QotW: Bad Music?

It is Wednesday so that means that I will answer a question that you asked. So here it is, “Hey Matt, does the Bible forbid listening to ‘bad’ music? What’s the deal, what does the good book have to say about what I listen to?” Thanks for the great question.

This question makes me feel old. It has been in my lifetime that “Contemporary Christian Music” has really come to the surface as a genre of music. There has been Christian music for a long time….like the gospel music my parents listened to when I was growing up. But semi-cool Christian music really started appearing in the late 80’s and early 90’s. I actually remembering borrowing my friends Michael W. Smith cassette tape (that’s right I told you I feel old), listening to Go West Young Man and thinking it was the most incredible thing I had ever heard (in retrospect that is why I qualified this as “semi-cool”). The first time I heard DC Talk I giggled like a school girl in delight. I had never heard Christian music that I actually liked…DC Talk was not semi-cool they were unbelievably cool. At this point you are probably rolling your eyes at my old man reflections and thinking that I am avoiding the question…so let me focus.

You want me to give a black and white answer. I think your question is really good and loaded with all types of implications.

Music is a gift from God and is a reminder that when humans express themselves creatively, we are reflecting the fact that we are made in the image of the ultimate Creator.

The Bible does not tell us that we have to listen to Christian music just because it is available. At the same time, the Bible does not tell us that we should just listen to whatever we want like as if it has no influence upon our souls…because it does. I am not going to give a black and white answer to this question because I really think it falls in the gray category.

We must be very careful about what goes through our ears, into your brain and ultimately resonates in our soul. Everyone one of us knows how influential music can be. If you are feeling sad you dial up an emo band on your iPod, hug your pillow and reflect on how hard life can be sometimes. I get that and have those days too. What we have to ask ourselves are questions like:

• Am I finding comfort and help from Jesus or my music?

• Is the music I am listening to causing me to thing about topics that lead me away from God?

• Has my music become an idol in my life?