A few days ago I posted an iTunes link to Facebook from one singer whose music I enjoy. This singer is not a Christian.
Not too long after that I receive a message from someone basically saying this:
I can’t believe that you promote people like that who are gay and drug addicts, etc. That does not go along God’s hand… Or does that mean that you don’t follow him anymore? I mean, everyone has their preferences and I don’t judge anyone, I am just surprised by this coming from the Christian guy I used to know. Take care.
Where do I start? Let me start with this, I used to be just like that. I used to believe that Christians should stick to Christian music, that music other than Christian music cannot edify you. Now? I don’t exactly believe that. By having that mindset I believe I was placing God in a box, a tiny little box and allowing him to speak to my life only through music made by Christians.
Let’s be clear, there is a good group of Christian singers and bands that are talented and whose music I follow, but there are a lot that, well, I don’t think put enough effort or talent into it. It takes more than lyrics about God to make good music, the fact that you are Christian does not necessarily make you a great musician. It takes time, effort, talent, creativity and being open enough to get rid of the cheesiness that has plagued Christian music for so long. I believe some are doing it, sadly, the majority isn’t.
On the other hand, I believe God can speak to us whichever way he desires to. I believe that if for some reason, God’s followers are prevented from singing his praises, even the rocks will cry out. Be it persecution or lack of effort and commitment from the ones that should be singing. I really don’t mean to blast Christians with this post, I just think we need to be a little more open minded and allow God to speak to us anyway he wants to. Personally, I have been blessed by God through lyrics of songs written by drug addicts and people whose lifestyles I do not condone.
I know that most of my musical preferences are not appreciated by some Christians. For example I am a fan of the craziness that is Lady GaGa, I like her music, her showmanship and her boldness to be different, to step outside of the boundaries and try her best to be great. I love creativity and that is something that I can see clearly in her and believe it or not I think it is a gift of God.
In some ways I can identify more with broken people, people who don’t have all the answers or are always in victory. It’s hard for me to identify with people that are always acting like everything is just perfect, I don’t buy it because I know it is not like that. I used to be like that, I used to live behind a Christian mask that showed others that now, since I have Jesus, my life is perfect. So, in some way I can see through that and feel sorry for people who live trying to show others what Christianity really isn’t. Christianity for me is so much more than that, why would we need faith if everything was perfect? Christianity for me is that no matter how broken, rejected, lost I am, Jesus loves me and wants to heal, restore and help me find the way.
I know this is coming away from my main topic, which was music, but the same and even worse can be said about films. As someone who in the future would like to work in movies I simply cannot stand some of the movies made my Christians, good intentions do not make good movies. I watched “One Night with the King” and I know it’s loved by many Christians but I just find it… Let’s just say that I didn’t like it at all, the movie or the King showing his hard nipples all throughout the hour and a half that the movie lasted. Ugh.
So, yes I listen to good music, music that I like and enjoy. If you are a Christian musician don’t settle for just praising God, be awesome at it, practice, try your best to be the best. Don’t be afraid to bring songs out of your brokenness because it is those songs that will be instruments to touch the lives of others.
I love God, and struggle everyday trying to follow him, but yes I still follow him. My life has been so changed since I decided to know him more that I just can’t do something else than following him. I have a hard time with some Christians though, I do not have to conform to your beliefs or live like you do. I did that and, for me, it didn’t work. It brought me a lot of distress and pain to live showing others the greatness of the Christian life when my life was so messed up inside. I would preach and then go back to my place of suffering, just to come out showing my mask and letting everyone see that it was all “OK”. Now, some years after that part of my life, even though I still have struggles and difficulties I don’t mind opening my life up to others and saying: “Yes, I am a mess“. I will not preach you a perfect, “TBN”, idyllic, utopic, warm and fuzzy life. I just can’t. But I can share what I am, a broken person, who even in pain and suffering was reached by a God who cares and, who I believe, loves awesome music. 
Great input… Like it a lot… Christian music sounds the same, is all copied around the world and everyone and their mom now has a CD out, I loved the part about practicing and being different, I think we were born to be different and God is the originator of the talented, creative, crazy music, God loves crazy!!
I could write a book here. In fact I’m working on a spin-off blog to Not Your Mom’s Music that will probably be called “Put a face on it”. I’m glad that you’re deciding to let the Divine out of the smaller and smaller boxes “Christians” try to put him in every day. God gave musicians, performance artists, writers, painters, sculptors, etc, etc their talent. In my comprehension of what is sacred & divine-if those talents are being used to bring us all together as a world community, to look past our physical, cultural and spiritual differences and work toward the ultimate goal of many spiritual doctrines – “loving one another” then they are using their art to glorify God/Goddess and it is blessed.
