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. You can find comparisons by putting “secular/Christian music comparison chart” in an online search.
Check out some Christian music if you have never given it a try! There are Christian radio stations all over the country, and there is most likely one near you. If you can’t find one in your area, just run an online search for “Christian Radio” and you will have numerous options to listen to online. (The top Christian radio station in the U.S., and my favorite is KLOVE.com.)