Only listening to "Christian" music

When my family took the plunge into church life, I was in junior high, and one of the first rules was: no more “secular” music. I remember my brother had a hard time with this rule, as he had to rid himself of a pretty hefty collection of classic rock. Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, AC/DC…all in the garbage. Of course they were on cassette tapes, and as everyone knows, the only proper place for a cassette tape is in the garbage. In their musical place came the fabulous offerings from people like Steve Green, Sandy Patty, Amy Grant, Petra, and my personal fav, Stryper. Ahh Stryper. It made our musical listening quite…(how shall I say?) eclectic. From AC/DC to Amy grant—It was quite a leap.

Somewhere along the way “Christian” music became worth listening to. Bands like Switchfoot and Jars of Clay broke new ground lyrically and musically. The worship movement gave even more reasons to listen. Plus, they dressed better. (I once ran into Chris Tomlin’s band members at a conference and I'm still in awe of their fashion sense. I mean, who else can wear a scarf in the summer?)

But all of this still begs the question: should “Christian” music be the only thing on your playlist? After all, won’t it make you more holy? I mean, aren’t we supposed to keep ourselves separate from “the world?”

Here’s a few reasons why it may be better to balance your listening choices:

1. There’s no such thing as “Christian” music, only “Christian” people. It may be kind of obvious, but things can’t be Christians. Music cannot be, and neither can lyrics. Music can be good or bad based on taste. Lyrics can be good or bad artistically and morally.
2. We need to listen to today’s poets. Unfortunately, not all of them are saying good things, but they tell us about the people we are trying to reach. Paul did this in Athens in order to try to reach the people there (Acts 17:28). Musical artists are today’s poets, and they help us to understand the zeitgeist of our culture.
3. All truth is God’s truth. Another obvious statement, but if it’s true, we should seek truth in many places including books, movies, and songs. Human truth is universal, because God came up with it. Music is often a way to put heart behind those universals.
4. The artistry is going to be better if you look at a broad array of music, rather than just one niche. Please don’t hear this as “secular music is better than Christian music,” but rather as, music is music. There are better and worse forms of it. As a fan of jazz, for example, I would be missing out if I only listened to Christians who happen to play jazz.
5. It will make you appreciate “Christian” music more. Right lyrics coupled with right music can bring us to the throne room of heaven. Not all music can accomplish this, but some forms can better than others.

No matter what kind of music you listen to, the key is that it brings honor and glory to God in your heart, mind and your soul.

Thoughts?

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