The Shallow Psychology and Theology of Christian Music

I hate popular Christian music. I think it is sappy, stupid, idiotic, annoying and trite. The author of this piece mentioned such music makes him happy. It makes me retch. I don’t know why, but I’ve never liked Christian music.

I’m pretty much with Tyler on most CCM, but the priest gives something of an interesting challenge; does the music sing of problems specifically? How much of our music, CCM or old, does this? I’m drawing a blank, really, except to point out that what he suggests sounds an awful lot like classic country & western, or perhaps bluegrass.

Which is fine, but if we think “Jesus is my boyfriend” lyrics are bad, imagine singing a song in church about how we’ve all fallen into fornication or something. Spinster Aunt Zelda would be so pleased with the music pastor…as would the Sunday School teachers that would get the chance to explain the concept to the eight year olds in their classes, not to mention parents.

I am definitely with Tyler and Bert on this one (accept where Tyler says he never liked Christian music). I love good Christian music. Right now I am sitting in my study listening to the 16 Singing Men. I am sure you younger guys have no idea who they are or were.

A few weeks ago we visited a Bible believing church in our area. When it became time for the music the “music team” got up led by a young attractive blond in a short skirt (nothing wrong with being young, attractive, or blond). With mike in hand she swayed to the beat of the music. I couldn’t help but think of what A W Tozer wrote in 1955. Although not specifically speaking of music, he wrote “For centuries the Church stood solidly against every form of worldly entertainment … She appears to have decided that if she cannot conquer the great God of Entertainment she may as well join forces with him and make what use she can of his powers. So today we have the astonishing spectacle of millions of dollars being poured into the unholy job of providing earthly entertainment for the so-called sons of heaven”.

It might be noted that if in whatever form, a church’s music qualifies as “entertainment”—providing mostly amusement or enjoyment—we do not need to quibble over whether that particular entertainment qualifies as “worldly” in the Biblical sense of being (1 John 2:16) the “lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life.” We simply need to ask the question of whether the music prepares God’s people to meet with Him by communicating His Word to them in lyric form. If the answer is “no”, then no quibbles over the skirt or whatever are necessary.

OK, some argument there as well—how do we determine whether music in the church (or on a radio station) fulfills that role? But I think it gives us a path forward.