Q: #53. Is listening to non-Christian music wrong?
A: I think the key thing that needs to be considered here is the lyrics.
Are the lyrics focused on sinful things? Is there swearing in the song? Would
you feel comfortable listening to it if Jesus was sitting next to you?
We are told in (1 Cor 10:31) to do all things to the glory of God. If we
are listening to music that goes against God given Biblical guidelines, He
certainly isn't glorified.
One thing I have learned about this personally, and I suspect it is true
for you as well, is that we tend to sing and hum the songs to which we have
recently been listening, as we go through our day. If we are listening to
songs that glorify and encourage sinful things, or have swearing in them,
we end up singing about these things during the day. On the other hand, if we
are listening to music that glorifies the Lord, we will be singing and humming
songs to glorify the Lord throughout our day. Wouldn't you rather be repeating
songs that glorify God?
Job said in (Job 31:1), "I made a covenant with mine eyes." This is a great
verse in the Bible. What Job was saying in the rest of this verse is that he
did not want to look lustfully at a woman; however, this is something that we
should carry over into all areas of our lives. We should make a covenant with
our eyes not to look on ANYTHING that will cause us to sin or place bad images
in our minds. This includes sinful t.v. shows or movies. I believe we would
also be wise to make a covenant with our EARS not to listen to anything that
speaks of sinful things or places bad images in our minds.
I was actually watching the secular news just last night and they were
having a discussion on how Christian rock music is really starting to explode
in growth. They were making the point that Christian music is starting to
appeal to greater and greater numbers of people, because you can hear the same
type of instrumental sound, without all the evil and ungodly lyrics that many
secular bands use today. I truly believe that people are starting to get tired
of the filth found in so much of our recent music.
Let me add here; however, that a small minority of "Christian" groups
sometimes go over the line, especially the more heavy metal, alternative,
and hard rock bands, so it pays to be cautious at times. It is also a bit
disconcerting to me that with some groups, you can go a whole concert or CD
without hearing the name of Jesus mentioned at all... But, that is for another
discussion.
It is said that for every secular (non-Christian) band, there is a
Christian band that sounds similar. I have found for the most part, this is
true. If you have never really checked out Christian music, give it a try! There
are Christian radio stations all over the country and most likely one near you.
If there isn't one in your area, just run an online search for "Christian Radio"
and you will have numerous options to listen to online.
I would also suggest if you are looking for a Christian band that sounds
similar to a non-Christian group you enjoy, go to a local Christian bookstore
and see if they have a free booklet that matches up Christian and secular bands
for similar types of sound. Our local Family Christian Store carries this
booklet.
