OPINION 2

March 20, Mon, 2006

I enjoy listening to all kinds of music if it is good and I am also a Christian and Adventist. Is there anything wrong with this belief? I am sure countless many have asked this same question. I was watching 3ABN and came across an interview with a former 'Hip Hop' artist who gave witness about how he changed his listening habits after having come to the Lord.

One thing that has not been made clear is what kind of music 'should' everyone who follow God must listen to today and who will set that standard, if assuming that drums and syncopated music (if it has 'sensual' overtones) is of evil origins? What's the original pure music that we now must listen to? Paradoxically on this same show, contemporary Christian music was presented with light 'rock music' very clearly present in a Christian group's music special.

There were several things of interest with many questions and comments I thought of sharing after I watched this show. So here is my opinion and commentary. You may feel free to respond to this article and I will post them here as well if you choose for your comments to be posted as a link to this commentary. Just as a note, having listened and enjoyed many kinds of good music over the years, I have remained vegetarian, drug free and everything else free except still counting on God for my journey of faith with all its ups and downs. Therefore, my experience of music does not necessarily speak for anyone else.

And so there is still this lingering question of how to define good music that is appropriate to the ears of a Christian? and what is the role of music in today's culture and life in general?

1. Music in general, good or bad, as you and I may define, does cross many boundaries across the world as an influence on anyone to do almost anything from being uplifted to the noblest to even suicide and self destruction through drugs and so on. But then, when we start to define what is good music or sacred music and what is not, we may run into the greatest source of controversy and confusion to anyone or any church, as it is a matter of taste to each individual, unless of course issues that underlie the whole discussion of music or food or anything that is good to consume by human beings is addressed without overly generalizing. This I think will shed light rather than a lot of heat so to speak. I also think that a clear standard should be established that is biblically sound taking into account the very subjective nature of music. Maybe you will disagree with me when I refer to the subject of music as being 'subjective'. Let me explain:

2. Before there was Christian Rock or Hip Hop and before there was any music, the devil deceived mankind to rebel and disobey God with the simple message that Man can be like God through a very appealing medium of food. So I think it is first important to make people aware that anyone can be deceived through any medium i.e., with or without music. Therefore, making people focus on the Truth and on God and His entire Word and following His principles of life for the here and beyond is the only safe way I think is the right path to understanding anything fully.

3. Once you begin to say that a particular form of music is bad in and of itself in very broad and general terms it does not enlighten anyone in very clear terms as to why a certain 'form' is better than other 'forms'. Some may agree on one format as being good while others may not and therefore a source of division, merely over formats and forms. The discussion also ends up being very superficial on what 'form' is good rather than how any form or medium is used. The Bible also states that some have the 'form' of Godliness but deny the power thereof. So I think the discussion should transcend formats. As a person ages, likes and dislikes of musical styles change. And today there are so many styles of music, so how does one decide? Should there be a Christian clearing house for what is good music? Music also changes with each generation and is continuously evolving into many forms and sub-forms. Music like language is merely a medium or a vessel I think and it is used to express or convey a message about something almost all of the time. It is used in commercials and worship places and many entertainment places, to entertain, to set a mood, to venerate, to dance, to praise, to adore and also to curse, to incite violence and to spread hate and so on. Most of the time, almost the same kind of instruments are used i.e., guitars, drums, keyboards, organ, piano etc. Certain forms are used to express a suitable message more appropriately than other forms, slow to fast, rhythms underlie most forms. So it is not easily understandable or convincing when I for example come up to you and say you should not listen to this form of music or that form because a certain form leads to rebellion and sin, as though listening to other forms will not make you rebel and sin, simply because rebellion or any evil transcends any one form and is rooted in the very sinful and fallen nature of man in general. It is also helpful to understand what the rebellion is about if we are talking about rebellion, rather than simply blaming an act of rebellion to the mere listening to some form of music. For example, Hitler was listening to some good classical music when he was also killing millions. The terrorists in the world I am sure are not listening to Rock or Rap music while getting ready to blow up innocent lives. It is therefore, paramount to diagnose the root cause of any problem before an accurate prescription is given.

