John Sleadd August 6, 2007
I am amazed at how opinionated some people can be about music. I once saw a bumper sticker that read, “If it ain’t Country, it ain’t music!” Is God like that? Does He have strong preferences about what He likes and doesn’t like? Did Jesus have any favorite music when He walked the earth? Does He have any favorites now? Imagine the wrist band possibilities that could be marketed on the subject: WWJS (What would Jesus sing?) WWJH (What would Jesus hum?). How about an ankle bracelet: WMWJUIC (What music would Jesus use in church?)
Artistic Freedom
I believe God grants Christians the freedom to enjoy and use virtually any style of music, both privately and corporately, provided it brings Him glory and does not condone, minimize or produce sin. I’ll call it the Permission Principle, wherein Christians are allowed to exercise artistic freedom, with respect to music, unless a clear biblical prohibition contradicts it. The opposite would be the Prohibition Principle, wherein everything is forbidden unless the Bible clearly commands or condones its use. Since it’s important to know what God’s opinion about music is, I decided to search the Bible for clues. Here are the results of a scripture search at BibleGateway.com (ESV).
Things “God Loves”
His people (2 Chr. 2:11)
righteousness and justice (Ps 33:5)
God’s sanctuary (Mal. 2:11)
the world (Jn 3:16)
a cheerful giver (2 Cor. 9:7).
Things “God Hates”
pagan pillars (Deut. 16:22)
the wicked (Ps. 11:5)
haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that make haste to run to evil, a false witness who breathes out lies, and one who sows discord among brothers (Pr. 6:16-19)
robbery and wrong (Jer. 65:8)
hypocritical feasts and assemblies (Amos 5:21)
evil hearts and false oaths (Zechariah 8:17).
Music is not mentioned, so we are left scratching our noggins. The prophet Amos declares that God does not enjoy music in a particular instance: “Take away from me the noise of your songs; to the melody of your harps I will not listen. But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream” (Amos 5:23-24). This has more to do with the hypocrisy of the people than with the quality of the music.
I did a keyword search for “shall not,” and “will not,” and looked for passages that prohibited any form of music. No results. Next, I searched for “shall sing,” “will sing, and “make music,” and came up with 30 passages. Since music is stated positively in scripture without a single contextual prohibition, it is reasonable to assume that Christians may freely enjoy a wide variety of musical styles, both privately at home and corporately at church.
Permission In Practice
If we assume freedom in making musical choices, then we must consider the parameters of our freedom. An artist might consider all colors equally valid, yet choose particular colors for a given purpose in a painting. If a painter’s objective is to depict a pristine mountain lake, he may select cool colors (blues & greens) from his palette instead of warm, earth tones. This is true with music as well. If a worship leader’s objective is to choose musical accompaniment to match lyrics that declare God’s holiness, he may select a style of music that is majestic, rather than, say, rebellious. This is mostly common sense. In the same way that we don’t typically hear harps playing at a basketball pep rally, we don’t usually hear driving punk rock music played during a worship service. Why is that?
I was driving home from a camping trip with my children and their friends recently, when I decided it would be fun to surf the FM channels to sample the music of the culture. We chose an alternative rock station and a country station and listened to about four songs from each, after which I asked if there was an identifiable sound and theme. We observed that the rock station featured driving bass, drums, and distorted guitars that accompanied songs about rebellious discontent and self-absorption, which were sung (or screamed) by young men with colossal bad attitudes. On the country station we observed a much lighter form of accompaniment (which usually included a fiddle somewhere in the mix), and songs about sentimental self-justification or love sick complaints twanged and whined by cowboys and cowgirls. Everything we listened to proclaimed a secular, worldview message that was thoroughly man-centered, although some of the country songs referred to God as if He were some kind of good old boy in the sky. I found none of the music offensive, though, only the lyrics. Is it possible to sanctify these musical styles by inserting Christian lyrics? I think so. Allow me to explain.