When those who follow a dogma of “find Jesus and your life will be perfect” and put an impersonal check in an envelop and mail it to some faceless charity practice what is really expected and the example of Jesus, then I will accept their theology as valid. But see they forget that Jesus was a homeless man that depended on strangers’ hospitality to survive once he set out on his ministry. He spoke out against all the ridiculous man-made rules that blinded people to the possibilities of blessings of mercy, justice and grace. The actual “Law” is really simple but man has a very time with that fruit of self control. He always seems to crave controlling his brother rather than showing him compassion. Jesus showed the disciples by example that if they “put a face on it”…got down and dirty with the masses, that compassion was an almost instinctive response. Helping a brother in need with your hands gets you past the fear and you will probably end up feeling some form of love in sharing their burden.
Ok I wasn’t going to say all that. What I was going to say is that we are all children of the same Great Spirit. We are all blessed with a talent, it is a gift. Finding it and using it to its fullest is our thank you for the present. To me the sin of music is the industry that manipulates it and presents us with cheap knock offs from talentless hacks to keep us in a state of lazy indifference. Its one of the many reasonss why my radio is usually tuned to the “alt” stations and I spend more time at club shows and festival tours with the truly creative who “preach messages” of broken hearts, political strife, lack of justice with conviction. They spend late, cold nights searching their souls for the perfect lyric, the most beautiful melody and then load it all into a beat up van and bring to us for very little profit. I have fed these troubadors, offered them safe warm shelter and always give genuine, warm loving hugs. Just cuz you have a huge record deal and a fancy tour bus-doesn’t mean that you are using your gift to it’s fullest or that you even have real talent. Singing “I love Jesus” don’t mean shit unless you can sing it hungry, cold, exhausted and broke and still mean every word of it.
I loved this: “Singing “I love Jesus” don't mean shit unless you can sing it hungry, cold, exhausted and broke and still mean every word of it.”
Great post.
Thank you!
Well said, Rand….I agree with you…and most Christian people do not understand. I have cried when I heard secular songs that touched me so much with powerful lyrics (one being Coldplay's -A Message). God can choose to use anyone He wants to and is not limited to “Christian Music”. The question to ask is, “Whatever is good and lovely, dwell on those things”. If God chooses to heal the unsaved to show His power, then I believe He can do whatever He pleases.
Music is about communicating with others. And honesty is something I value. If someone writes a song that has some philosophy or point of view that I disagree with, but they are being honest about how they feel and they are effective at communicating through the music, then I can connect with that. I am more interested in hearing honest songs wether it's from a Christian artist or not.
dude you said it all, i really appreciate it man
I gotta tell ya i listened to secular world music for years and some of it was good some even great but it never really did anything for me spiritually and I always wondered why. Why couldnt an artist give thanks to God? Now I know why because that is the way the world works and I gotta tell ya I will never listen to wordly music again,
thanks Jackie
This was pretty amazing – I too have worn the mask for years and taking it off has been scary yet so freeing. Free to live, dance, and love the things I believe that God has put in path. Thanks for sharing these thoughts.
I wanted to read about why you got the tattoo you got and stumbled across this. And it is effing awesome.
We'll have a coffee chat about it when I finally meet you.
Thanks for this.
I wanted to read about why you got the tattoo you got and stumbled across this. And it is effing awesome.
We'll have a coffee chat about it when I finally meet you.
Thanks for this.
yes, there maybe other music out there that may be uplifting and God can speak to us through whatever he desires, but keep in mind that there is always a spirit behind everything, and if God is not being glorified in all that we do, all that we listen to, then what business do we have giving it our attention. music is very powerful when saul had a bad spirit in him david would just play his instrument not saying any words and the tourmenting spirit would leave saul, and as far as lady gaga there is nothing in her lifestyle that glorifies God what so ever, and she is not being judged because as christians that we say we are we should be able to discern would God be pleased with us listening to certain things that have nothing to do with him. And keep in mind satan was the head musician in heaven he is the prince the air and one of the most ways he gets this generation is through music so we should be very careful what we listen to as we mature in christ coming in to the understanding of good and evil. 1samuel 16:14-23
i agree with Daphne….. the spirit of God leads you to all truth, and we shall worship him in spirit and in truth, unless God as sent u on assignment you have no business listening to any kind of music just because you feel the person maybe talented, because the word also says that gifts come without repentance, yes no one is perfect however Jesus is our example and Christ is coming back for a bride without spot or wrinkle, so we must try our best to live up to the guidelines that God has for us in his holy word, there is a standard we must live up to, we are suppose to be trying to win souls for the kingdom of God not conforming to the ways of this world for the word also says we are in this world but not of this world, and any one who loves this world and the things in it the love of God is not in them. Do not be deceived!!!
Wow, I loved this: Singing “I love Jesus” don’t mean sh*t unless you can sing it hungry, cold, exhausted and broke and still mean every word of it.