For example, if I go on a murder spree and then blame my actions on listening to a certain music... that argument will not absolve me from any responsibility. Ultimately, I am responsible for my actions no matter how bad a certain music is. Can I blame music if I choose to disobey God? In that case, Man should blame the fruit or Satan himself for having disobeyed. Well, the blame game started right in the beginning and is continuing to this very day. And should I blame McDonald's for eating bad food? What I am saying basically is that each person should be encouraged to develop a wholesome and 'foolproof' set of values that will help in any situation to obey and follow all the principles that will preserve and protect one's life for the here and beyond. God I think has not called anyone to 'baby-sit' anyone else when it comes to matters of taste which music and food are. (Of course guidelines can be set) Or we have to establish a 'Christian Music Doctrine' which clearly spells out what kind of music one can listen to and what one should not. Is God calling us to do this? Will this not lead to all sorts of confusion and superficial divisions within the Christian community at large as is already the case? I can very well as a Christian, based on my taste and knowledge of music say that Gospel music is bad because of this and that and because it has roots in this or that pagan tradition. Will this really help anyone on how to decide what is good music, based on my taste and knowledge of music? Will listening to only one kind of music make me firmly rooted in the faith? It may help to a certain degree for sure but should we not focus on the underlying principle of how something is used, rather than what it is arbitrarily called or labeled? And speaking of rhythms, life itself is based on rhythms, fast and slow as appropriate, our very own hearts for example, so is it any surprise that music itself is based on human nature itself, a rhythmic being? As we know, 'bad' music of the long ago is now standard in many churches. I am also sure that many atheists don't listen to Rap or Rock music for that matter. This does not lead them to God or be saved either.

4. Contradictions: Even while we talk about avoiding certain forms of music, I even notice that many elements of rock music are used in Christian TV shows. So is it OK to be selective of the good elements of rock music? I even heard Southern Gospel with all the rock you can think of on these shows! Are we playing fast and loose with what is Rock and what is not, as we may like, while at the same time saying that Rock music is bad, instead of going deeper into what really matters? It should also be noted that almost all of today's modern or contemporary music is derived from Rock and Roll and Blues! So it becomes dicey when you and I have to agree on what is Rock and what is not and if it is good or bad. It is also very inaccurate and generalizing and the least bit enlightening when the whole entertainment industry is compared to a 'black hole' and sorcery and black magic and so on, instead of educating people about values and the importance of making value based decisions on individual works of art. Hollywood or Los Angeles or the Entertainment Industry is not this one monolithic entity that decides in lock step what anything is done. (They don't owe the Christian community anything whatsoever and 'they' will do whatever is in their self interest to promote anything they like). By generalizing, I think we are making judgment calls that are not ours to make. Name calling and vilifying is not going to help Christians reach out to those who need to be reached out by this kind of attitude. Instead, unnecessary barriers are being erected when we least can afford to do so. For example you can say that the entertainment industry was responsible to bring us movies like 'The Passion of the Christ, Gandhi and many good works of art, so are we to condemn 'Hollywood' in one fell swoop because they also make morally bad stuff? There are some times when a name can be assigned to a whole industry or belief or practice like the pornographic industry and so on, but only when the lines are clearly defined and is accurately done.

And by the way, not all sacred or non-rock music is uplifting either. Because music is more than just words or melody or any style of instrumentation, it has to be appealing to me personally, to some lesser or greater degree, so it is very personal and only I can decide, and many times I may just enjoy the music for its melody even though I may not understand all the words as much as I may want to or vice a versa. So I would rather wish that I am encouraged to decide based on certain transcendent values of what is good or bad, rather than forced to decide on some arbitrary formula like for example....a certain music is bad if it is loud, has loud drums and no melody... People should be encouraged to cultivate good habits and make positive life changing choices on the basis of that which is good for now and for eternity rather than on fear and abhorrence and superstition and because someone said so, other than God Himself of course.

If bad music is the one thing that all Christians need to escape from, then we might as well go up into the mountains where we will 'see no evil, hear no evil or do no evil' and we don't need to wait for Armageddon to happen, because the 'wrong' kind of music is so pervasive in today's society! OR does God want us to 'go into all the world...and become a living sacrifice, not being so easily offended by every bad thing that comes about. I don't mean to be sounding glib here. How are we going to be an effective witness, when we may think that honest disagreements over music formats is cause for separation from the 'Congregation' with our own fellow believers? What makes anyone think that Satan does not enter into places where only the Good Music is played or sung? Where do we draw the line with a true biblical approach?

