Passively lurking on some Facebook friends today and I came across this poor soul… Here are the only four reasons Ive ever heard Christians give for why they are against certain genres/styles of music (lyrics notwithstanding): 1. Its worldly (i.e. has stylistic ties to a sinful music culture) 2. It induces sinful emotions (i.e. sensuality, rage, depression, anxiety etc.) 3. Its bad quality (i.e. boring, simplistic, or repetitive) 4. Its chaotic and doesnt reflect Gods character (i.e. dissonant and/or arrhythmic) Here are my thoughts on each of the points: 1. A particular genre will only hold negative connotations if one is already familiar with the sinful variations (i.e. If Ive only ever listened to reformed rap it wont remind me of gangster rap) 2. Some try to prove this scientifically (like a thumping bass drum forces people to feel uninhibited) but if not, then its purely personal and subjective 3. This will always be an arbitrary distinction; for how good of quality does music need to be to be worthy of being listened to? Again, its somewhat subjective. 4. Difficult to sustain in argument. God created orderly things like math, but he also created chaotic things like volcanoes. Again, this will always be an arbitrary distinction. For how much dissonance or syncopation is allowable before the music becomes defiled? Conclusion: Be wise in your choice of music. 1. If certain genres draw you in to a sinful music culture, you probably shouldnt listen to them. 2. If certain genres induce sinful emotions, dont listen to them. 3. Seek to refine your musical taste buds and dont be content only listening to musical junk food. 4. Be aware of the worldview behind certain genres (there is self-conscientiously atheistic music) and listen to music that reflects Gods glory and beauty in their manifold display.
Posted on: Fri, 29 Nov 2013 18:35:19 +0000
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