his songs do revolve a lot around Aussie country and situations), and he’s won multiple Golden Guitars (which I’m pretty sure is our highest country music award). Not exactly sure how Aussie ‘country’ genre compares to the US ‘country’ genre, but they can’t be that different. I’d definitely recommend you check him out.

Um… I used to be “weird” and proud of it, but recently I’ve wanted to know some of what my friends are talking about too. One thing I did is, I would look up a movie they were talking about, and see what-all was in it. Most of the time, I would be turned off by all of the bad stuff in there, and I wouldn’t want to watch it any more.
You could try and find common ground somewhere — anywhere! I mean, I know that most of my friends love LOTR, so I can think “You know this movie, and I don’t, but we also both love the other movie.” I dunno… for me it works. Makes me think of the Blimey Cow video about friends… I think this was one of the things friends do to you – they make you feel _____ for not having watched X movie. I’ll tell you more if I remember it – it’s 11:30 my time, so I’m not thinking at maximum capacity right now.

That sounds so much like me, it’s scary 😉 Yeah, LOTR Is amazing, but most of my friends think that’s weird too… oh well. I like your advice, about finding middle ground though… I’ll try that 🙂 Thanks MFJ! I really appreciate you replying!

What!?!? Donkey Kong is a Mario villain??? I thought he was the hero (along with Diddy Kong) of the Donkey Kong games…

(winky frowny face!!)

I’m really blessed, I work in a restaurant, and that only plays classical music 🙂

Hey! Fellow Aussie!!! *high-fives*

I followed you back! 🙂

Haha, yes indeed!

Great job getting this into a discussion!!!

um, no, not yet, I’ve got caught up in school work for a bit. I probably will start over break.

k will do 🙂

Lo siento no veo (past tense) tu pregunta de el an~o que estudio el Espan~ol:) Estudio como quatro an~os con la Rosetta Stone, y ‘spent’ un poco tiempo en el Mexi`co. Yo pienso la Rosetta Stone es bien por el vocabulario, pero mi grammatica esta un poco malo:)

I only listen to Christian music. I don’t like most of the borderline Christian stuff. (as in things that aren’t obviously Christian) My favorites are lyrics straight from the Bible. Particularly Sons of Korah. When you listen to music, watch a movie or read a book you are engaging with another mind and have to be on your guard. The Scriptures are the only place I can open my mind completely, so I find that more relaxing. I have one exception though. Classical music which has no words. I find it relaxing too.

That’s funny I saw this on my homepage and was like Mario Goetze???? (who’s the soccer player that scored the winning World Cup goal for Germany lol) #soccernerd

Haha. Funny!

where do u work?

Never heard of him. I don’t listen to music a lot. And I never go around looking for things. Some of what I listen to is stuff our family had on tapes before I was born. Keith Green in particular.
It does sound like something I would like though.

Hi there, Blake! I feel the same way about music; secular stuff is so often sickening, and for me at least, it directly affects my thinking.
Welcome to the Rebelution! I’m glad you’ve joined this community of teens 🙂

I can’t really say one or the other. Both have influenced me quite a bit. I do go to a Christian school in my town; it’s really amazing to have teachers who are also believers! I think that homeschooling helped me to become a better student and to have a Biblical base to build upon. “Real” school, I think, has forced me to address my faith against real-world moral issues instead of just avoiding them. Having friends who I can trust and teachers who are mentors has been a big influence, too. If you have any specific questions, feel free to ask!

I believe the question should be rephrased as “can christians listen…” instead of “should”. If they “can” then they “should” if they desire to. Christians can listen to secular music if they desire to. While there are obvious limitations. I don’t think we should be jammin to the the Ying Yang twins, because what you take in does affect you (matt 6:22) and has a say in what you believe. Unfortunately a lot of mainstream (really popular on the radio) music does have content that is not congruent to what we believe. Now for the “grey area”, the music that is neither worship or just really dirty, is fair game to listen to. Some might protest, which is understandable. But if you alienate yourself from the culture completely you will have a very hard time relating to people who are not Christians (which is important since we’re purveyors of gospel towards such people). It is not a sin to listen to “I Want to Hold Your Hand” by The Beatles (if it is, please provide a biblical reference along with theological explanation). It’s ok to listen to secular music. It’s also appropriate to not listen to music that we condone because of the content so opposite of the lives we strive to live.

personal music taste: My favorite artist is John Mark McMillan. I also like NeedtoBreathe, Lecrea, The Avett Brothers, and Mumnford and Sons (I’ll probably take some flack since the have a bad word in one of their songs). I appreciate other secular music as well as other christian artist who may or may not sing worship music.

