~Is it Right for Christians to Listen to Secular Music?~

Just a short question on this post. I have a debate class at my home school group, and the topic is, "Is it right for Christians to listen to secular music?" I'm arguing that is is not right for Christian to listen to secular music. I did some research and got a couple of Bible verses that might contradict listening to secular music, but I want to hear your thoughts.

~Kade

24 comments:

Anonymous August 28, 2008 at 4:51 AM  

Before I give my response, how do you define 'secular'?

Liljd August 28, 2008 at 9:17 AM  

I was actually about to ask the same question. Like... Music with swearing and sinful themes? Or just not Christian?

Anonymous August 28, 2008 at 10:36 AM  

I'm going by the dictoinary definition:
"of or pertaining to the world"
-worldy.

Anonymous August 28, 2008 at 1:41 PM  

There is such a thing as 'common grace'. The Scriptures say "God richly provides us with everything to enjoy." 1 Timothy 6:17"Everything" would of course mean those which are not contrary to God and His word. Therefore, such music as classical, folk, patriotic anthems, ect. may be acceptable. Just like books or movies. We should draw the line where music, books, movies, or any thing contradicts Scripture.

Anonymous August 28, 2008 at 1:56 PM  

I quite agree, Regan. Another point I would like to add: this drawing of the line bit applies to everything, including so-called Christian music. Not everthing that marches under the banner of "Christian Music" is actually Christian. In fact, much "Christian" music is becoming increasingly secular in tone, much of it falling on the wrong side of the line that we draw.

Anonymous August 28, 2008 at 3:36 PM  

something to think about is that what you hear affects what you think, and as some one else put it:

Watch your thoughts; they become words.
Watch your words; they become actions.
Watch your actions; they become habits.
Watch your habits; they become character.
Watch your character; it becomes your destiny.

HTH!

Tori August 28, 2008 at 6:43 PM  

Good question. This is a gray area for many Christians.

I agree with Ryan when he said that a lot of "Christian" music isn't really Christian. Oh, they may have "Christian" lyrics, but the music itself is so rocky and loud that it drowns out the words, which causes us to concentrate on the beat. The words is what it's all about!

A lot of secular music contains swearing, an extremely rocky beat, and many of the topics are drugs, drinking, immoral boy-girl relationships, etc. Why in the world would we want to listen to anything like that?? Most of the beats make you want to move in a sensual, provoking way. Just another reason why secular music isn't good.

Another thing we should consider is the lifestyles of the singer(s). Are their lifestyles and outward appearance (dress, hair, etc.) reflecting Christ? This is a very important thing to think about! There are even "Christian" artists who look like rock stars and live a lifestyle that is not pleasing to the Lord!

Music can either hinder your spiritual journey or it can encourage you and allow you to draw closer to the Lord. We need to make sure that the music we choose to listen to does the latter. Contrary to popular belief (even from some Christians), music is so important to a Christian lifestyle. All Christians need to pray and ask the Lord to continue to shed light on our pathways regarding this issue.

But I don't want to say that ALL secular music is bad....there are some non-Christian music that our family enjoys. We enjoy oldies, in particular. But we try to make sure that it is something that would honor and glorify God.

Sorry for the long post!

Nicholas August 29, 2008 at 11:00 AM  

Kade- I agree that it is ok to listen to some secular music, only if it doesn't contradict what you know to be true.

Tori- I don't think that if some singer looks bad (earings all over his face, tatoos, or whatever) we should not listen to his music. If it is good with biblical teachings, I think it is ok to listen to. Now, you don't usually see that with good, solid, biblical music, but a lot of times what they look like pours into their music, and that can get pretty nasty. But you 'can't judge a book by it's cover' pretty much.
I agree with you about the music part. I cannot stand music that you can't hear the words or understand the meaning of the words. A lot of times 'Christian' music will start to get disrespectful. And that is when I start to question whether or not it is Christian music.

-Nick

cj August 29, 2008 at 5:45 PM  
This comment has been removed by the author.
cj August 29, 2008 at 5:47 PM  

Well, it depends on the song.

Listening to music that has swearing and promotes things that are sinful can be very damaging to your soul.

I do not think it is right for Christians to listen to music like that.

Besides, why would a Christian want to listen to music that would damage his/her soul anyway?

Anonymous August 29, 2008 at 6:41 PM  

Kade,

I think it is critical to get the moderator of the debate to define "secular." What part of the music makes it secular? What about it is worldly? Are we talking about secular genre, secular record label, or secular content? Without nailing down what "secular" means, the debate is an inevitable circular argument.

If we mean Christian music can only be one genre, I must ask: who decides which genre should be the Christian one? Is KJ-52 secular because he isn't CCM material? Is Disciple to be considered secular because the gain on their amp is turned to '10'? Also, how would this argument look in a situation where a variety of genres don't exist (think primitive, tribal areas of the world)? If a genre is more Christian than another, what do we tell the rest of the world?