The Purpose of Music
Since the Bible tells us to sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs to the Lord (Colossians 3:16) and to make music (Psalm 101:1) and sing new songs (Psalm 33:3), we have an obligation to use our creative gifts to give Him glory. It’s easy to assume that God likes church songs with lyrics that bring Him glory. But what about instrumental music? If there are no lyrics, how do we know whether a particular style of music is God-honoring? And if the lyrics are what give a song its moral value, then can worldly songs be transformed by changing their lyrics? Music is an expressive art form that includes the elements of melody, harmony, rhythm, form, balance, dynamics, tone, and more. When these elements are creatively combined, particular styles are generated with almost unlimited variations. Marches differ from lullabies, ballads differ from waltzes, anthems differ from arias. Music can be uplifting and energizing or soothing and sedating.
The challenge is to combine the right style of music (which includes the instruments used) with the lyrics that will articulate and clarify the theme of the song. Is the raw energy and driving beat of the Indie rock style suitable for accompanying lyrics about God’s power as our mighty defender? Could lyrics about the love of Christ be put to a country pop tune with a bit of fiddle added? In order to answer these questions, I think it’s useful to categorize music into three basic purposes.
Music for personal enjoyment:
It seems to me that Christians have the freedom to listen to virtually any style of music they prefer, as long as they do not use their liberty to sin or to cause others to sin. We must keep in mind that the Bible tells us to focus on things that are virtuous and to put aside things that are foolish, coarse and immoral. We are to flee from sin, not accommodate it.
Music for corporate edification:
In order to have unity in the body of Christ, we are required to tolerate the musical tastes of others, which is good for us. Our deference to one another keeps us from becoming little Pharisees of music, stuck on exalting our own opinions. The music we enjoy together should serve to unite us rather than divide us. If you like polka played on the accordion, and I like blues played on a tenor sax, we should put up with each other. We should agree that the lyrics of our favorite music should be God-honoring. We should also agree that church music of the past is a blessing and a treasure to be respected. It helps keep us from chasing after the latest musical fads.
Music for corporate singing:
Scripture is chock full of references to singing, so it stands to reason that the music we use in church should inspire us to sing with great joy. If the accompaniment is too dominant, too unpredictable, too complex, or too mediocre the quality of our congregational singing is diminished. The musical choices that we make for congregational singing should serve to increase both our skill and our delight in singing. The sing-ability of certain styles of music, then, becomes an important consideration. Excellent music, paired with doctrinally sound lyrics that exalt the Lord and edify the body, is the goal.
Southern Rock On Sundays?
Now let’s put these principles to the test. Let’s say I like Southern Rock as a musical style, and I want to hear it used more in church on Sunday mornings. Can I transform and use the formerly popular song, “Gimme Three Steps,” by the band, Lynyrd Skynyrd, but change the lyrics to make them Christian. Since the original song has to do with a guy who gets threatened by the boyfriend of a chick he tries to pick up at a bar, there are several obstacles that must be overcome in order for this song to be “redeemed” and “sanctified.” I'll need to work my way through a few questions.
What is the quality of the music?
Okay, so Lynyrd Skynyrd was one of the most critically acclaimed Southern Rock bands of the 1970s. This implies that they were pretty talented musically. So far, so good, unless you consider the 70s to be America's most embarrassing decade, including the music that it birthed.
What is the origin of the music?
Southern Rock emerged out of rock n’ roll, which emerged out of rhythm and blues, which emerged out of a combination of African American and English folk music, which emerged out of something else, and on it goes. Since most of the origins are considered “worldly” and little of it was ever sanctioned by the church, I might bog down here. The term “rock n’ roll was originally chosen because of its sexual connotations. This might be a problem if the goal is to glorify God.
What are the current associations of the music?
If no one recalls the song, “Gimme Three Steps” and no one has knowledge of the origins of Southern Rock and it’s ties to rock n’ roll, then there may not be problem. On the other hand, someone might remember such things. What if Southern Rock has gotten worse over time? Some of the bands that have evolved out of Southern Rock include the Cowboys from Hell, Southern Sludgecore, and Eyehategod. Since I’ve never heard their music I can’t say much about them other than what their names imply. This, of course, is little more than guilt by association, but it’s still a consideration.
What are the results of the music’s use?