Hi back! lol and yes and no. John Mark McMillan and NeedtoBreathe are different music genres from Lecrea, but are similar in their approach to music. John Mark is like indie rock and NeedtoBreathe is just rock I guess but they are are pretty popular. But all of those guys and Lecrea are similar in that they are Christians but not all their music is necessarily worship. They almost create a new genre. Since they are all artist they express themselves (since that’s what art is) in their music, however, since Christ is prevalent in their lives themes of Christianity and other subject germane towards such often come out in their music. Like Needtobreathe has a song called “something beautiful” which does not mention God directly, but you can tell that they are kind of singing about/to Him. then they have a song called “A girl named Tennessee” that has nothing to do with God at all. Then you have “mutiplied” that could almost be a worship song if not already considered. And the others have similar styles in this sense. They are actually my favorites to listen to, I recommend them to any christian that just likes music

ps. John Mark McMillan is the author of the song “How He Loves”. David Crowder got permission from him to sing it. If you hear the story behind it you”ll probably cry, and the original version sung by John Mark will make you cry at the end as well. Lots of crying

Oh, wow… you are blessed! :

Si’, es un bendicio’n grande 🙂
?Lees mucho ficcio’n? (What genres?)
You knit! 🙂 I crochet!
?Te gusta escuchar musica de quie’n?
!Estudias ASL! Yo se’ un poco tambie’n, pero no lo estudio; lo aprendo de mis amigos 🙂
Tambie’n soy una mimea y actri’z, y yo escribo muuucho. This is a ton of fun!
( @Brett_Harris:disqus – are you okay with us talking in a language you can’t really monitor? Just realized you’re trying to monitor this…)

Si mucho, problamente mas de yo debo:) Yo gusto todo de los genres excepto romance y el ficcion de las scienia`s, son buenos, pero no mis favoritos. Especialmente gusto los mysteries, sino es dificil ‘finding’ los appropriados, Randy Alcorn escribo unos buenos. Tambie`n gusto los ficciones historical. Tu lees mucho?
!Que suave! Yo crochet un poco tambie’n:) Que gusta crochet? So as far as I know, ‘suave’ and ‘chido’ both mean cool, do you know if they are interchangeable?
Oooh, mis favoritos son los Casting Crowns, Newsboys y Mandisa:) Y tu?
El ASL es bien porque si no se’ una palabra, puedo ‘spell’!
Wow es muy suave tu gusta ‘acting’, por cuantos an~os have you acted? Yo gusto escribiendo tambie`n, que gusta escribes? I agree!

I like rock and roll, stuff that makes your adrenaline run. Problem is its hard to find a good rock band that isn’t cussing. I selectively pick songs from lots of different bands.
MUmford and Sons
NEEDTOBREATHE
Imagine Dragons
Pink floyd
Lumineers
These bands are good, i just recommend looking up the lyrics of their song first.
I think that as christians we are going to have to peicework our playlists with music from all different bands. Sure praise songs are good for church, and as teenagers we are naturally going to look at what our friends are listening to and what is cool.
That is just my two cents, let me know if you guys know of any good rock bands out there.

Alex

Hi there! Welcome to the Rebelution!
I hadn’t thought of that – picking the clean/good songs from secular artists. I tend to listen to all of someone’s music or just not try to listen to them. Good thinking! 😀

Hi Alex! Welcome to the Rebelution! I really like Imagine Dragons.

the only way to answer this question is to be honest with yourself. When you listen to secular music does it effect you? If so, probs shouldn’t listen to it lol(:. If not, why are you listening to it? If you “don’t like the words, you just like the beat”, why wouldn’t you just give yourself the benefit of the doubt and listen to upbeat Christian music? Stay strong in the Lord(:

I love nearly all of those artists! (And the other ones are going on my artists-to-look-up list.) Some of my other upbeat favorites are Hillsong Young & Free, Tedashii, Maniac Drive, and Group 1 Crew.

Are you new to The Rebelution? If so, welcome! :))

I love all those artists! I actually just saw Jamie Grace in concert a few days ago, on the Rock and Worship Roadshow tour. She’s an amazing singer, and such an inspiring person as well.

Are you new to The Rebelution? If so, welcome! :))

Yes I am! And thank you for the welcome! I love all those artists to!!
I REALLY recommend ALL of the ones I listed. They are so fun to listen to!
I haven’t heard Maniac Drive before. Are they more of a christian rock band?

Ooops *facepalm* i think you did reply to this once… sorry! But Thank you SOOOOO much for replying to my vent of sorts 🙂 I really appreciate all you guys and gals on here 🙂

Welcome!! 🙂 A lot of Britt Nicole’s new remix album is perfect for dancing to. Her music is a lot of fun!

Headphones is awesome! I used to be pretty obsessed with her music (I’m sure I could sing Headphones by heart), but I think I overdid it–I got kind of burned out. I still really enjoy her music though. My favorite??…All This Time, Glow, The Lost Get Found…I can’t choose a favorite, lol. Although I LOVE the remix of Set The World On Fire. It took an awesome song and made it perfect. =)
Awesome!! What brought you here?

