Should Christians listen to secular music?

I voted yes - but we must understand the Philippians 4:8 caveat, and the authors cite that verse.

I voted yes and I’m looking forward to being told what kind of secular music I can listen to to. I’ll reserve further comment until then. All I’ll say that in my home my wife and I have considerably different definitions of what is “beautiful”.

To be truly spiritual, you must only surround yourself with “approved” Christian stuff. For more on what is “secular” and what is “holy,” see the student handbook of any unaccredited, KJVO bible college. Or, ask yourself, “What would John Hamblin do?”

On a serious note, just ‘cuz I feel in the mood to generate controversy, I always thought the Led Zeppelin song “Thank You” was one of the most beautiful pieces of rock music I ever heard. The lyrics are good.

I got to get rid of my Pipes and Band of the Royal 43rd Highland Regiment (Now 3 SCOTS) and my three volume set of the Complete Sousa Marches?

“Whatever is under the whole heavens is mine.”

The seemingly never-ending arguments about what kind of secular music Christians can listen to aside, the larger, umbrella discussion is an important one to have. Throughout much of conservative evangelicalism and cultural fundamentalism (although, I don’t like separating the two) the sacred/secular divide that denies God’s lordship over all creation still runs rampant. The fact that the question needs to be asked and answered reveals how much neo-Platonism still infects our churches.

” I am convinced, being fully persuaded in the Lord Jesus, that nothing is unclean in itself. “

Yes, but what does that “in itself” mean? (setting aside that he was referring to ceremonial laws and rules about food)

The Story of the Bible reveals that the Fall has affected everything. Things are not functioning the way God originally created them. For me, I think that the question that needs to be asked when interacting with entertainment is how has the Fall affected this specific thing? Has this thing been so perverted by sin as to cause me to wander after ungodliness? For example, within the boundaries of marriage (between one man and one woman) nudity is good and right even though nudity is still negatively affected by sin even within the context of marriage. But nudity outside of that boundary, like in strip club, is a perversion of nudity’s “goodness” to the point where it’s outright rebellion against God. Extending this, nudity in front of doctors wasn’t part of original Creation. We need to see doctors because of the effects of the Curse. We can recognize that nudity in a doctor’s office isn’t “good” while still recognizing that it’s good and right within the context of our Fallen condition.

As a lover of “secular” music, I reject the notion that music is amoral. I believe that’s a made-up term devoid of content.

I remember eating in a group at a restaurant, with one of the group being an IFB pastor. A Buddy Holly song (I couldn’t say now which one) began to play in the background. The pastor became irate. He stormed up to the host stand, and demanded that “that wild music” be turned off. The bewildered-looking host agreed to shut it off, and it was quickly gone…..

On a different occasion, with a different pastor, the offensive music in a restaurant was Don McLean’s 1971 #1 hit American Pie, which is ironically an ode to the 1959 plane crash that took Buddy Holly’s life.

Was it at one time just that expected among IFB’s that public restaurants be “rock-and-roll” free zones?

Thank you John for making me think on a Monday morning………and for preventing me from the tactic of using a verse out of context as a proof text! (Smile) Love you brother.

I wrote:

Has this thing been so perverted by sin as to cause me to wander after ungodliness?

Lest anyone is tempted to quote Matthew 15:18-20 at me (not expecting it from the SI regulars), I’m going to provide some clarification.

It is absolutely true that I don’t need “things” to wander after ungodliness. That’s why I need Jesus. However, with his statement recorded in Matthew 15, Jesus wasn’t saying that nothing outside of us causes us to sin. He was saying we’re sinners regardless; nothing external to us is required to cause us to rebel against God. However, Jesus’ statement doesn’t refute the Story of the Bible (which is a nonsensical thought). While I don’t need strip clubs to wander after ungodliness, I promise you that if I view Matthew 15:18-20 as literally wooden as progressive “Christians” do and use it to justify going to strip clubs, the strip clubs will cause me to wander after ungodliness. In that imagined scenario, my justification for going to strip clubs demonstrates what Jesus said in Matthew 15:18-20.

My personal take is that given the current status of Christian music, at least among white evangelicals, we seriously need to listen to “secular” music because they show us the way out of the morass we are in. Things that really irritate me include the apparent thought that turning up the volume or adding more instruments (playing the same melodies and harmonies at best) somehow makes things more musical, lyrics that can only charitably described as doggerel/love song material, and even use of instrumentals that are about as satisfying as the back track to “Hooked on Phonics.”

I love black gospel, bluegrass, classical, Gregorian chant, ancient hymns, singing the Psalms (Geneva and modern versions), Jesus Freak music, and more, but when it comes to CCM and even a lot of the stuff coming out of BJU and the like, the train has just plain come off the rails. We need to get out more and remember the characteristics of good music—melodies, harmonies, lyrical development, and finally I think we need to do it with a closer eye on Scripture. One of the things that is highly irritating, but hard to put a finger on, is song lyrics that are technically true, but are spiritually meaningless because they are either interchangeable with love song lyrics, or they simply do not have the “mood” that Scripture uses.

And an update: just to be clear, per John’s comment, there are certain places where I say “no more.” Generally it is an “ick” factor to do with the lyrics, and sometimes it’s also an irritating mood to the instrumentation/melodies/harmonies. Or lack thereof. But all in all, Christian musicians need to pay attention to, and learn from, secular counterparts.

John,
Would you separate music that is appropriate for worship from music that is appropriate for leisure? Or are all musical forms and styles appropriate for worship? I realize this is a different question from simply, “should Christians listen to secular music?” (Note: I listen to secular music…to an extent)
When I visited your church last year, I found myself more at home with the worship than I have in most fundamentalist churches.

CAWatson wrote:

John,

Would you separate music that is appropriate for worship from music that is appropriate for leisure? Or are all musical forms and styles appropriate for worship? I realize this is a different question from simply, “should Christians listen to secular music?” (Note: I listen to secular music…to an extent)

Yes, I see a difference between musical styles that are appropriate for worship and for leisure. The purpose of corporate worship is that, to worship corporately. Some music styles do not lend themselves to worshipping corporately. Not long ago, I was visiting a church that had a praise band. The band was excellent. Except I couldn’t hear myself singing, much less hear my brothers and sisters in Christ around me singing. That experience only reconfirmed for me why I’m opposed to certain styles of music and instruments in corporate worship.

I’ve said this before, but my senior pastor is greatly amused that those who want to advocate for a praise band or even drums come to me first. They look at me and assume, “Here’s a pastor who will agree with me.” Nope.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DXDGE_lRI0E&list=RDhbBZZObVl3g&index=2

Is this song suitable for worshipping God with? Or, being CCM, is it secular (or “secular-like”) in the view of anyone here?

I know some IFB’s who say they love this song (and have sung it in their churches), and conversely others who (at least officially) loathe it.