If allowing your dog to come into the house and sleep on the sofa is a good way to test whether you will like pooch hair on your couch, then this question is useful. You could use “Gimme Three Steps, ” but, change the title to “Gimme Three Fish,” and see what happens. Of course you'd probably change the verses and chorus too. If members of the church started listening to Eyehategod and they got corrupted by the worldly messages, then you might have produced some undesirable consequences. However, if the Southern Rock style invigorates holiness and service in the body, then rock on.
I must confess that I like popular music of many styles, and I can handle a dose of Southern Rock, too. In the same way that a first century Christian, according to the Apostle Paul, could freely eat meat sacrificed to pagan idols, without fear of defilement (1 Corinthians 10:25), Christians today can probably consume secular music without being corrupted. On the other hand, Paul warned certain Gentile believers to not eat meat sacrificed to idols (Acts 15:29). The case could be made, then, that some Christians should not listen to worldly music. It’s kind of like a little old lady who buys a bank robber's getaway car and drives it to church on Sunday. The car is not wicked. It was just used by a wicked thief. Driving the car won't make her a bank robber. Now if it's a flame painted, low rider with gargantuan subwoofers and bullet holes in the trunk, it might make you wonder why she bought that car.
In It But Not Of It
There will always be tension for Christians to be in the world, yet not of it. We are commanded to be separate from the world, yet live as servants in it and take dominion of it. We are to be light-bearing ambassadors of grace to our dark and troubled society. We are to communicate the gospel to those around us in ways they can understand, which includes using the powerful influence of music. I realize that most of my assertions and arguments have swerved back and forth across the center line on the road of reason. I’ve tried to avoid the ditch on either side. I’ve condemned worldly music on the one hand, and made allowances for its redemption on the other. I apologize for being unwilling to tell you how to think, but hopefully, I’ve got you thinking more about your own musical presuppositions. This whole issue is, after all, an ongoing conversation. There’s much more to be said. For now, the best way for me to conclude is by prayer.
Lord, give us wisdom to serve You better. Help us to worship You in Spirit and in Truth. Help us to use your good gift of music to magnify Your name among the nations. Give us a heart and a mind for holiness and purity and service. Give us the strength to transform the culture, but not be conformed to it. May Your kingdom come and Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
I am amazed at how opinionated some people can be about music. I once saw a bumper sticker that read, “If it ain’t Country, it ain’t music!” Is God like that? Does He have strong preferences about what He likes and doesn’t like? Did Jesus have any favorite music when He walked the earth? Does He have any favorites now? Imagine the wrist band possibilities that could be marketed on the subject: WWJS (What would Jesus sing?) WWJH (What would Jesus hum?). How about an ankle bracelet: WMWJUIC (What music would Jesus use in church?)
Artistic Freedom
I believe God grants Christians the freedom to enjoy and use virtually any style of music, both privately and corporately, provided it brings Him glory and does not condone, minimize or produce sin. I’ll call it the Permission Principle, wherein Christians are allowed to exercise artistic freedom, with respect to music, unless a clear biblical prohibition contradicts it. The opposite would be the Prohibition Principle, wherein everything is forbidden unless the Bible clearly commands or condones its use. Since it’s important to know what God’s opinion about music is, I decided to search the Bible for clues. Here are the results of a scripture search at BibleGateway.com (ESV).
Things “God Loves”
His people (2 Chr. 2:11)
righteousness and justice (Ps 33:5)
God’s sanctuary (Mal. 2:11)
the world (Jn 3:16)
a cheerful giver (2 Cor. 9:7).
Things “God Hates”
pagan pillars (Deut. 16:22)
the wicked (Ps. 11:5)
haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that make haste to run to evil, a false witness who breathes out lies, and one who sows discord among brothers (Pr. 6:16-19)
robbery and wrong (Jer. 65:8)
hypocritical feasts and assemblies (Amos 5:21)
evil hearts and false oaths (Zechariah 8:17).
Music is not mentioned, so we are left scratching our noggins. The prophet Amos declares that God does not enjoy music in a particular instance: “Take away from me the noise of your songs; to the melody of your harps I will not listen. But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream” (Amos 5:23-24). This has more to do with the hypocrisy of the people than with the quality of the music.