If we mean Christian music is confined to CCM or a "Christian" music label, what happens when we get into an area where such recording labels don't exist? What about amateur garage bands who do not hold a recording contract? Are we to consider them a “seeker” band, since they are seeking a Christian label? Is their music not Christian until they join that label or get played on a certain radio station?

If we mean Christian music is centered on content, then we have some solid ground to stand on. We can measure the lyrical content against Scripture. If a song promotes vice, immorality, or any other kind of sin, no Christian should let that music enter his/her ear.

One thing I put up for consideration: music is often the best way to engage a sect of the culture. What if someone can rap really well, infiltrates a highly immoral gang area, and “preaches” the Gospel through song? What if a gangster hears the song and says, “Wow, this guy is talking in a way I understand, but that message is different than any I have ever heard”? What about the kid, like me, who loves the sound of rock music and guitar solos? What if a band brings that music I am familiar with and gives me the most important message I could ever hear? Should I shun it because it isn’t typically considered “Christian”?

Jimmy

Kade August 30, 2008 at 6:02 PM  

This is going to be a fun debate. I'm on the other side saying that it's ok to listen to secular music. I cann't tell you my deffenition because it's not the same as Kade's.

-Kole

P.S. I think Kade agrees with me. ;)

Anonymous August 30, 2008 at 9:42 PM  

Well, personally I think that
is it's ok to listen to secular music.

It's really hard to defend something that I don't believe in.

~Kade

Holly September 1, 2008 at 7:36 PM  

Hello,

Nice blog y'all have here. I found it from searching for blogs under the "homeschool" category....and came across this one!

I had a recent discussion on my blog that was similar. We talked about "Christian Rock". I'm having a hard time deciding if that even is worthy to listen to, so secular really isn't a question at this point for me. I was raised not to listen to the "world's" music. Not that all of it is bad, just that it's not very beneficial for Christians.

God Bless,
Holly

Holly September 3, 2008 at 4:54 PM  

Hello,

Nice to meet you Kade. Thanks for stopping by my blog. I'm looking forward to the post about Christian Rock. My friend, Jordan had a Christian Rock discussion on her blog, "Inspired Discussions". She actually used my blog post as the opener....if y'all would like to read it: www.homeschoolblogger.com/InspiredDiscussions

It's very interesting to read how many opinions there are on the subject. I was surprised that I got so many responses on my blog.

About Switchfoot, I like some of their music. But that's one thing I was wrestling with: Are they even Christian? After some research, I came to the conclusion that they might be Christians in their personal lives, but they are not a restrictively Christian band. And they don't want to be!

God Bless,
Holly

Holly September 3, 2008 at 5:01 PM  

I'm sorry, I think Kole commented on my blog, not Kade. My bad.

-Holly

Jordan Bethany September 4, 2008 at 9:24 AM  

Hey,

I found your blog through Holly's. I am her friend, Jordan, that she mentioned in one of her comments. It is very interesting how controversial this subject is. As Holly mentioned, I posted about this on my discussions blog, and couldn't believe how much response it got. If your looking for arguements on both sides of the discussion, then there are plenty provided in the discussions topics, here is the link once again- www.homeschoolblogger.com/InspiredDiscussions.

That is neat that you do a debate class in your homeschool group. I am doing a debate and speech club this year for the first time. They are affiliated with the NCFCA and Communicators for Christ. Its really neat, and I am learning a lot.

Your blog is neat and I look forward to reading your future posts.

God bless,
Jordan - teenperspectives.blogspot.com
christianmusician1.blogspot.com
homeschoolblogger.com/InspiredDiscussions

Holly September 4, 2008 at 4:24 PM  

Kole,

I think maybe I should clarify...I'm not writing about Christian Rock, I had just asked what people thought about Christian Rock on my blog a few weeks ago (its somewhere in the Aug archives). So you don't have to wait on me, I'm not posting about it. Thanks for your generosity though.
I'm Looking forward to your post...

God Bless,
Holly

Brantley Harris September 4, 2008 at 8:16 PM  

I addressed your question on Holly's blog, check it out.
Calvinist huh? So am I. Nice to meet y'all. Paedo or Credo?

BrittaH September 4, 2008 at 8:26 PM  

For me, it really depends on what the song is about. Most anything that doesn't contradict God's word, I'm okay with. I mean, I wouldn't want to listen to it alot, but its not something that I feel convicted not to listen to.

~Britta
Philippians 4:8

Anonymous September 6, 2008 at 12:34 PM  

Same here. I think there are alot of things in life that are nuetral. So as long as the music isn't damaging in any way, I think it's fine.

-Jordan

Brooke September 6, 2008 at 7:09 PM  

Hello!
Thanks for your comment and for stopping by my blog! You have a really nice blog as well. It's great to meet other Christian teens writing about things that matter. Keep it up!

Blessings,
Brooke.

Kade September 8, 2008 at 10:11 PM  

sorry guys! I'm falling off the horse again. I try to post tomorrow.

-Kole

Anonymous September 12, 2008 at 10:50 PM  

Fallen off the horse? Never heard that one

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