Growing up Christian means growing up conflicted about popular music. Different families and churches handle it in various ways, but it's generally true that all secular music (What Everyone Listens To) is seen as either potentially dangerous or completely taboo, and all Christian music is God-ordained, having been baptized and all that.
For many Christian adolescents and young adults, there's a two-fold problem with this dynamic of their religious culture:
1. Christian music is usually not as good, and definitely not as hip, as secular music.
2. Some secular bands sing Christian messages, hail from Christian backgrounds, or occasionally sport Christian t-shirts. ("The record label says 'EMI,' but they sure do seem to be singing about Jesus. And I hear their drummer goes to church!")
The issue of what's Christian and what's not is, therefore, complicated. It was easier when I was a kid, because secular labels were secular labels (with their Cure and their George Michael) and Christian labels were Christian labels (with their Amy Grant and their Michael W. Smith). But even then Stryper came along and confused things, and Amy Grant went all VH-1.
Today things are murkier, since most Christian labels are owned by major mainstream labels, and artists from Common to Arcade Fire have compelling religious undertones, and the Switchfoots and Carrie Underwoods of the world make any kind of doctrinal distinction in the pop landscape seem silly. Is it okay for a Christian band to create vague love songs that can apply to God as well as to human lovers? If a Christian band has a mainstream hit, has it sold out? What about all the sexy pop singers--Britney, Jessica, and virtually every American Idol contestant--who were raised in church? Are they somehow still sufficiently Christian?
In short, what's a Christian to listen to?
Burn or Burn is here to help.
From time to time, we will review a new album or video by a musical act that falls into this precarious borderland between Christian and secular. We'll ascertain the meaning of the band's message, and render a verdict: Either "burn" the album in the virtual bonfire, never to be listened to again for want of clear religious value, or "burn" the album onto multiple CDs and MP3 players and share with all your friends. (We'll have two writers weigh in for one side each when it's a major band or very important album. That means you, R.E.M., so hurry it up.)
Next up: Yours truly takes on the curious case of Mute Math.
Followed by: Nicole Symmonds on Common's latest release.
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So,what is okay for Christians to listen to? I say it is okay to listen to non Christian music, as long as it has no bad words and inopropreate things
i think christians should listen to any music they like, unless it's anti-christan because if it's anti-christan that could hurt your opinion on God, an dyou could end up in a very bad place when you die, and i mean a really bad place, the music shouldn't have swearing in it either
by iT
I thought it was very complicated to understand it but I got it pretty well. I like secular music more than christian music. That is a bad habbit I am trying to get off it. Thanks for the article.
Thank you for the article, I love secular music, and I am a christian. I am greatful to see that others are not intimidated by music just because we are christians.
I am a christian hip-hop artist by the name of MELE MEL 'The Poetic Prophet' I think this is an issue of great significance. The fact is that the average person absolutely LOVES music and is not willing to let it go for reasons that are not visual. Meaning people don't see how it effects the spirit and can't always see their immediate change after listening to secular music. We think it is innocent and harmless and nothing more than mere entertainment. When the fact is that "the power of life and death is in the tongue." When you hear a song who's context consist mostly of pain and heartache does it not trigger certain emotions, when you hear uplifting and upbeat music does it not trigger inverse emotions. One thing that helped me and can hopefully help you is; just because something isn't drastically wrong doesn't make it right. Being less evil than than most doesnt make you good. A powerful quote by Rev Dr William H Curtis "Heaven is full of good people who didn't know CHRIST!" We listen to secualr music because we simply love it and we don't have enough discipline to let it go. Then what would we listen to you ask? Becuase christian artist may not be as gifted or artistic as your current secular artist, right? I BOLDY SAY AND BELIEVE THAT NO ARTIST ON THIS PLANET HAS A GIFT GREATER THAN THAT OF AN ANOINTED CHILD OF GOD CALLED TO SPREAD HIS WORD THROUGH MUSIC!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!GOD BLESS ALL OF YOU!
www.myspace.com/melemelpoeticprophet
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