I did a keyword search for “shall not,” and “will not,” and looked for passages that prohibited any form of music. No results. Next, I searched for “shall sing,” “will sing, and “make music,” and came up with 30 passages. Since music is stated positively in scripture without a single contextual prohibition, it is reasonable to assume that Christians may freely enjoy a wide variety of musical styles, both privately at home and corporately at church.
Permission In Practice
If we assume freedom in making musical choices, then we must consider the parameters of our freedom. An artist might consider all colors equally valid, yet choose particular colors for a given purpose in a painting. If a painter’s objective is to depict a pristine mountain lake, he may select cool colors (blues & greens) from his palette instead of warm, earth tones. This is true with music as well. If a worship leader’s objective is to choose musical accompaniment to match lyrics that declare God’s holiness, he may select a style of music that is majestic, rather than, say, rebellious. This is mostly common sense. In the same way that we don’t typically hear harps playing at a basketball pep rally, we don’t usually hear driving punk rock music played during a worship service. Why is that?
I was driving home from a camping trip with my children and their friends recently, when I decided it would be fun to surf the FM channels to sample the music of the culture. We chose an alternative rock station and a country station and listened to about four songs from each, after which I asked if there was an identifiable sound and theme. We observed that the rock station featured driving bass, drums, and distorted guitars that accompanied songs about rebellious discontent and self-absorption, which were sung (or screamed) by young men with colossal bad attitudes. On the country station we observed a much lighter form of accompaniment (which usually included a fiddle somewhere in the mix), and songs about sentimental self-justification or love sick complaints twanged and whined by cowboys and cowgirls. Everything we listened to proclaimed a secular, worldview message that was thoroughly man-centered, although some of the country songs referred to God as if He were some kind of good old boy in the sky. I found none of the music offensive, though, only the lyrics. Is it possible to sanctify these musical styles by inserting Christian lyrics? I think so. Allow me to explain.
The Purpose of Music
Since the Bible tells us to sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs to the Lord (Colossians 3:16) and to make music (Psalm 101:1) and sing new songs (Psalm 33:3), we have an obligation to use our creative gifts to give Him glory. It’s easy to assume that God likes church songs with lyrics that bring Him glory. But what about instrumental music? If there are no lyrics, how do we know whether a particular style of music is God-honoring? And if the lyrics are what give a song its moral value, then can worldly songs be transformed by changing their lyrics? Music is an expressive art form that includes the elements of melody, harmony, rhythm, form, balance, dynamics, tone, and more. When these elements are creatively combined, particular styles are generated with almost unlimited variations. Marches differ from lullabies, ballads differ from waltzes, anthems differ from arias. Music can be uplifting and energizing or soothing and sedating.
The challenge is to combine the right style of music (which includes the instruments used) with the lyrics that will articulate and clarify the theme of the song. Is the raw energy and driving beat of the Indie rock style suitable for accompanying lyrics about God’s power as our mighty defender? Could lyrics about the love of Christ be put to a country pop tune with a bit of fiddle added? In order to answer these questions, I think it’s useful to categorize music into three basic purposes.
Music for personal enjoyment:
It seems to me that Christians have the freedom to listen to virtually any style of music they prefer, as long as they do not use their liberty to sin or to cause others to sin. We must keep in mind that the Bible tells us to focus on things that are virtuous and to put aside things that are foolish, coarse and immoral. We are to flee from sin, not accommodate it.
Music for corporate edification:
In order to have unity in the body of Christ, we are required to tolerate the musical tastes of others, which is good for us. Our deference to one another keeps us from becoming little Pharisees of music, stuck on exalting our own opinions. The music we enjoy together should serve to unite us rather than divide us. If you like polka played on the accordion, and I like blues played on a tenor sax, we should put up with each other. We should agree that the lyrics of our favorite music should be God-honoring. We should also agree that church music of the past is a blessing and a treasure to be respected. It helps keep us from chasing after the latest musical fads.
Music for corporate singing:
Scripture is chock full of references to singing, so it stands to reason that the music we use in church should inspire us to sing with great joy. If the accompaniment is too dominant, too unpredictable, too complex, or too mediocre the quality of our congregational singing is diminished. The musical choices that we make for congregational singing should serve to increase both our skill and our delight in singing. The sing-ability of certain styles of music, then, becomes an important consideration. Excellent music, paired with doctrinally sound lyrics that exalt the Lord and edify the body, is the goal.