Try Skillet, Warr acres, Thousand foot krutch, and Group 1 Crew. All of them REALLY rock!

Yeah, those are the big three in the Christian music world. There’s a lot more out there, though. Rock is a pretty broad genre, so I’m not really sure what to recommend (and I’m not familiar enough with the groups you mentioned to go from there). What kind of musical qualities do you look for in bands?

You sound like me! LOL!! I like soooo many different kinds of music, it’s weird! I like everything from rap to Celtic!
That was the best remix i have ever heard! And I don’t really like remixes much!!
Have you heard let it go by Anthem Lights? I thing it is the funniest song EVER!!

No. that’s another I need to look up now! What a musical day this turned out to be… LOL!!

Have you heard the Glow remix by Britt? I like that one allot.

Whats your favorite Celtic song? Mine is Red is the Rose. SO PRETTY!!!!

Welcome! 🙂 I’m glad you’re here. 🙂

Nice 🙂 If only I could… I’ll be working up front now, so I only have to deal with bluegrass isntrumental music now.

Hey! Try Lecrae if you’re looking for rap, or check out Disciple (a little older, but I like it), Red, or Skillet.
Disclaimer: I don’t really know what musical genres are called, so if they’re not rock please tell me! My family doesn’t really listen to current genres, so I have no idea what sound is “rock”. 🙂
Oh, and Mandisa is awesome, but I don’t think she qualifies as “rock”.

Oh, I like those sort of artists; just because they’re Christian doesn’t mean that every song has to be about God!

I’ll look up the background for “How He Loves”! 🙂

Music can make any day awesome. =) I have! That’s another one I really like.
I just listened to it–beautiful song! I don’t listen to celtic music quite often enough to have a favorite, but I do really enjoy it. 🙂
Do you play any instruments?

Haha, it’s awesome how so many songs that were supposed to be about romantic relationships can be sung to God! Others… not so much. 😛

Yeah, Maniac Drive is more rock and rap. I’m listening to Warr Acres right now for the first time. They’re amazing!

I 100% agree! I love their song freedom. and I found Maniac Drive. They are really good!! 😀
I am really enjoying finding out about all these new bands and singers! Keep it coming!!!!

XD

Yes! Which of the other remixes do you like?

Ha! His hair is pretty scary. XD He’s not my favorite artist, but he is good.

Omg I absolutely LOVE Skillet and RED! But yes, those bands are extremely rock. “Rock” is like, electric guitar and pounding drums that makes you bang your head back and forth.

Hey, not to be mean or anything like that, but please don’t use God’s name in vain. Even gosh is a form of that, because it was just modified a little. Even so, all of it is swearing. So please don’t be offended; that is not my intent. Just please be aware that I don’t think that God enjoys hearing it.
Thank you!
Ethan

Thanks. You could say, “oh wow!”, “that’s amazing”, “that’s crazy”, “how neat”, or something like that. Thanks for asking!

That’s okay! The important thing is to do what you did, and ask how to change when something is brought to your attention. We all need that sometimes! Please tell me if I do anything offensive!

Haha….That made me laugh!!

Ok, I will! After all, we’re supposed to hold each other accountable!

I’m honestly knew to God, so I’m still trying to figure this stuff out. Who do you guys recomend for music that wont draw me away from God?

Which of his songs is your favorite? I think I like “More of You” the best. That vocal/instrumental thing at the end of the chorus just will NOT get out of my head. (And you know I’m humming it right now, lol.)

When did you become a Christian? Recently?

Sorry. Your message could not be delivered to:

Hailey Steidle (Message was rejected by the recipient.)

OK. I admit it. that’s just FUNNY!! It’s weird to think how much hair gel he must go through…XD

I tend to call genres that play Skillet’s type rock “metal” and the lighter stuff like NEEDTOBREATHE, Building 429, etc., just “rock.” My dad always specifies it that way. 🙂 Yet, Skillet calls their style “rock and roll” which makes me think, like, Elvis! So it’s definitely personal opinion! xD

I like the new Christian rock group VERIDIA, and they have one (awesome) EP out now. It’s definitely harder rock, if that’s what you’re going for! =)

I would have to agree. The way he mixes the classic version with the more modern music is really cool. (Not to mention the original hymn is A-M-A-ZING!) 🙂

It wont dissolve in water.

YES!

I’ve played the piano for abut 7 years, and I like to pretend I can sing. 😉

Same. My top 3 are rap, rock and (brace yourself) Celtic! I’m just weird that way! XD

The comments or jello? or both? 😉

Both. 😉

Yeah, the local church had a youth concert like 3 weeks ago, so pretty recently 😀

Yep! Joined about 4 days ago. I AM LOVING IT!!!!

Ok, so Lecare is officially my new favorite. Thanks : D