I even heard many say that music should be only used to praise God. I totally agree on this, but this does not exclude me from listening or composing music expressing love toward another person or expressing feelings of joy or loneliness or disappointment or anger toward something or someone. If music should be used only for God, then we shouldn't be singing national anthems, Twinkle, twinkle little star, or Mary had a little lamb or Barney's song 'you love me and I love you' and so on. In which case also, the Song of Solomon should be removed from the Bible, including all the wedding songs and so on. Sometimes I wish that all the love in the love songs translate into long lasting love for one another. After all, what contradiction is there when the Bible says 'love your neighbor as yourself' and then even sing about it? I think that Music compliments and augments speech and language and therefore it can be used for whatever purpose one can think of. Doing so does not lead to excluding God from the center of one's life unless it is done with such intent. Some may say that you may lose sight of God without intent if you listen to music that is not praising to God. Well, if something is leading you away from God then by all means get rid of that, as the Bible says, if any eye offends you, pluck it out. If it is not, then it is not and let us not generalize and assume that our personal experiences in matters of taste be the same for everyone else! It is like saying that Chocolate is bad for me, therefore it must be bad for you too! How far can this kind of reasoning go? you know, basing everything on my personal experience, instead of what the Bible says and how it can be applied? Personal experiences can be helpful but to make doctrines and absolute statements out of that??? I can say for example, I have been saved after I stopped listening to Rock music. Great for me that I have been saved but is that all I have to say about my salvation? What if I am witnessing to someone who does not like Rock music anyway but who has not been saved?

Another question is can one group of people decide what kind of music some other group or congregation can or should play? I would venture to say, as is already the case, that the local congregation decides by consensus and by the Denomination's general guidelines and their understanding of the Bible, what is appropriate. As much as it is nice to have a standard that everyone follow, this is not going happen this side of heaven (the tower of Babel did that!) and I think should not be the cause of concern of any one else. As far as personal choices, I would say the same thing applies i.e., basing on my understanding of the Bible and what the Church in general teaches. And should we engage in dictating how a person behaves when listening to music? Like for example, if you are shaking too much and raising hands and...Is it anyone's prerorigative how someone behaves, unless it is a health or medical issue or if it is amounting to disorderly conduct? Are we going to play God and judge others as to how sincere they are or not based on any kind of music they may or may not listen to? Or de we look for opportunities to offer love and acceptance? and let them grow in the fullness of God's knowledge as revealed in the Bible and by your own example?

5. So what is my conclusion? Should we have guidelines on what is good music? Yes of course, but I would base any formula on what the Bible says first and foremost and that which makes absolute sense. ...and leave the rest to the believer. Philippians 4:8 ^"Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things." So a wide latitude is given in the Bible itself and each person is called to be accountable and responsible in the choices that are made. So please let us not generalize and micro-measure someone else's practice of faith or music choices. Someone might find something good in the most unlikely places, but it is God that will do the leading and those who seek Him will have the opportunity and responsibility of growing in the faith and those who have been saved have the responsibility of pointing the way to God and not to one's own personal likes and dislikes. In the human experience, there is a proper place for everything that includes feelings and thoughts and everything in between in good measure and in good proportion, and those values that will help us develop in a wholesome way, physically, mentally and spiritually should be encouraged. Instead of arbitrarily saying 'don't listen to Christian Rock or Christian Hip Hop, even though it may have good words and you may look very prideful' and so on and so on..., it might make more sense to say.. listen to that which will lead you to God or that which does not violate your beliefs explicitly or implicitly. And so music I think can be enjoyed in all its forms and styles if at the same time it does not lead you to the devil himself.

Enjoyment with Vigilance......You may not like Rap and I may not like Country but we all can love God and each other and every good thing that God has given in any style or any form...if it is good :) a choice, yours to make with God in the center. My favorite music is Hymns and my favorite song is that which has the words 'And He tells me I am His own...'  If only the world knows that we are His own...