Southern Rock On Sundays?
Now let’s put these principles to the test. Let’s say I like Southern Rock as a musical style, and I want to hear it used more in church on Sunday mornings. Can I transform and use the formerly popular song, “Gimme Three Steps,” by the band, Lynyrd Skynyrd, but change the lyrics to make them Christian. Since the original song has to do with a guy who gets threatened by the boyfriend of a chick he tries to pick up at a bar, there are several obstacles that must be overcome in order for this song to be “redeemed” and “sanctified.” I'll need to work my way through a few questions.
What is the quality of the music?
Okay, so Lynyrd Skynyrd was one of the most critically acclaimed Southern Rock bands of the 1970s. This implies that they were pretty talented musically. So far, so good, unless you consider the 70s to be America's most embarrassing decade, including the music that it birthed.
What is the origin of the music?
Southern Rock emerged out of rock n’ roll, which emerged out of rhythm and blues, which emerged out of a combination of African American and English folk music, which emerged out of something else, and on it goes. Since most of the origins are considered “worldly” and little of it was ever sanctioned by the church, I might bog down here. The term “rock n’ roll was originally chosen because of its sexual connotations. This might be a problem if the goal is to glorify God.
What are the current associations of the music?
If no one recalls the song, “Gimme Three Steps” and no one has knowledge of the origins of Southern Rock and it’s ties to rock n’ roll, then there may not be problem. On the other hand, someone might remember such things. What if Southern Rock has gotten worse over time? Some of the bands that have evolved out of Southern Rock include the Cowboys from Hell, Southern Sludgecore, and Eyehategod. Since I’ve never heard their music I can’t say much about them other than what their names imply. This, of course, is little more than guilt by association, but it’s still a consideration.
What are the results of the music’s use?
If allowing your dog to come into the house and sleep on the sofa is a good way to test whether you will like pooch hair on your couch, then this question is useful. You could use “Gimme Three Steps, ” but, change the title to “Gimme Three Fish,” and see what happens. Of course you'd probably change the verses and chorus too. If members of the church started listening to Eyehategod and they got corrupted by the worldly messages, then you might have produced some undesirable consequences. However, if the Southern Rock style invigorates holiness and service in the body, then rock on.
I must confess that I like popular music of many styles, and I can handle a dose of Southern Rock, too. In the same way that a first century Christian, according to the Apostle Paul, could freely eat meat sacrificed to pagan idols, without fear of defilement (1 Corinthians 10:25), Christians today can probably consume secular music without being corrupted. On the other hand, Paul warned certain Gentile believers to not eat meat sacrificed to idols (Acts 15:29). The case could be made, then, that some Christians should not listen to worldly music. It’s kind of like a little old lady who buys a bank robber's getaway car and drives it to church on Sunday. The car is not wicked. It was just used by a wicked thief. Driving the car won't make her a bank robber. Now if it's a flame painted, low rider with gargantuan subwoofers and bullet holes in the trunk, it might make you wonder why she bought that car.
In It But Not Of It
There will always be tension for Christians to be in the world, yet not of it. We are commanded to be separate from the world, yet live as servants in it and take dominion of it. We are to be light-bearing ambassadors of grace to our dark and troubled society. We are to communicate the gospel to those around us in ways they can understand, which includes using the powerful influence of music. I realize that most of my assertions and arguments have swerved back and forth across the center line on the road of reason. I’ve tried to avoid the ditch on either side. I’ve condemned worldly music on the one hand, and made allowances for its redemption on the other. I apologize for being unwilling to tell you how to think, but hopefully, I’ve got you thinking more about your own musical presuppositions. This whole issue is, after all, an ongoing conversation. There’s much more to be said. For now, the best way for me to conclude is by prayer.
Lord, give us wisdom to serve You better. Help us to worship You in Spirit and in Truth. Help us to use your good gift of music to magnify Your name among the nations. Give us a heart and a mind for holiness and purity and service. Give us the strength to transform the culture, but not be conformed to it. May Your kingdom come and Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
